FLOATING INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS FOR LAND SCARCE CITY (SINGAPORE)

Abstract

The increasing population will results in Singapore having to invest in its infrastructure to create high quality urban space (National Population and Talent Division, 2013). With the limited land resource, it is timely and necessary for Singapore to explore new technology and innovative solutions to increase its land capacity. Nonetheless, the advancement in technology has offered new opportunities and solutions for Singapore to adopt as a means of expanding its land area. Therefore, this Dissertation seeks to explore and examine the technologies that are feasible to be used in Singapore to create offshore space to help Singapore alleviate the growing demand of land areas for the various developments. A review of the literature provides a foundation in understanding the offshore space creation and allow research gap to be identified. Case studies were undertaken to understand the utilisation of the technologies in detailed. Lastly, personal interviews were carried out to evaluate the feasibility of using floating structures in Singapore. A total of 5 responses were collected from the interviews and qualitative analysis was carried out to identify consensus and conflicting perspectives. The findings indicate that the two technologies i.e. land reclamation and floating structures can be adopted by Singapore to create more offshore space. They are technically feasible and in the financial aspect, the cost is justifiable. Both technologies are suitable to be used in Singapore but each of the technologies has its own limitations. To conclude, the two methods serve as a complement to other space creation initiatives. Thus, it will help Singapore to enhance liveability and support long-term needs. A set of guideline was proposed which defines the suitability of the various facilities to be constructed on a floating platform. Finally, the limited number of people who has the expertise in the floating structures constituted to the key limitation of this study.