Government mulling master plan for underground spaces

Channel NewsAsia 3 Sep 13;

SINGAPORE: Singapore National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the government is considering the possibility of developing a master plan for underground spaces.

The purpose is to find out how practical underground plans can complement the above-ground master plan to make the city more exciting and liveable.

In a blog post on Tuesday, Mr Khaw noted the possibilities of creating underground transport hubs, pedestrian links, cycling lanes, utility plants, storage and research facilities, industrial uses, shopping areas and other public spaces in Singapore.

Singapore has made good use of underground spaces, said Mr Khaw.

For example, locals and visitors enjoy the air-con comfort and security of shopping and commuting underground from Orchard Road to City Hall, Tanjong Pagar and Marina Bay.

About 12 km of expressways and nearly 80 km of MRT lines are already underground.

The Marina Coastal Expressway, which will be completed this year, is also mostly underground.

Still, he said, the boundary of usage may be pushed - to experiment, to learn and to evolve practical innovative solutions - so as to prepare for the future.

But Mr Khaw said underground developments do cost more, so the authorities will not rush the underground master plan.

He said it may not be possible to draw up a comprehensive underground master plan in the first attempt, but it would be easier for the plans to be realised if the process is started earlier.

He added that the above-ground master plan is being updated, and a draft will be put up for public consultation through an exhibition soon.

- CNA/xq

Govt mulling large-scale underground developments
Kok Xing Hui Today Online 4 Sep 13;

SINGAPORE — Signalling for the first time that urban planners are exploring the possibility of large scale underground developments that further “push the boundary of usage”, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said yesterday that a subterranean statutory land use plan could be on the cards.

Policymakers are currently in the midst of updating the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Master Plan and a draft will be put up for public consultation via an exhibition soon, Mr Khaw noted. “In parallel, we are thinking about the possibility of developing an underground equivalent of the Master Plan to see how practical underground plans can complement the above ground Master Plan to make our city even more exciting and liveable,” he revealed.

Writing on his blog, he added: “We will not rush to do this underground Master Plan. We will also not be able to formulate a comprehensive underground Master Plan in our initial attempt(s). But the earlier we begin this process, the faster we will learn and the easier it would be for us to realise these plans.”

Citing cities in the Scandinavian countries, Canada and Japan, Mr Khaw said there was a full range of possibilities such as underground transport hubs, pedestrian links, cycling lanes, utility plants, shopping areas and other public spaces.

Tokyo, for instance, has automated underground bicycle parking systems while in Oslo, Norway, an underground sports hall and swimming pool double as civil defence shelters during emergencies.

Every day, half a million people pass through the “underground city” at Montreal’s RESO, which comprises 32km of tunnels covering an area of 12 sq km, linking facilities, including offices, hotels, retail shops, cinemas, universities and train stations.

Mr Khaw noted that the Republic has “made good use” of underground spaces for shopping malls and underpasses, as well as 12km of expressways and almost 80km of MRT lines. It has also used subterranean spaces for storage: When it comes into operation next year, JTC’s Jurong Rock Caverns will be South-east Asia’s first underground storage facility for oil and petrochemical products.

The Singapore Armed Forces has also relocated its Seletar East Ammo Depot to an underground ammunition facility — a world’s first when it was unveiled in 2008 — built under a former quarry site in Mandai.

“Still, there is scope to do much more,” Mr Khaw pointed out.

He acknowledged the higher cost of underground developments, “especially if the cheaper alternative of using surface land is available”. Still, “we can try to push the boundary of usage — to experiment, to learn and to evolve practical innovative solutions — so as to prepare for the future”, he said.

Members of Parliament (MPs) and architects whom TODAY spoke to welcomed the possibility of creating “more common space beyond the physical limitations of land”, as Marine Parade GRC MP Seah Kian Peng put it.

Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Gan Thiam Poh noted that not only will underground developments help address the land scarcity, a subterranean Master Plan will also provide opportunities for architects, engineers and builders here to “try building new things beyond what we already have”.

Mr Frven Lim, Director of Architecture at building consultancy Surbana, said a coordinated approach will give Singapore’s underground ambitions a “greater chance to succeed”.

Still, Mr Seah reiterated that underground projects come with huge price tags. “I support the idea, but it must be used in places where the costs can be justified by the benefits it creates,” he said.

Apart from costs, architect Victor Lee noted the design challenges to maximise the supply of natural air, light and greenery to these “controlled environments”. For starters, Mr Lim suggested that the Government build automated underground car parks. “Parking does not require a high quality space — you don’t need the space to be well lit, you don’t have to walk into it,” he said, adding that these car parks will also generate revenue to offset the costs.

Such car parks are present in France, where motorists leave their cars in a building and the vehicles are moved underground, he said.

“This will be the first trigger to get people to start thinking about how else the underground space can be used.”

Govt considering underground masterplan: Khaw
Daryl Chin Straits Times 4 Sep 13;

AN UNDERGROUND city with shopping malls, research facilities and even cycling lanes.

This is worth exploring to make Singapore "even more exciting and liveable", said National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan on his blog yesterday, suggesting that the Government is considering an "underground" masterplan.

The current land use masterplan, last reviewed in 2008, sets out how much needs to be built to efficiently spread the population across the island.

"We are currently in the midst of updating our master- plan... In parallel, we are thinking about the possibility of developing an underground equivalent... to see how practical underground plans can complement the above-ground masterplan," revealed the minister.

Although expanding underground will be expensive compared with building on the surface, "we can try to push the boundary of usage - to experiment, to learn and to evolve practical, innovative solutions - so as to prepare for the future", he added.

Building underground is not a new concept here.

Already, about 12km of expressways and nearly 80km of train lines are below the surface. Once completed, Jurong Island's Rock Cavern, located at a depth of 130m, will also become Southeast Asia's first underground petrochemicals storage facility.

But Mr Khaw believes there is scope to do more, pointing to other cities which have exploited subterranean spaces well.

Montreal's underground city Reso, which is used by 500,000 people daily, has offices, hotels, cinemas and even universities. And in Scandinavia, swimming complexes and even concert halls and churches have been built underground.

With Singapore's population projected to grow from the current 5.3 million to more than six million by 2030 according to a recent White Paper, experts believe building downwards is a viable alternative.

This is especially since parts of Singapore, like Bukit Timah, are blessed with a foundation of hard rocks such as granite, which provides the needed structural support for underground structures, explained Mr Chong Kee Sen, vice-president of the Institution of Engineers. He said building beneath the surface "essentially doubles the space you can have for development".

But the studies that are needed to see if a massive underground project is feasible, and the construction time involved, mean that any subterranean solution will take at least 20 years to see the light.

In his blog, Mr Khaw said the Government will not rush into going underground. He added: "We will also not be able to formulate a comprehensive underground masterplan in our initial attempt. But the earlier we begin, the faster we will learn and the easier it would be for us to realise these plans."