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Surbana Jurong unveils 'Floating Ponds' that could see farms in parks, rooftops

Fish farms could soon sprout at a park or rooftop near you, if Surbana Jurong's blueprint for a new vertical farming concept catches on.
Wendy Wong Channel NewsAsia 4 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE: Fish farms could soon sprout at a park or rooftop near you, if Surbana Jurong's blueprint for a new vertical farming concept catches on.

The infrastructure consultancy unveiled on Monday (Sep 4) its design for Floating Ponds - vertical farms that can be tucked into Singapore's urban spaces, such as rooftops and underneath viaducts, or be integrated into parks and buildings.

The system will allow farms to rear more fish while taking up less space than conventional farms, Surbana Jurong said.

A closed-loop farming system, the Floating Ponds tap solar energy to grow algae on rooftops. The algae is then used to feed the fish, and nutrient-rich water from the tanks can be used to grow vegetables. More than 90 per cent of the water in fish tanks is recycled, reducing the need to top up fresh water.

"You can build these facilities within the city. The logistic cost and the uncertainty of whether you will find a catch if you go to the ocean are therefore eliminated," said Surbana Jurong group CEO Wong Heang Fine.

A three-storey prototype was developed in partnership with Singapore fish farm Apollo Aquaculture Group. Since its implementation last year, the fish farm has seen its yields increase by more than three times.

"This is something we’re not (just) talking about, we’re really demonstrating it. And I think this puts us at an advantage."," said Apollo deputy CEO Lucky Phua.

The farm plans to double its capacity to six storeys, which could potentially lead to a yield of up to 5,000 tonnes of food fish annually.

Surbana Jurong said it is in discussions with government agencies to implement the new system in urban areas in the future. It also has plans to expand overseas, such as to India, China and Africa, Mr Wong said.

"A lot of these countries are looking at food resilience as an issue for them to resolve," said Mr Wong. "So this particular Floating Pond as an intensified way of doing farming - whether it’s vegetables or seafood - will come in very useful for them."
Source: CNA/am

'Floating Ponds' concept that could see vertical fish farms in parks and on rooftops unveiled
Samantha Boh Straits Times 4 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE - Multi-storey fish farms on rooftops, parks or even under viaducts could become a reality if infrastructure consultancy Surbana Jurong has its way.

It has come up with a vertical farm system that needs much less space to house than traditional farms, but which can produce several times the amount of fish.

The Temasek Holdings-owned firm unveiled its Floating Pond concept on Monday (Sept 4), developed over the last four years with Singapore fish farm Apollo Aquaculture Group.

Surbana Jurong said it has held discussions with the Urban Redevelopment Authority and JTC Corporation, but was unable to say when the concept would be rolled out here. The firm, which does work in 40 countries, plans to introduce this concept overseas as well, in places such as Berlin in Germany.

Already in operation is a three-storey prototype at Apollo Aquaculture Group's farm in Lim Chu Kang which comes with six ponds - two on each level. Each pond is 135 sq m and can hold about 22,000 fish fry.

Increasing this to six storeys or more could potentially yield almost 5,000 tonnes of fish per year, six times more than a conventional fish farm of the same land space.

Surbana plans to improve the prototype by introducing self-sustainable features.For example, the system will have solar panels to harness energy from the sun, and rain water collected and wastewater from fish tanks are purified to be reused while leftover nutrients from the purification process is used as fish feed.

"With such a vertical farming concept, Floating Ponds can maximise use of land and help make a small pocket of urban space significantly productive, enhance the surrounding ecology and generate a vibrant community hub with farming activities," said Mr Wong Heang Fine, group chief executive of Surbana Jurong.

Said Mr Eric Ng, group chief executive of Apollo Aquaculture Group: "The farming sector is vibrant in Singapore but there are obvious space constraints here. We need to break away from the conventional mould and advocate new ways of farming."


Vertical fish farms may be housed at building rooftops or under flyovers, firm says
TOH EE MING Today Online 4 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE — Rooftops, parks, and spaces under flyovers could see pockets of vertical fish farms in future, Surbana Jurong touted. The infrastructure consultancy firm said that it has worked with Singapore company Apollo Aquaculture Group to develop a system that could yield 5,000 tonnes of food fish per year, or six times that of a conventional fish farm with the same amount of space.

Unveiling this “floating ponds” concept at a press conference on Monday (Sept 4), Surbana Jurong, which is owned by Temasek Holdings, said that it had taken four years to develop the idea with Apollo Aquaculture Group, which already has a three-storey fish farm prototype that yields 110 tonnes of fish a year.

The new concept is designed to be self-sustainable through a closed-loop ecosystem. For instance, it will use solar panels to harness energy, and nutrient-rich wastewater from the tanks and rainwater can be funnelled to constructed wetlands to be treated.

Mr Wong Heang Fine, group chief executive officer of Surbana Jurong, said that such projects could help boost the “resilience” of Singapore’s food security, and provide a solution to land shortage issues, for instance.

Singapore sees 2.2 million tonnes in food demand yearly, but homegrown supply meets less than 10 per cent of the demand, an annual report by the Agri-food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) stated.

Mr Wong said: “Food tourism is the next (big) thing… If you can go to industrial areas to see (the food) being processed or grown, buy whatever you need, and (set up) restaurants… it creates a new experience.”

Surbana Jurong will be showcasing the concept in an exhibition organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority later this week.
The firm, which has offices in more than 40 countries, plans to also introduce this concept overseas, with a country in the Middle East having expressed an interest in it. Other countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and India, China are also keen on such technologies)
Separately, Surbana Jurong has been appointed by JTC Corporation to plan and design a poultry hub to be leased to a consortium group. The facility is now under construction in Singapore. Expected to be ready by the third quarter of 2018, it will handle the slaughtering and processing of live birds, including deboning, cutting and packaging.

Mr Eric Ng, group chief executive officer of Apollo Aquaculture Group, acknowledged that being able to locate vertical fish farms at places such as parks and under flyovers could “take some time”, given that they need to work together with the authorities on how to implement it. 
Responding to TODAY’s queries, the Building & Construction Authority said that before a rooftop is converted into a fish farm, the building owner will need to engage a professional engineer to conduct relevant checks, to see if the building can support the proposed use. “Where structural strengthening work is required, structural plan approval and a permit to commence work is required from BCA. Similar regulatory requirements apply to new buildings housing fish farms.”
An AVA spokesperson said that to enhance Singapore’s food security, it “encourages innovative farming methods and technologies that optimise land use and boost productivity of our farms”, but these methods and technologies “should meet all regulatory requirements”.


Multi-storey fish farms could boost local yields
Surbana Jurong works with farm to unveil floating pond concept
Samantha Boh Straits Times 5 SEp 17;
Locating multi-storey fish farms on rooftops, in parks or even under viaducts could become a reality if infrastructure consultancy Surbana Jurong has its way.

It has come up with a vertical system that needs less space than traditional farms, but can produce several times the amount of fish.

The Temasek Holdings-owned firm unveiled its floating pond concept yesterday, developed over the last four years with local fish farm Apollo Aquaculture Group.

Surbana Jurong said it has held discussions with the Urban Redevelopment Authority and JTC Corporation, but was unable to say when or if the concept would be rolled out here.

The Straits Times understands that discussions are still in their infancy stage.

But if successful, it could give local fish production a big boost, providing Singapore with a better buffer during global supply disruptions.


IN NUMBERS
125: Total number of fish farms in Singapore.
4,851: Tonnes of fish produced by all the farms last year.
7: Number of land-based fish farms.

Of the 125 fish farms here, seven are land-based.

Farms here produced 4,851 tonnes of fish last year, accounting for about 10 per cent of fish consumed in Singapore.

Apollo Aquaculture Group has been operating a three-storey prototype since last year at its farm in Lim Chu Kang.

The farm, which also involved Surbana Jurong, comes with six ponds - two on each level. Each pond occupies 135 sq m and can hold about 22,000 fish fry.

Increasing this to six storeys or more could potentially yield almost 5,000 tonnes of fish per year, six times more than a conventional fish farm utilising the same land space.

Ms Tan Yok Joo, Surbana Jurong's deputy director of architecture, said just 50ha to 60ha of land would be needed to meet all of Singapore's current fish demand of 86,352 tonnes, if the floating pond concept is used.

Surbana plans to improve on the prototype by introducing self-sustainable features such as solar panels to harness energy from the sun.

Rainwater will also be collected and wastewater from fish tanks purified to be reused.

Leftover nutrients from the purification process will then be used as fish feed.

The nutrients could also be used to grow aquatic plants and leafy vegetables like spinach and lettuce, said Ms Tan.

Apollo Aquaculture Group will be tendering for a plot of land in Neo Tiew Crescent and will test the floating pond concept there if its bid is successful.

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