SEAOC Spring Break in Singapore
Mar 19, 2016 - Mar 26, 2016
Please click here or on the photo below for photos from the Singapore trip!
Traditionally, SEAOC leads a trip to visit structural engineering firms over Spring Break. This year, under the leadership of Emily Setoudeh, 24 students, accompanied by John Lawson journeyed almost 24 hours to Singapore. Singapore was chosen because its economic dominance in the region has made it a hot-bed of cutting edge architecture and structural engineering extremes. Also, the country is very safe to travel in and very clean; and being a former British colony English is spoken widely. One reason the city is so clean is there are severe punishments for being caught littering, chewing gum, or even simply possessing gum!
On the surface, Singapore as a destination may seem a bit unusual for a tour by Architectural Engineering students; but not when you realize all that it has to offer! There are so many extremes here. Many of the world’s highest, largest, longest,etc. are here, and the people and government of Singapore expect their buildings to be pushing the limits both architecturally and structurally.
Day 1: Students recovered from jet lag, many visited their historic Botanical Garden, and old colonial districts.
Day 2: They visited AECOM’s office for a presentation on the construction of Marina Bay Cruise Terminal, designed to accommodate the world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas. Also a design presentation and guided site tour of the Sports Hub, Singapore’s National Stadium complex was provided with special inside access. With a span of over 1017 feet, the 55,000 seat National Stadium is the largest free-spanning dome structure in the world, and truly awe inspiring. The retractable roof structure is an Arup structural engineering design. AECOM hosted the students for lunch at a nearby Indian/Mexican blended restaurant.
For the afternoon of the second day, we visited the Gardens by the Bay Conservatory Complex, consisting of a Flower Dome and Cloud Forest Dome. The gardens have over a half a million species of plants. The post-tensioned concrete ribs support a diagrid glass structure providing optimal conditioned space for preserving plant species from around the world. The Flower Dome is the world’s largest columnless greenhouse, enclosing 3.0 acres. The Cloud Forest Dome contains a 115-ft tall indoor waterfall with elevated pedestrian trails that are structurally challenging to design.
For an evening of fun, many students went to the top of Singapore’s tallest building to visit 1-Altitude, the highest open-air bar in the world, for some drinks and dancing. Only a 5-foot glass fence separates you from the pavement 925-feet below.
Day 3: We visited the offices of WSP/Parsons Brinkerhoff who provided a presentation of Singapore’s Star Vista Performing Arts Center. This 5000 seat concert venue elevated up off the ground has more columns that lean than are vertical, making it an extreme engineering challenge. Student got rare access into the ceiling’s catwalk structure as well as above the stage’s fly-galleries.
In the afternoon, a very special tour of the Marina Bay Sands Resort complex was arranged through a family contact of ARCE student Spencer Dilley. This 55-story 5-star hotel is the world’s most expensive stand-alone resort property ever built, and has the world’s highest and longest infinity pool atop its three towers, making it one of the most challenging construction projects ever. Highlights of the resort tour included the hotel’s roof top pool and gardens, the exclusive 4-bedroom Chairman Suite (6770 square feet), the convention center’s massive ballroom able to accommodate 6000 seating for dining, and the spectacular Art & Science Museum with its lotus flower inspired architecture.
Capping off the day was crossing the Arup engineered double helix bridge structure to ride on the 541-foot tall Singapore Flyer, the world’s second largest Ferris wheel. The 30-minute revolution in air conditioned comfort provided a beautiful view of the city at night complete with the Marina Bay’s light show.
Day 4: Arup provided a tour of their offices with a presentation of the engineering and construction challenges behind the Marina Bay Sands resort. Special emphasis was on the hotel’s roof top SkyPark featuring the longest publically accessible cantilever in the world, and the Art and Science Museum’s use of tension and compression ring structures.
In the afternoon, Aurecon hosted our group at their offices with a lunch and presentation of the various building design disciplines within their Asian offices. Following their office visit, they provided a tour of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown built in 2005; a nearly all-wooden structure based on architecture of the Tang Dynasty.
Day 5: To finish off the spectacular week before the return trip home, the group headed over to Sentosa Island Resort to have fun at Universal Studios Singapore. A day full of thrilling rides.