FEASIBILITY OF UNDERGROUND HOUSING IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

With the sharp increase in population and the lack of land area, Singapore seeks to build underground. The Government has declared via the media that building underground is the way to go in the future and plans to build an underground city are already in the pipeline for future development. However, housing has not been included as part of this Master Plan and therefore, we shall be testing the receptiveness of Singaporeans towards living underground to see if such housing should be included in the plans via surveys and interviews. Derived from the survey are some concerns from potential underground home owners. These concerns will be addressed with the use of the various technologies available in the market. We will also study the constructability of underground housing through a literature review of the geology of Singapore and complimenting this is an interview with a Director of a leading construction company. From this interview, we will also understand the main concerns of the contractor in building underground & their interest in undertaking such building projects. As underground housing is common in many nations overseas, case studies of some of the prominent underground houses have been done. It is noted that such houses provide comfortable living conditions, and most of such underground homes have an attractive interior décor. Thus, interviews with local interior designers have been conducted to understand how good interior décor can increase the value and attractiveness of such underground homes. To make up for the lack of research models on underground housing within Singapore, a case study for City Link Mall, one of Singapore’s most successful subterranean buildings is also conducted to analyze the factors that have contributed to its uptake. The possible implementation of such factors in underground houses in Singapore is also looked into. Lastly, the author has come out with several possible types of underground housing that can be used in Singapore. The four concepts do have their attractiveness and limitations and will be touched on in the later part of the report.