Project Details

The project that we were involved in was the Jurong Region Line. This included the architectural design of the exterior of a station, a side/island platform study, considering of materials, a physical prototype of the station, a poster for the station, and a study to show the best positions for the lifts and elevators in the station. Lastly, we were meant to present our findings and internship work to the LTA bosses and our teacher mentor. We were given a $50 budget for the building of the physical prototype.

However, most of this project has already been completed and finalised by LTA – the exterior design of the stations, the studies of the platforms, and many other different studies had been carried out already. Therefore, initially, since we were only tasked to do a side/island platform study, since we were given a month for the internship, we requested and asked our mentor for permission if we could do anything else that could possibly value-add to the company. This was why we eventually had a lot more things to do.

Record of activities done & Findings

First, we read and tried our best to understand the Architectural Design Criteria (ADC) and Civil Design Criteria (CDC). They were all very long, so we divided the workload among the four of us. We took our time to try to understand it better, so we could better apply it later on in our project deliverables. This included asking our mentor or any of the department staff if we had queries. Mainly, the ADC covered the exterior design of the station. For instance, we learnt that every space in the station must have a clear purpose (for no cross-flow of passengers, for peak hour traffic, etc.) To allow for easy wayfinding, there should be clear signs at key spots (entrances, at the end of escalators, etc.), the lifts and escalators should be clearly seen on the platform and concourse levels. The station should also be well-lit and have no blind spots. For the CDC, it mainly covered the more technical engineering aspects that needed to be considered when designing the station. For instance, the viaducts, pillars and columns should be able to expand due to heat; the structural design should enable easy inspection and replacement of bearings; the minimum headroom clearance of the viaduct should be 5.4m (the double-decker height), and many more.

Next, we moved on to research and start on the side/island platform study. This included finding the benefits and disadvantages of both side and island platforms.

This caused us to deduce that the road width was actually very narrow, and there were many space constraints in the building of the station. Therefore, based on the site context, we chose to use a side platform in the station. In this case, the fact that a side platform takes up less space (road space, and space between the buildings) overrides the fact that a side platform may be more inconvenient and less easy wayfinding. Thus, to counter this problem, there are two lifts per platform, to cater to the elderly and disabled; and there will be more signs to direct commuters better.

Through this site recee, we also realized that the surrounding buildings had very vibrant and bright colours. For instance, the HDB flat beside the future station was painted a vibrant blue, the Gek Poh Shopping Centre was a bright red, and the void deck of the HDB flats were all painted with bright colours (such as yellow and green). This caused us to have initial ideas on the exterior design of the station, for the exterior of the station to have stained glass – stained with designs of vibrant red, blue and green. However, we found this to be a little messy and moved towards designing an initial idea of the station.

To be able to better visualize it, we tried to find a 3D modeling software. However, they all required us to pay a sum of money, if not, since we were very unfamiliar with it, it was very difficult to use it to model our station. Therefore, we stuck to a software that some of us were familiar with – minecraft.

Meanwhile, we considered different materials to use for our station. This included a in-depth analysis and research on each of the materials to decide what the best material for the station would be. To better decide, we created a flow chart. First, the material should be strong and durable. Next, it should be safe. The third criteria is cost. Next, it is transport. Last, it should be aesthetically pleasing.

Although we considered bamboo, slate and titanium, we did not choose them as materials due to the following reasons. For bamboo, it does not integrate well with the surrounding HDB buildings. Furthermore, it needs to be imported from other countries, hence it may be very costly to be used as a material in the station. Slate also has a high cost and maintenance cost. Titanium, though very strong, it is very expensive.

Eventually, we came to the conclusion that we should use stainless steel as a structural material, since it is durable, had high tensile strength and is corrosion-resistant; glass for skylight and the sides of the platform level, since it is weather resistant, enables natural lighting and is aesthetically pleasing; and terracotta as a façade material, since it is durable, malleable and integrates with the Gek Poh station surroundings; aluminium for the roof material, since it is lightweight, has high tensile strength and is more economical compared to steel and titanium; frosted glass for the louvres on the concourse level, to protect the privacy of the residents nearby and allows natural lighting in the station; and concrete for a structural material, since it requires low maintenance due to its fire and water resistant properties and is relatively economical.

Next, we started building our physical prototype. We were given a budget of $50, therefore we had to make sure our material chosen was durable and yet cheap. After searching for materials at Art Friend, Spotlight and Daiso, we found the cheapest options for quality materials. Although the JRL architect recommended using balsa wood as a material, it was overly costly ($21 for a few copies). Hence, we eventually settled for 2mm and 1mm PVC foam sheet, which were approximately $3 and $2 respectively per A3-sized sheet. We also bought a cutting board for us to cut on.

While Liang Jung and myself did the station, Alex did the posters and Chinmaya did a study on the best position for the placement of the lifts and escalators. Eventually when we were done with the physical prototype, we helped with the placement of lifts and escalators study, and touched up the slides to get ready for the presentation.

Eventually, after presenting to the director of the department, our teacher mentor and some others, we were thrilled and surprised to find out that they were impressed by our work!

Since we had 2 more days to spare before our internship ended, our mentor at LTA decided to bring us to two sites: Kim Chuan Depot Extension and Caldecott Thomson-East Line station. However, all pictures taken could not be shared with public. At Kim Chuan Depot Station, we learnt that it is part of circle line 6. It started in October 2017 and is still underway. It will have a total of 5 levels (B2 – train depot; B1 – offices; 1-3 – bus depot). KCDE is split into 5 sections (A, B, C, D, E, G), and we were lucky enough to visit 3 sections (the other 2 were not safe to go). A – construction is using the top-down method; B – construction using bottom-up method; D – traffic diversion is needed; E – required water pipe diversion; G – cut and cover method (excavation is needed). Construction for KCDE is 24/7, hence they included some precautions. For instance, they installed noise barriers around the construction site to reduce/minimize noise disruption to residents nearby. Another example is how they have portable lights and there are luminous yellow strips on the pillars to make sure at night the trucks do not accidentally knock into these pillars. At Caldecott TEL station, we discovered that the station was under construction since 2013, so 2020 is its 7^th year of operation! We walked around the construction site and went underground to the station too. The station is 40 underground, which is equivalent to a 13 storeys flat! While walking around the construction site (above ground), we were taught on how the escalators were brought into a station – using a pulley system to slowly install them at the right positions. We also discovered that in the constructing of an underground station, roads and utility diversions need to be done multiple times. While doing so, the constructors have to be very careful not to damage anything, as it may cause the whole area to not have lights or water or even power! This also concerns the safety of the telecommunication fibre cables, as damaging them would not only cost a huge sum of money, but also cause Singaporeans to lose their internet connection temporarily. For the tunnels in the station, they used two methods to create the tunnel – using the tunnel boring machine and using mine tunneling. The tunnel boring machine was the more common way of creating a tunnel in Singapore (as seen from the tunnels of the Circle Line and Downtown Line). However, mine tunneling does not just use a machine to push the soil and rocks away underground. Instead, it uses mine control explosives to blast away the things in its way. Mine tunneling is used mainly because of the presence of hard rocks, which cannot be removed if the tunnel boring machine was used instead. The site engineer also pointed out an interesting architectural design: the flooring of the entrances of the underground stations are covered with rough granite, while the station flooring itself is covered with polished granite. This is because when it rains, the rough granite functions as an anti-slip flooring and also allows commuters’ shoes to dry before entering the station. We later learnt that Caldecott station was very deep because the TEL line was right beside the Circle Line. In such cases where the lines were very close, the lines either had to be of different levels, or further apart from each other. After this, we said our goodbyes to our mentor and our department and thanked them for their time, effort, care and warmth this 1 month!

Content Knowledge/Skills

One content knowledge I’ve learnt is the different criterias that come into play when designing a structure. One such content knowledge is the Architectural Design Criteria. This includes all the things to take note when designing the physical aspects of a station. For instance, the exterior design of the station should integrate with its surroundings. Another criteria we had to look at was the Civil Design Criteria, which included the more technical aspects of the materials considered, the load the structure should take, the pillars and columns and the trackwork and alignment involved. Therefore, this taught me that even in the designing of the station, something we as commuters and users so easily overlook and take for granted, it requires a lot of effort, time, consideration to ensure that everyone has a safe and comfortable travel around Singapore.

Another important skill grasped during the course of this internship is the importance of patience and teamwork. This was especially required while designing the station and the building of the physical prototype. Because we were new to the field, initially, we faced many difficulties in finding ideas for the exterior design of the station, and how to visualize it. Furthermore, our design met with many safety hazards and problems structurally. Therefore, we had to do a few rounds of designing. The importance of patience was especially highlighted when we built and assembled the physical prototype, as we had to keep calm and be careful when assembling everything together, for the fear of breaking anything. This included many rounds of redoing the pillars and the platform and concourse levels. Since we also had many other things to accomplish, we had to split the workload and work as a team to make sure everything could be accomplished by the deadline. Additionally, when building and assembling the station, teamwork played a crucial role in making sure the prototype worked. This was also further seen in the process of our exterior design of the station, where we had different ideas but had to compromise or look for more ideas and inspirations.

One other skill and lesson learnt was to be detail-oriented and meticulous in everything we do. We realized this after reading the CDC and ADC and after our first design of the station, due to the fact that there were so many things and aspects to consider (for example, the future safety hazards of using certain materials in the station, the possible rebuilding of the station’s surroundings that may cause for the need to use a hackable wall to allow for a connection to the station, etc.) This taught me that being detail-oriented is key to making something work, by ensuring that there are no loopholes in what I do. I believe this is something that not only holds importance academically, but also transcends into our future work-life and even in our day-to-day life.

Interesting Aspects

One interesting aspect of our learning was getting to visit the Kim Chuan Depot Extension and Caldecott TEL station. This was an eye-opening experience because I personally have not visited an on-site construction and have an in-depth explanation of what was going on during construction. This experience let me see clearly what different kinds of engineers do – something I was not exposed to previously and hence could not make the decision of what kind of engineer I would like to pursue (if I went into this field). Furthermore, it was interesting to see the difference in construction at the start and (close to) end of construction phase. That also taught me how much effort and thought was put into constructing these stations that many of us take for granted – which also taught me to appreciate the effort put into these works.

Similarly, another interesting aspect of our learning was how different studies had to be done to make sure the best decisions were made for the station design and building. For instance, I previously did not know that thought and study even had to go into the placement of the lifts and escalators. All this let me experience how it was like to, as much as we learnt, what it was like to be a civil engineer, to make sure the station design was feasible, safe, and best for the commuters’ use. Not only has this really opened my eyes to the field of civil engineering more, it has also taught me that in whatever field/industry I choose to pursue in the future, a lot of hard work and effort must be put in. This really inspired me to be work hard too, and make this a habit for me to better myself and to prepare myself for my future career.

Takeaway for Life

I realized how nice and friendly everyone in the department I was in was. This fostered a very warm environment in the department, where everyone enjoyed coming to work a bit more – because of the people. This environment was really helpful in ensuring that there was no judgement in the sharing of ideas and opinions too. Hence, this inspired me to want to be in a working environment that is warm and welcoming, and a place that I enjoy, so that not only will the same outcomes be achieved, but also, so that I’ll enjoy my job more.

I was also inspired to have passion for what I’m doing, keep a positive mindset everyday, pull through tough times and smile! This not only allows myself to enjoy what im doing, but also hopefully create a nicer workplace environment.