H20ELIX : FACILITY FOR WATER BANKING AND PRODUCTION

Abstract

This thesis envisions an alternative to contribute to the water supply of Singapore without the need for intensive energy, cost and technology to buy and make water (imported water from Malaysia, NEWater and desalinated water). With the land area of 710km2, Singapore is able to receive up to 1.7 billion m3 of rainfall annually, which is more than what is required for water demand (631.45 million m3/year). However, with land limitation and high contestation of land for other land use purposes, Singapore is in fact deprived from water storage capacity instead of source of water for harvest like most water stressed countries are facing.

In the search for more land opportunities to increase storage capacity, residual land in Singapore has been accounted for and examined in terms of area, types, hydrology and application opportunities. It has been realise that the amount of residual land (up to 200ha) could possibly store up to 20 million m3 and transit 240 million m3 of water annually. This could possibly be use to replace the non-portable water demand and desalinated water. Other than directly increasing water storage capacity, this thesis also function as a machine to increase the water quality for existing storm water harvesting to decrease water usage from main portable supply.

In addition to water banking, this hypothetical model made used of the passive processes of water harvesting and cleansing to incorporate an urban architecture that facilitates production such as agriculture and horticulture (orchid farming) that are also facing land shortage and rising demand in Singapore. Vegetables and plants produced on site are seen as by-products of the water banking process. Vegetables and plants produced locally will be harvested and processed on site so that it could be served and sold at restaurants and markets within the superstructure. Products can also be brought out to other parts of Singapore for sale.