President’s Message
Message 20/2019
Mr Lim Soon Heng, PE, FIMarEST.
Founder President
The Redevelopment of Marina Bay
The Floating Platform at Marina Bay and its seating gallery have served its purpose many times and the proposal to replace is timely. The platform is unique as it is supported by buoyancy rather than piles. It was when constructed ahead of its time, a harbinger of a wide range of floating solutions that has since been proposed to solve problems related to land scarcity and rising sea levels.
Singapore is well known for the many floating structures it exports to the world in the form of offshore oilrigs, FPSOs and oil field accommodations. We have a heritage worth preserving and Marina Bay would be an excellent place to showcase it.
Floating structures can be exciting as exemplified by the creative imagination of the likes of Jacques Rougerie and Vincent Callebaut. Their concepts project zest, excitement and celebrate the ecology of marine life and would be would be attractive to visitors.
There is another reason why the floating solution is to be preferred in the Bay. The installation of the structure would have minimal environmental impact on the enjoyment of visitors to the Bay. This because the structure would be prefabricated of site and delivered to the Bay in modules where they can be assembled with floating crane moored outside the barrage. The kind of work that such cranes are capable of performing may be seen on line by googling floating crane Singapore.
A floating structure is easily removed by reversing the procedure by which it was erected. It need not be demolished where in stand. This noiseless and short procedure devoid of dust and pollution is important for the enjoyment of the Bay area while demobilising the structure is in progress. A structure supported by piles being immovable would not be able to use this environmentally friendly method for removal at the end of its useful life. In fact, after it is removed from the Bay a floating structure may be re-erected elsewhere to serve another purpose.
The Society hopes the authorities will proceed with the development plans for Marina Bay with the above in mind. It would be happy to play an advisory role to help interested parties understand the engineering principles of floating structures, their design, construction, erection and mooring and end of life dismantling. It will draw from the expertise available in the local marine industry or abroad if necessary.
The Marina Bay Redevelopment could and should serve as an example for a bolder vision of Singapore where the developable space for work, live and play in the future is a continuum of 1400 sq. km of land and sea.
Lim Soon Heng
President
May 1st, 2019