Newsletter of IStructE Singapore Regional Group Vol. 13 No. 1 Jan 2017

Transcription

1 MCI (P) 044/12/2016 Newsletter of IStructE Singapore Regional Group Vol. 13 No. 1 Jan 2017 Welcome to our Lunar New Year Edition of the Structuralist! A Happy Lunar New Year to all, best wishes for an amazing, prosperous, safe, fruitful and healthy new year to all our readers. Ushering in the Lunar New Year in Singapore s Chinatown and a new IES-IStructE term. Introducing the IES-IStructE Joint Committee for 2017/2018: Front, L-R: Steve Yeung, Ang Chee Keong, Sam Tan, Francis Lok (Chairman), Pang Sze Dai, Mah Guan Pang. Back, L-R: Kong Kian Hau, Kang Jianhan, Cong Zhengxia, Liu Ziyue, Tran Chi Trung, Reve Chin, Ho Kwong Meng (Vice Chairman), Mak Yew Cheong, Leonard Heng, Wijaya Wong. Not in picture: Jeslin Quek, Michael Sien, CM Wang This year, the IES-IStructE Joint Committee a.k.a. the IStructE Singapore Regional Group, has a new Chairman Er. Assoc-Prof Francis Lok. Francis takes over from Prof CM Wang for the new term 2017/2018. Prof CM Wang has re-located to the University of Queensland. We shall continue our association with him and meet whenever he shuttles between Australia and Singapore. We asked Francis to say a few words, and this is what he wrote: I am very honored to be elected the Chairman of the IES-IStructE Joint Committee with effect from 1st January 2017 to 31st December This followed the re-location of Prof CM Wang, who was the Chairman from 2004 to 2016, to the University of Queensland. On behalf of the Joint Committee, I would like to thank him for taking this Committee to new heights during his tenure. There are a few changes to the six elected positions of the Joint Committee, and I am pleased that we have a good mix of new and not-so-new members in the Team. We look forward to serving all Institution Members. Many of you may have noticed that we have started a campaign to serve younger members of the Institution. For example, we invited Student and Graduate Members to attend site visits, seminars on iconic projects, career talks, presentations on the Chartered Membership Examination and professional courses. We continue to serve Corporate and Senior Members of the Institution with courses that are specially developed to broaden understanding of specialised topics. 1

2 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan Retired Members shall be invited to gatherings and encouraged to act as role models and supervisors to younger members. Specially reduced rates are offered to Retired Members to attend our specialised courses. I am delighted that we have an enthusiastic and professional Joint Committee representing both IStructE and IES, working together to serve the interests of all members of the engineering community in Singapore. (Editors s Note: The six elected positions in the IES-IStructE Joint Committee are Chairman, Vice- Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Asst. Hon. Secretary and Asst. Hon. Treasurer.) We also have two new committee members, Assoc-Prof Pang Sze Dai and Er. Dr. Tran Chi Trung. (a) (a) Assoc-Prof Pang Sze Dai is the Deputy Head (Academic Matters), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NUS. Sze Dai graduated from the National University of Singapore with BEng. (First Class Honours) and MEng degrees in 2001 and 2002 respectively under the Accelerated Master s Program (AMP), and from the Northwestern University with PhD degree in He researched on the behaviour of profiled steel-concrete composite structures subjected to blast loading for his MEng thesis, and on the size effect arising from energetic and probabilistic fracture mechanics in the mechanical properties of quasi-brittle materials for his PhD dissertation. Sze Dai joined the National University of Singapore in 2006 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and the Engineering Science Programme (ESP). He designed and taught modules for the newly set-up ESP, and for his fresh approach towards students' learning, he was awarded the Faculty of Engineering Innovative Teaching Award. The students he mentored in CEE and ESP have won multiple awards at faculty and university levels. These include the Faculty Innovation and Research Awards, University Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Awards and University Student Achievement Awards. At the international level, the teams that he mentored for the annual international earthquake design competition in Taiwan have won top awards every year. On top of the teaching of modules and mentoring of students, he is active in administrative roles as the Acting Programme Manager for the MSc (Civil) and MSc (Geotech) programmes in He is currently the Curriculum Co-ordinator for the Design-Centric Curriculum, which is delivered by the Engineering Design and Innovation Centre. Sze Dai is currently conducting research in the area of protective building and sustainable building technologies using principles from bio-mimicry, and is also researching on size effect in cementitious and metal matrix composites. He has attracted close to S$3 million in research funding as Principal Investigator and collaborator. He has served on committees for a number of major conferences, reviewed multiple journal articles and also served as external reviewer for national research projects. He has also provided his expertise to industry on structural dynamics, steel structures and seismic engineering. Dr Tran Chi Trung is currently a Principal Engineer of the Bridge and Structural Steel Department, Building Engineering Group in BCA. He was a Research Scholar with NUS pursing his doctorate degree since 2003 and was conferred a PhD in His research interests and professional experience have been in the area of steel-composite structures, membrane structures and high-rise buildings. He has generated several technical publications (including journals, conference papers, technical presentations and in books). He has also been involved in the structural design of several prestigious high-rise projects in Singapore and overseas. 2

3 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan Dear Readers, Thanks for taking time to read this newsletter. We appreciate your continued support and would also like to hear from you for whatever reasons. Please direct all your correspondence and inquiries to: IES-IStructE Joint Committee Er Assoc-Prof Lok Tat Seng (Chairman): ctslok@ntu.edu.sg Er. Dr. Ho Kwong Meng (Vice-Chairman): kwongmeng.ho@surbanajurong.com Er Wijaya Wong (Hon. Secretary): wijaya.wong@outlook.com Er Leonard Heng (Hon. Treasurer): Lheng.IES2010@gmail.com Er Reve Chin (Asst. Hon. Secretary): Jen_yee_chin@hotmail.com Er Michael Sien (Asst. Hon. Treasurer) michael.sien@arup.com Er Mak Yew Cheong Mak.yew.cheong@pmlink.com.sg Er Steve Yeung Steve.Yeung@WorleyParsons.com Er Kang Jianhan, jianhankang@gmail.com (a) (a) (b) Dr Kong Kian Hau drkongkh@gmail.com Er Mah Guan Pang admin@mabaengineering Er Ang Chee Keong angcheekeong@gmail.com Er Ms Cong Zheng Xia cong_zx@wohhup.com Er Ms Jeslin Quek jeslinquek@fyfeasia.com Er Sam Tan Gak Peng: tangakpeng@yahoo.com.sg (c) Ms Liu Ziyue LIU_Ziyue@lta.gov.sg Assoc-Prof Pang Sze Dai ceedhacd@nus.edu.sg Er. Dr. Tran Chi Trung TRAN_Chi_Trung@bca.gov.sg (d) Immediate Past-Chairman: Prof. CM Wang cm.wang@uq.edu.au Past Chairmen: Prof N.E. Shanmugam Dr Y.S. Lau The Structuralist Editorial Committee Editors: Advisor: Er Leonard Heng Dr Kong Kian Hau Assoc-Prof Lok Tat Seng Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed therein are solely those of the writers and its publication does not necessarily imply that such views and opinions are endorsed by IES, IES/IStructE Joint Committee and the editorial committee of The Structuralist. Copyright: The reproduction in whole or in part of any material in this publication must obtain written permission from the editorial committee of this publication and/or from the respective author(s). Chi Trung is currently serving as secretary/member of the Taskforce to draft the Singapore National Annexes for Eurocode 3 Part 1 series. He has been serving as a committee member of the Fire Code Review Committee for the Singapore Civil Defence Force since He is also a member of the Singapore Structural Steel Society (SSSS) as well as a member of The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE). He is a Chartered Structural Engineer (CEng) and a registered PE (Civil) in Singapore.. Through Francis and Sze Dai, we will continue to deepen our ties with engineering students at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Our role is to guide and groom future generations of structural engineers. Chi Trung will help us maintain ties with the Singapore Building Authorities, so that the committee can contribute to ties and communication from practicing engineers in Singapore and the Authorities. Together with the rest of us in the Joint Committee, we look forward to an exciting new year of learning and growing as structural engineers, and to the warm fellowship of engineers. But before we look forward to 2017, let us recount for the record, the key events of the IStructE Regional Group in the last quarter of 2016, since the last issue of the Structuralist in Oct Off-the-record, it was a crazy, busy but totally satisfying quarter Introducing and Demonstrating Earthquake Engineering Research in Schools (IDEERS) (a) We continued to support engineering education in Singapore. The Joint Committee sponsored five Nanyang Technological University (NTU) students to participate in a competition in Taiwan from 8-11 th September The participants were Mr Chee Khai Yin (observer), Mr Handoko, Mr Kelvin Teheri, Mr Kevin Janiardy and Mr Tan Thai Wu. The competition, entitled "Introducing and Demonstrating Earthquake Engineering Research in Schools (IDEERS)", is jointly organised by the Taiwan National Centre for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE), the National Applied Research Laboratories (NAR Labs) and the British Council. The purpose was to promote understanding of earthquake engineering, seismic protection education and, more importantly, to encourage students to participate in a creative scientific competition. The competition attracted many teams of high school, undergraduates and graduate students from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Australia and UK. In the competition, teams of 4 students each were required to construct a scaled model skeleton structure to resist a simulated earthquake generated by a shaking table at NCREE. Tools and materials were provided to each team to enable the skeleton structure to be constructed. 104 teams participated in the competition. 3

4 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan In a guided field tour prior to the competition, the teams were exposed to seismic damage to structures caused by past earthquakes in Taiwan. The tour took participants to a number of historical sites. Damaged Longteng Bridge - built in 1906, this bridge consists of a central steel truss flanked by multiple brick masonry arches. In April 1935, the Shinchiku-Taichū earthquake, and subsequent aftershocks in July, damaged the bridge. Successive repairs/earthquakes resulted in the current final state in the picture on the left. These existing piers are monuments to the history of earthquakes in Taiwan. The team visited the Chelungpu Fault Preservation Park located at Zhushan Township, Nantou County. A museum in this park was establised when a professor of geology from the National Taiwan University discovered the original Chengpu Fault caused by the 921 earthquake in A visit to the Earthquake Museum of Taiwan in Wufeng District, Taichung, showed the brutality of nature. An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck the centre of Taiwan on 21 September 1999, causing the collapse of several buildings. The museum conducts educational tours and activities featuring aspects of natural science, the humanities, and historical records. Competition Details Each team was required to design and construct a building model at the competition venue over two days. The model had to resist the earthquake generated by the shaking table at NCREE. The theme of this year s competition involved the construction of a leisure hotel within the assigned building site. The shape of floor in plan was unrestricted. However, the lobby and banquet halls of the hotel were to be located on the first and second storeys. These two storeys were required to be elevated and be larger in area than the other floors. Therefore, setbacks had to be built into the 3 rd and upper floors. In addition, there was an outdoor swimming pool at the top of the hotel. Teams were encouraged to use their knowledge and creativity to construct effective and efficient building models. On the first day, each team had 6.5 hours to construct the building model. Model construction was held at the National Centre for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE). Each member of the team had assigned responsibilities such as cutting wooden sticks, dimensioning, assembling wooden sticks using hot glue gun, etc.the organisers provided materials and tools. On the second day, tests were conducted by placing the models on the shaking table at NCREE. The shaking table generates artificial earthquake of various intensities. The peak ground acceleration (PGA) was gradually increased to 800 gal (gal = cm/sec 2 ). An Efficiency Ratio (ER) ranks all the constructed models. The ER is computed from the mass of the model, the number of mass blocks supported by the model and the resisting PGA. The winner would be the team whose model obtained the largest value of ER. There were also other awards such as Structural Design Awards, Aesthetics Awards, and Design Concept Awards. 4

5 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan The sequence of events for day-of-reckoning - day 2, when the models would be subject to the shaking table,wasasfollows: Before the models were tested on the shaking table, two members of each team mounted their model onto the shaking table and fixed the mass blocks within 15 minutes; Only a screwdriver, screws, a hot-melt glue gun and hot-melt glue provided by the organizer, were allowed for mounting the model onto the shaking table; After all teams completed the task of mounting their models onto the shaking table and fixing the mass blocks, IDEERS staff checked for mounting safety, and made the necessary adjustments and reinforcement; All models were tested simultaneously on the shaking table. There were at most six tests, in which the PGA was arranged in sequence of 250 gal, 400 gal, 500 gal, 600 gal, 700 gal, 800 gal; The team(s), whose models passed the test with the PGA equal to 400 gal (which is equivalent to an earthquake with the intensity VI in Taiwan), would receive the Quake-Resistant Certificate. Competition Results The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Team constructed a 5-storey structure with an octagonalshaped base in the lower floors, and rectangular-shaped floors from the 3 rd storey upwards. The selfweight of the model structure was grammes and it help up a 41 kg of mass (block load) during the earthquake test. The model structure failed at 500 gal PGA. Most of the awards were swept up by Taiwanese institutions. However, the NTU Team still managed to clinch the Quake-Resistant Award, and was also nominated for the Best Design Concept Award. Efficiency Ratio Awards (Categories) Placing High School Undergraduate Graduate First KaoHsiung Senior Vocational Industrial High School National Taiwan University of Science and Technology National Taiwan University Second National Taichung Industrial High School National United University National Chung Hsing University Third Yang-Tze High School National Chiao Tung University National Cheng Kung University 5

6 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan From this competition, the NTU team gained valuable and fundamental knowledge of seismic-resistant design of structures, as well as the importance of construction detailing in earthquake models. The team learned how to use the software ETABS, which is a common computational tool for analysis and design of seismic structures. The NTU team s ETABS model and deformed mode of vibration are shown below. Acknowledgement The NTU Team would like to acknowledge the expert advice provided by their mentor, Assoc-Prof Li Bing. He introduced the concept of earthquake model design to the Team and contributed ideas and suggestions throughout the competition. They would also like to thank Assoc-Prof Lok T.S. who initiated and encouraged the Team members to make a formal application to compete in Taiwan. He assisted in seeking financial contribution from the IStructE Singapore Regional Group, which made this competition and learning journey possible. Members of the NTU Team are registered Student Members of the Institution of Structural Engineers, UK. Finally, they wish to thank Prof Wang Rong, Chair of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, for her support of this programme and for the financial contributions, that made this educational trip possible. October 2016 was packed with activities a course, a seminar, a site visit, Members Night and the Singapore Structural Awards One-day course on Why Structures Fail? A one-day course on Why Structures Fail was held on 12 Oct 2016 at Hotel Novotel Clarke Quay. Why Structures Fail has been the burning question of not only Engineers but also of building insurers and related industry. So the IES-IStructE Joint Committee organised the course to re-visit this interesting topic. The one-day course was delivered by IStructE Past-President Nick Russell (2014 President of IStructE). Nick is widely recognised as an industry expert and is often called up as an expert witness. He has recently been named the Civil and Structural Engineer Expert Witness of the Year 2016 by Lawyer Monthly Magazine. A barrister with whom he had worked with closely, and who had nominated him for the 2016 award, said: Nick is one of the best expert witness I have ever called. He has that rare ability to explain to a layman a difficult, technical subject concisely and with absolute clarity. He is easy to work with, responds quickly and in witness box presents as a balanced and thoughtful witness. One cannot ask for more from an expert witness. True to the citation, his vast experience in industry, and as an expert witness, made Nick the perfect person to speak on this topic. 6

7 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan There was much enthusiasm; about 80 Engineers attended the one-day course. The course included a combination of technical knowledge of construction law and of professional indemnity. Participants came from various background, e.g. consultants, contractors, clients, and government agencies. Nick shared about various structural failure cases in the United Kingdom, and their costs to society. A few of these failures were due to gross negligence, resulting in costly litigation. Nick Russell with IES-IStructE Joint committee members In the afternoon, guest speaker Michael Wright presented about recent advances in steel materials. Thereafter, Nick rounded up the course by talking about professional indemnity and engineering contract law. During the Question-and-Answer session, it was evident that there is growing interest amongst Engineers about building classification and the difference between Class 2A, 2B and Class 3 structures in Eurocode 1. Apparently Eurocode gives the general framework and guideline on these building classifications, but is silent on exact requirements of Class 3. It merely says that Class 3 structures need further risk assessment and evaluation. The IES-IStructE Joint Committee is currently considering and looking at the possibility of organising a short course on Resilience of Building Structures to address this growing interest and to shed more light on the topic. Stay tuned for this possible upcoming course in Assoc-Prof Lok presenting a Certificate of Appreciation to Nick Russell One of the greatest advantages of having a Joint Committee involving both IES and IStructE is the ability to tap into the rich diversity of Civil and Structural Engineering, which only such a partnership brings, and to be able to go into considerable depth to mine the wealth of knowledge in Structural Engineering. Members of IES and IStructE, and the larger engineering community, enjoyed this on 14 th Oct 2016, when leading Civil Engineers working in Singapore came together to share their work with the community 7

8 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan ONE-DAY IES/ISTRUCTE JOINT SEMINAR ON ADVANCES IN CIVIL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING PROJECTS 2016 HELD ON 14 OCTOBER 2016 A one-day seminar on Advances in Civil and Structural Engineering Projects 2016, jointly organized by IES/IStructE Joint Committee and the Structural Division of C&S Engineering Technical Committee (C&S TC) of IES, was held on 14 October 2016 at the Novotel Clarke Quay Singapore. 95 participants Professor Chu Jian attended this Seminar. The Morning Session was chaired by the Seminar Coordinator Er. Dr. Ho Kwong Meng and the Afternoon Session was chaired by Er. Chu Jiang Yong, Committee Member of C&S TC. The topics and speakers were: 1. Is Land Reclamation Sustainable In Singapore?, presented by Professor Chu Jian of Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He suggested using dredged soil and industrial waste as alternative filled materials. The other method is to use the underwater city or floating structures. Er. Lim Peng Hong Professor David Chua Underwater Cum Floating City by Professor Chu Jian Cutting of Hills for Jurong Industrial Town Construction by Er Ong Geok Soo 2. Design for Safety: Role of the design Engineers was presented by Er. Lim Peng Hong, Managing Director of PH Consulting Pte Ltd. 3. Latest Development in Building Information Modeling (BIM) was presented by Prof. David Chua Kim Huat of NUS. 4. Sharing of Soft Ground Reclamation Engineering and development of Jurong Island Into a Petro-Chemical Hub was presented by Er. Ong Geok Soo. 5. Cost-Saving Compensated Foundation for a 22-Storey Office Building was presented by Er. Dr. Kog Yue Choong. 6. Advances in Underwater Repair and Rehabilitation of Structures Using FRP was presented by Er. Ms Jeslin Quek. Completed Projects using FRP to repair underwater structures were illustrated. Er. Ong Geok Soo Er. Dr. Kog Yue Choong Er Ms Jeslin Quek Futuristic Waterfront Structures off Tanjong Pagar by Er. Dr. Ho Kwong Meng Futuristic Marina City at Keppel Channel by Er. Dr. Ho Kwong Meng Er. Dr. Ho Kwong Meng 7. Futuristic Waterfront Structures Some Ideas, was presented by Er. Dr Ho Kwong Meng. Ideas for Modern futuristic Waterfront Structures at Southern Part of Tanjong Pagar and Keppel Channel, Under Sea Level Offshore Cities Off Marina South and Off East Coast Park were proposed and discussed. 8

9 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan After hosting a gathering of engineers discussing several wonderful ideas and designs, which may one day become reality, eighht days later, another group of Joint Committee members moved on to hosting university students to view a specific iconic design take shape. This is one of the joint committee s ideas for engaging in the development of young engineers who would some day become great structural engineers. This is what one of the students who went for the visit reported: Site Visit to Project Jewel by Zhu Tinger, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering Nanyang Technological University (NTU) The IES-IStructE Joint Committee worked with the student leaders of the NTU Civil and Environmental Engineering Club to arrange a site visit to Project Jewel for CEE students on 22 October Project Jewel is one of the iconic mega-projects in Singapore. It involves the construction of a new mixed-use complex at Singapore Changi Airport. The project is undertaken by joint venture contractors, Woh Hup (Private) Ltd and Obayashi Singapore Pte Ltd. The cutting-edge construction ideas and technology involved in this project makes it attractive for students who wished to learn about the complexity of mega-project management, and of ways to handle such projects. The site visit received an enthusiastic response from students; many showed great interest in participating in the event. A total of 24 students ventured to Changi Airport on 22 October. On arrival at the site, the students were warmly welcomed by Er. Cong Zhengxia (Project Manager for Woh Hup) and her colleagues. The event started with a safety briefing followed by the presentation of an IES-IStructE Token of Appreciation to the Safety Manager, Mr Yang Yong Hong. The students were grateful for his enthusiastic briefing and for his safety concerns of all visitors. Er. Cong presented an introduction to the project and the scale of the construction site. Project briefing by Er. Cong Zhengxia Presenting token of appreciation to the Safety Manager, Mr. Yang Yong Hong by Er. Kang Jianhan During the tour of the construction site, Er. Cong, her colleagues and several members of the IES-IStructE Joint Committee explained the inter-connectivity of the site, and responded to queries raised by students regarding the design, monitoring, construction and progress of the development. Students were impressed by the enormity and complexity of the project. More importantly, the students felt safe as they walked around the site because they were guided by several safety officers. 9

10 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan Detailed explanation by a site engineer Group photo of IES-IStructE members and CEE students This site visit received many positive feedbacks from students. As future civil, structural and environmental engineers, they believed that it was a valuable learning experience, helping them broaden their horizons, and to experience the work of professional engineers and managers. They also expressed their hope to be involved in other site visits with the IES-IStructE Joint Committee. Here is a sample of feedback gathered from students: The site visit was a fruitful one. As a 2 nd year student, I have yet to learn more about civil engineering. This site visit gave me a better idea of the technologies involved, and how construction is on the ground. The engineers and people-in-charge were helpful in explaining to us about the site area as well. Overall, it was a unique experience to see the construction of the site before completion. I learnt a lot. Samantha Ng It was a great experience to have visited the Project Jewel site. I gained many insights in such a practical field. This is knowledge that I can never learn from textbooks. I definitely enjoyed the site tour and briefing. Kiefer Soon Jing Fung It is definitely a great opportunity for students to have an insightful exposure about this fantastic project. We get to know some techniques used in the construction industry, like how they managed to use inclined structural columns to support glazing, which is not taught in School. We are very proud of this iconic project. Li Hongting This is my first site visit as a student. I felt that the sheer size of the construction site was completely beyond my imagination. Practical application is so different from theoretical considerations. This is because when it comes to real construction, there are many more considerations to take account of. I found it very interesting when experienced engineers explained to me how the structure was formed/constructed, the kind of materials used, and the way frames or trusses were joined together. There is a lot of knowledge that I cannot learn from textbooks. Choo Kian Tatt The engineers on site are very passionate about their work and in answering every question posed by participants. It is good to have occasional site visits so that we are learning through the lecture notes, as well as having a taste of what real construction site looks like. William Howard In conclusion, the site visit to Project Jewel has given students a glimpse of the work that they could be doing in the future. The entire visit was well-organized and provided valuable understanding of what engineers are capable of doing. This experience has inspired the students to put in more effort to become competent and professional engineers! 10

11 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan We wish to acknowledge the following: Woh Hup Pte Ltd, Er. Cong Zengxia and Mr. Yang Yong Hong for taking such good care of students throughout the visit. Thanks are also due to Er. Kang Jianhan and Ms. Liu Ziyue of IES-IStructE Joint Committee for accompanying students and explaining the critical structural elements, design, etc.. School of Civil & Environmental Engineering for encouraging and sponsoring students to undertake this site visit. IES-IStructE Joint Committee for making all the arrangements and sponsoring tokens of appreciation and refreshments. 6 days later, members of IStructE in Singapore gathered to celebrate Structural Engineering achievements in Singapore and to renew ties within the community at an annual Member s gathering. IStructE Members Night and Singapore IStructE Awards 2016 IStructE Members Night and Singapore IStructE Awards 2016 was held on 28 Oct 2016 at Marina Mandarin Hotel. It promised to be the grand event for the Engineering community for the year as there are more than 100 Engineers who turned up for the event. Many project entries were submitted to compete for the top structural award - The Supreme Structural award. The project which clinches the Supreme Structural Award will be the automatic entry for the Regional Structural Awards category of IStructE in London in The event was also graced by the Commissioner of Building Control, Er Chew Keat Chuan, and many eminent Engineers from the profession and industry. Er Chew Keat Chuan shared with guests his overseas trekking experience; a light and less technical topic, fitting for the Awards night. He went on to present a short video of his trekking adventure in Mongolia and highlighted key challenges and lessons learnt from this unforgettable and extraordinary journey. Commissioner of Building Control, Er Chew Keat Chuan, sharing his overseas trekking experience in Mongolia 18 candidates who were successful in the 2016 Chartered and Supplementary Examinations received their Certificates and were conferred the title of Chartered Structural Engineer. The ceremony recognises the effort and tenacity of individuals who had invested in the preparation of the often-quoted Gold Standard Examination of the Institution. Certificate presentation by Prof CM Wang to Chartered members who passed their Chartered and Supplementary Examinations 2016 The IES-IStructE Joint Committee also announced a change of leadership from the year 2017 onwards. Prof Francis Lok takes over as Chairman of the Joint Committee as Past Chairman Prof Wang Chien Ming relocates to Brisbane. The Joint Committee expressed their gratitude and presented a token of appreciation in the form of a commemorative plaque to Prof Wang as Chairman of the committee for 12 years. 11

12 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan This is the last event that Prof Wang presided over in The Committee wishes to thank Prof Wang for his years of commitment and leadership in the IES-IStructE Joint Committee. We will miss him, his jokes and warmth. We wish him all the best in his new position as the Transport and Main Roads (TMR) Chair Professor in Structural Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, University of Queensland. Prof Wang receiving token of appreciation from Jeslin Quek (presenting to Prof Wang on behalf of the IES-IStructE Committee for his 12 year of service as Chairman of the Singapore Regional Group) Amidst the food and fellowship, the Singapore Structural Engineering community paused to recognise and celebrate our best structural engineers through the Singapore Structural Awards. Arup emerged as the Awards Night winner. They clinched a total of 3 Awards. These were award for Commercial Structures (South Beach- Ribbon Canopy), award for Retail Structures (The Capitol), award for Pedestrian Bridge (Jubilee bridge). The top prize of the night, the Supreme Structural Award was the Jubilee Bridge. CPG clinched 3 Awards - award for Structural Heritage (National Gallery) and Healthcare Structures (Ng Teng Fong General Hospital & Jurong Community Hospital), and a Worthy of special mention award for the National Gallery. The Joint Committee wishes to thank everyone involved in the organisation of the Annual Members Night and the Arup winning the Supreme Structural Award of the Night Singapore Structural Awards Competition. Special thanks go to Jeslin Quek, members of the Joint Committee, competition judges, Angela Loke, colleagues from IES and all members/supporters of IStructE. Without this joint effort, we would not have such a successful evening. It was a magical night. 12

13 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan questions for Er. Dr. See Lin Ming, Structures Leader of Arup Singapore. Arup won the IStructE 2016 award for Commercial Structures (SouthBeach- Ribbon Canopy), award for Retail Structures (The Capitol), award for Pedestrian Bridge (Jubilee Bridge) and clinched the top structure prize of the night The Supreme Structural Award for the Jubilee Bridge. What are the engineers of such projects like in person? Er. Michael Sien from the Joint Committee caught up with Er. Dr See Lin Ming, who was also the QP for the project which clinched the Supreme Award - the Er. Dr. See Lin Ming Jubilee Bridge. Michael: I would say this is the first time in many years where a consultant clinched so many awards at the bi-annual IStructE Singapore Awards Night. What is the secret recipe behind such success? Dr See: It s a real privilege to work on these ground-breaking projects and partnering a team of design visionaries. The bold ambitions of our clients and collaborators requires us to push the boundaries of design. Often times, we set out to overcome the challenges on these projects with the main goal of making our design efficient and practical, both for our clients and for the users of the space or infrastructure. This drives our approach and thinking, resulting in high quality and innovative design solutions. It is in this vein that we have gained recognition from clients and architects to become their trusted engineer of choice. Michael: How does Arup remain as the industry s leading engineering firm and what are the firm s plans to continue with this success story? Dr See: Arup is an employees owned company; we are held in trust. Every year we divide our profits into portions that go to staff and the rest is invested back into the firm through Arup University. Arup University is our research, foresight and innovation arm that set us apart from other firms. It oversees our in-house and collaborative research program with our partners and oversees all our training needs, from graduate modules to leadership courses. Beside our extensive training programme, we have a very efficient knowledge sharing platform within Arup via our Skill Networks. This allows us to share knowledge instantly across the globe. I would say, it is the nature of the firm, the foresight of enriching staff knowledge with an efficient system in place, and the sharing culture, which makes us a leading engineering firm. Michael: What would be your advice to graduating engineers who will be joining the industry soon? Dr See: In an ever-changing world, I think it is important for engineering graduates to equip themselves with knowledge of current global issues such as climate change, resource scarcity, urbanisation, etc.. This would help guide their work approach and truly achieve people-centred designs on their projects. I think in a technical role such as engineering, assuming an attitude of life-long learning would be very critical. You would want to keep updating your knowledge of things, and growing in technical skills, of all which would help hone skills of critical thinking and right judgement. I believe only a small fraction of knowledge that we acquire in school/university is eventually useful in our career. Assuming a humble attitude, coupled with the passionate quest of knowledge, and the determination to polish our problem solving skills, will lead to an enjoyable, meaningful and purposeful career. Thank you Dr See. It is inspiring to know that there is hope for all engineers to build wonderful creations, if we are humble, learning continuously, drive for excellence and have fun along the way. Let us see what inspired engineers can deliver 13

14 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan Singapore IStructE Awards 2016 Winning Projects! The British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke said, Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. The projects which received the Structural Awards often looked astonishing and, of course, magical. Check out which project received awards and why Pedestrian Bridges Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence 2016 Jubilee Bridge In November 2015, Singapore celebrated the opening of an iconic pedestrian bridge that commemorates the country s 50 years of independence. Measuring 220m in length, 6 metres in width, 3,000 tonnes in weight, the naturally curvilinear Jubilee Bridge forms the final link of the barrier-free 3.5km Marina Bay waterfront loop. With its timely completion to celebrate Singapore s 50 th year of independence, the bridge, part of an 8km heritage trail around the Civic District, has become linked to the nation s history. by Arup Offering an unobstructed panoramic view of Singapore s magnificent skyline, the Jubilee Bridge has since added to the city s vibrancy and aided its aspiration of becoming a walkable city. Awarded because of: Engineering elegance. Consisting of three spans and supported on two main piers, the bridge is continuous across its length, forming a lean and elegant structure, minimising clutter in the bay area. The piers form two key structural elements that hold up the entire weight of the bridge. At the two ends, the bridge spans are supported on abutments that are seamlessly connected to the existing promenades and Merlion Park. 14

15 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan The bridge utilises a post-tensioned, single-cell concrete box girder of varying depth as its structural system. This forms a continuous slender box spanning between piers. The structure does not have any structural elements above the deck, allowing for unhindered and panoramic views of the surroundings and events in Marina Bay. Technical excellence For the Jubilee Bridge to pin its entire weight on two piers, Arup designed a robust structural system that would allow it maximum flexibility and strength. This consideration also took into the account the durability to resist any accidental impact forces, loads during construction and operation, which would include ship impact and the dynamic effect of one precast segment disengaging during the erection process. Arup adopted an innovative design solution for construction of the pier head using two half precast shells and posttensioning, to reduce impact on the surroundings. Structural Heritage Worthy of Special Mention Award 2016 The National Gallery, Singapore by CPG Consultants Pte Ltd The new National Gallery was formed by merging two heritage buildings, the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings, into the largest visual arts institution in Singapore. The winning design by Studio Milou and CPG Consultants Pte Ltd, achieved this while accentuating all the rich historical and intricate design of the heritage buildings. A metal and glass roof unified both buildings at the top, whilst a 16m deep basement allowed greater synergy between both buildings by further connecting them together. To maximise real estate, the basement footprint almost matched that of the building footprint; the basement walls were constructed as close as 1.5m to the existing external façade walls. This was one of the largest undertakings in Singapore involving the expansion and alteration works within a National Monument. Awarded because of innovations developed to : Construct the 16m deep basement under the two old heritage buildings; Support the free-standing façade heritage walls while excavating the basement; Construct in very tight spaces using specialised machines; Suspend the entire buildings intact while excavating and constructing the basement below these heritage buildings. 15

16 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan Residential Structures d'leedon by Woh Hup (Private) Limited (Design & Build) d Leedon is Singapore s largest residential development to date. Located at Farrer Road/King s Road/Leedon Height, it consists of 7 blocks of 36-storey residential flats (1703 Units) and 6 pairs of 2- storey with Attic strata semi-detached house (12 units) with 2 levels of basement car parks, swimming pool and communal facilities. In particular, each tower has a unique twist and each floor plan opens up in petal-like configuration. The tower blocks are arranged in an architecturally elegant but structurally challenging twisting configuration. Awarded because: Woh Hup overcame significant existing site constraints which affected the Earth Retaining ore Stabilising Structures (ERSS) and building structure design. Woh Hup used BIM modelling to identify issues of complex geometry, termination detailing and clashes detection in design. They increased buildability through standardisation of precast elements. For example, by using BIM to extract the data and after analysis, 19 sets of moulds for planters and 20 sets of moulds for bay windows are adopted to minimize the cost, in the process achieving the desired productivity and constructability objectives. 16

17 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan A Biophillic Floating Wetlands System Sustainability by Housing & Development Board Development of Floating Wetlands System A floating wetlands systems was required for the new waterway traversing through the Punggol town, called Completed in 2011, the waterway provided a delightful waterfront residential living environment under the theme of Green Living by the Waters. However there was concern that accidental leaching of nitrogen and phosphorus from soil would result in eutrophication in the waterbody. It was decided that biological floating wetlands could improve the water quality in the immediate vicinity through absorption of nutrients via roots of the plants, and soften the hardscape, such as columns of footbridge and concrete structures, along the waterway. But there was a need to find a sustainable way to float the wetlands. Awarded because: The HDB team collaborated with the National University of Singapore (NUS) to develop a first-of-its-kind floating wetlands system, that is modular, has better buoyancy, higher loading capacity and which would be easy to transport. The system developed is cost effective, durable and self-sustaining. Moreover, it is unique in its form, structure and usage. Each module is hexagonal in shape with 1m diagonals and is made from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) that can withstand the harsh environment of the tropics and river waters, as well as be light enough for easy handling. The assembly of the modules to any desired configuration provides the platform for sustainable plants species to be cultivated in an environmental friendly plant medium (coconut fibres and woven mats), that is best suited under freshwater reservoir conditions within MyWaterway@Punggol. 17

18 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan Entertainment Structures The New MediaCorp Campus North by Web Structures Pte Ltd Opened in 2015, this building was intended to be a fabulous new facility that will provide the physical infrastructure for the next 80 years of national media development in Singapore. It was hoped that the building would be among the most beautiful and innovative building structures in Singapore, one which stands out with its elegant lines and innovative structure. To this end, five storeys are seamlessly engineered into the architecture, to appear to be effortlessly suspended eight levels above the ground. The originality comes not simply from the use of a cantilever structure extending up to 24m out on three sides of a central core, but from how the structure is fused within the overall architectural form. Awarded because: The architectural intent was achieved. Through the complex use of steel, steel-concrete and pure reinforced concrete materials, the structural components and system are seamlessly engineered into the architecture, making the five storeys appear to be effortlessly suspended eight levels above the ground. 18

19 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan Healthcare Structures Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital, Singapore by CPG Consultants Pte. Ltd. Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital (NTFGH & JCH) are key components of the Jurong Lake District Master Plan, featuring a 700-bed acute hospital and outpatient clinics with a 400-bed community hospital, providing seamless patient care, with efficiency and convenience. The entire NTFGH & JCH cluster comprises an 8-storey Specialist Outpatient Clinic tower, 16-storey ward tower with 4 levels of podium, and a 12-storey Community Hospital, all connected by 2 levels of basements below. Awarded because : It is a perfect example of an aesthetically pleasing structure without the need of additional curtain walls to dress up exposed elements. Instead of the using full curtain wall system to encase the entire building, the structural elements were fused into the ward design to form part of the aesthetical outlook. From the ground up, the external side of every cantilever curved beam is visible. These beams forming the planter boxes were exposed and integrated into the overall visual outlook of the building. To provide additional visual depth, concrete nibs were added to the side of the beams contouring the beams to be perceived as thinner when seen from a distance. This was then simply covered with a plaster and paint finish to smother any imperfections. It uses a variety of structural systems and materials to optimise the structural skeleton of the buildings. For matching structural form, from construction to materials and to buildability, high strength concrete was used for all columns within all 3 blocks 19

20 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan Commercial Structures South Beach-Ribbon Canopy by Arup South Beach development was conceived as a response to Singapore s aspiration to be a city in a garden, and intended to be an iconic landmark and a showcase of sustainability strategies. In keeping with this aspiration to be a Garden City development, the project takes its primary cue from nature and its ability to provide natural filters and regulators that act in harmony with the local climate. The central feature of South Beach is a ribbon-like and lightweight, environmental filter canopy that is inspired by the natural form and function of a tree. The 280m-long canopy floats across the entire development to filter sunlight, solar glare and to channel wind breezes into the public spaces. Concurrently, it also serves as a unifier that connects the open space, the two towers, podiums and heritage buildings together, presenting a cohesive development. Awarded because : It is the world s first environmental canopy. The undulating, unsymmetrical large-span canopy is the largest sustainability feature of the development. It features ribbons of steel and aluminium louvres, supported by slim pillars, which rise and dip in various sections to create a microclimate within the canopy, maintaining the comfort of the space below without air conditioning Canopy is ribbon-like and lightweight; an Environmental filter canopy inspired by the natural form and function of a tree.. 20

21 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan Retail Structures The Capitol by Arup As the first major private development within Singapore s new civic district, the Capitol forms a prototype for conserving the old buildings within the precinct, while finding new usage for them. Strategically sited in Singapore s civic and cultural district, the Capitol has brought a new breath of life and energy with its vibrant mix of lifestyle, retail and entertainment. In particular this development included a new Capitol Piazza, which had six basement levels for retail and carparks, a 3-storey retail podium with a residential E deck, on which a 9-storey residential tower sits. The Capitol will have the deepest basements for a mixed-development in Singapore to date. Awarded because : The development found a safe and buildable method for deep basements, amidst dense urban surroundings which included heritage buildings, train lines, many building services and lots of human traffic and activities. Close coordination with the contractor (Shimizu), from an early stage, resulted in a top-down construction buildable solution which shortened the schedule for basement construction from 25 months to 20 months.. Thus, satiated from sumptuous food, warmed by fellowship of engineers, wowed and inspired by the great structural engineering projects in Singapore, we turned back to the plow, sowing the seeds for the next generations of engineers An Examiner s Perspective of The Chartered Membership Examination Top-Down Construction in progress On 11 Nov 2016 at NUS, Er. Wijaya presented his view of the Chartered Membership Examination (CME) to Graduate and Student Members of IStructE. The talk was so well received that a second talk is planned later, in the ealier part of Wijaya has more than 20 years of working experience in design and project delivery of infrastructure, industrial, commercial, residential, as well as in institutional projects in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and China. As a Chartered Member of the IStructE, Wijaya is also a Marking Examiner of the IStructE Chartered Membership Examination. 21

22 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan Wijaya opened the talk by sharing the benefits of being a member of IStructE, including free and exclusive access to the IStructE website and IStructE s technical library, receiving technical journals which disseminate advanced practices around the world, and attending the seminars at member-prices. To step up the efforts to obtain an international passport to practice, as well as to achieve their professional best, young members were encouraged to join the Chartered Membership by sitting for the CME, or for candidates who are already Singapore Professional Engineers, by siting for the Supplementary Examination. Wijaya elaborated on both paths to MIStructE, and gave valuable advice, from an Examiner s perspective, on how to prepare for the exams. The participants fedback that the talk was especially informative for those who intend to take CME. More details on the CME will be covered in the second part of the talk in Mar This talk will be conducted by Er. Steve Yeung. Steve is also an experienced Marking Examiner. The registration link will reach you soon. Check for our s often, and grab the chance to interact with an Examiner. It had really been a crazy last quarter of The committee ended their work year, tired but happy, with a retreat to Zhangjiajie, China. The trip provided an opportunity for a meeting on leadership transfer and for planning of the way forward. Retreat to Zhangjiajie, China (18 24 Nov 2016) Accompanied by family members, 12 committee members led by Prof Wang and guided by Er. Cong Zhengxia headed for Zhangjiaxie, a city in the northwest of China's Hunan province. Zhangjiaxie, is home to the famed Wulingyuan Scenic Area. Compare the photo below with the photo on the front page of this Newsletter. How many members can you recognise? 22

23 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan Die-hard engineers that committee members are, they just could not get away from structural engineering. The group visited a magnificent glass bridge, and brought their families along for the walk across the deep canyon. Check out this suspension wonder and the statistics: About this Bridge: The world's longest and highest glass bridge, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge was opened to the public on 20 Aug It offers a way to enjoy a panoramic view of the stunning Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon if you dare to walk on the glass pane floor! The so-called glass bridge will not only serve as a walkway. Visitors can attempt bungee jumping and zip-lining off the bridge as well. Length: 430 metres (1410 feet) Width: 6 metres (20 feet) Height: 300 metres (984 feet) Highlights: bungee jump and beautiful natural views of towering sandstone pillars The ticket to enter Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Scenic Area is RMB118; the entry cost for Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge is RMB138 yuan. The next run of our Structural Design with Glass course will have a new case study benchmark! Further, the committee members could not get away from planning things for the IES-IStructE Joint Committee. They discussed and constructed an matrix to allocate members to specific groups to take up different tasks/areas in the new session beginning 1 st January These areas included (1)Bridge between IStructE HQ and members, (2)Bridge between IES and other institutions (3)Bridge to Universities and Student Members, (4)Bridge to Senior Members and practioners, (5)Bridge to BCA and other Statutory Bodies, (7)Sponsorship, M&C bridge to developers & contractors, (8)Managing meetings, (9)Managing finances (IES & IStructE), (10)Publication (Structuralist), (11)Social media, (12)Event management (courses & seminars, etc.), (13)Structural Award and Members Night, (14) Research Route (RR), PRI, & Supplementary Examination, (15)CME Preparatory Course, (16)Bridge to Vietnam Chapter, links with Regional Groups & Outreach to Indonesia. It looks like the 2017/2018 Joint Committee term is going to be busier than ever, and this newsletter The Structuralist is one way to communicate with members and friends. But there are more ways such as Facebook 23

24 Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan Reve Chin, our 2015/2016 Assist. Hon. Secretary had these reflections after the retreat: "The retreat to ZJJ had given the opportunity for the committee, without the distraction of work, to take a step back, reflect on our achievements of 2016 and how we could do more for IES and IStructE members. As Prof Wang is relocating to Australia in 2017, this retreat had allowed the Chairman-elect, Assoc-Prof Francis Lok, to chart the direction for the Committee, and assign clear roles and responsibilities to each member. Even as I write, Francis is already talking about succession planning! Moving forward is never easy. The Committee also brainstormed about the activities to be organised, so that they would best benefit IStructE members and the engineering community in the coming year and beyond. Most important of all, this retreat has brought everyone closer together, and created great camaraderie among members! With this synergy, I am confident that the renewed leadership will take the IES-IStructE Joint Committee to even greater heights. What can you expect from the Young Member s Panel in the new year? Liu Ziyue, who will be spearheading the outreach to young members had this to say: IES-IStructE joint committee has been emphasising to bring together young and vibrant engineers by organizing interactive talks, site visits to iconic projects and informative seminars for their development. Thanks to support from industrial professionals, local companies and government agencies, 2016 was a happening year, with various activities specially tailored for young members. In this new year, we will continue the efforts. Stay tuned and you will be pampered with these exciting exposures. And there s more to come. Stay tuned! Structural Awards You may know how to design a column or beam, but do you know how to appreciate the beauty of the structure holistically? Let the judging panel of Singapore Structural Awards inspire you with the secrets, and may the old structures look brand-new to you in this brand-new year! Site Visits Not satisfied with the plain images in lecture notes? Come and join our site visit to local iconic projects and check out the real structures! The hosts will welcome you with utmost hospitality and professional explanation. Motivation Sessions You have heard career talks from engineering professionals from consultancies, contractors and project managers in our previous career talks. How about some more sharing sessions to add extra spur? Dr. Tran Chi Trung (Principal Engineer at BCA) will open the motivation sessions by providing you with the benefits of membership and becoming a Chartered Member. Poke Us at Facebook If you think our activities are usually longawaiting, and writing an to us is too formal, we are now on Facebook. Simply drop a message to IStructE Singapore Regional Group Page with whatever feedback you have, and we are seconds away to answering you. Plus, like our page, and you will never miss any exciting activities again! Like Ziyue said, Stay tuned! 24