Johnny Liang Heng Wong
Building & Research Institute, Housing & Development Board
Johnny_LH_Wong@hdb.gov.sg
Sze Tiong Tan, Chien Looi Wang, Han Vincent Lim
Centre of Excellence for Environmental Sustainability, Housing & Development Board
TAN_Sze_Tiong@hdb.gov.sg; WANG_Chien_Looi@hdb.gov.sg; Vincent_H_LIM@hdb.gov.sg
Kok Keng Ang, Jian Dai
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore
ceeangkk@nus.edu.sg; ceedj@nus.edu.sg
Abstract – As the largest public housing authority in Singapore, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) plays a key role in supporting Singapore’s commitment to sustainable development. In 2011, HDB successfully invented and implemented an innovative floating wetland system along the Punggol Waterway. Inspired by the organic form of honeycomb – made out of hexagonal cells that bind to one another to create a light-weight structure with high strength and rigidity, HDB created a one-of-a-kind floating system with two key design features: (i) it allows wetland plants to be cultivated, transforming plain water surface into pockets of greenery that beautifies the environment, cleanses the water and improves biodiversity and (ii) it allows flexible configuration in any size and shape, which can be easily assembled and deployed. HDB also invented and patented a unique interlocking solution that enhanced the rigidity and stability of the modules. Beyond the floating wetlands, HDB has been studying the use of modular floating system for other applications. HDB has been driving solar deployment in Singapore. With land constraint, there is a need to explore new areas to harness solar energy. Working closely with the National University of Singapore, one area being studied is the use of the floating system to support solar panels on water bodies. In May 2018, HDB pilot implemented a 100 Kilowatt Peak floating solar system in Tengeh Reservoir in Tuas, the first locally-designed floating solar system being deployed. To support the acceleration of solar adoption, HDB is studying the use of its floating modular system for the deployment of floating solar system in open sea conditions. The study will look at how to overcome the challenges of marine conditions, such as strong winds, wave action, and the accumulation of marine organisms. This presentation shares HDB’s journey in the development of floating systems for various applications.
Keywords – Modular Floating System, Floating Wetlands, Floating Solar farm.
Mr Tan Sze Tiong graduated with an Civil Engineering degree from the National University of Singapore in 1997. He currently heads the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Sustainability Research in the Building & Research Institute(BRI), Housing & Development Board(HDB). His team drives and coordinates sustainable development efforts for new towns and estates through the implementation of new sustainability initiatives and urban solutions and conducting of macro scale environmental modelling at the planning and design stages. He currently manages a portfolio of research projects in collaboration with various agencies, academia and institutions. Key research interests include advanced modelling and environmental optimisation, resource efficiency solutions, floating structures, building acoustic solutions, and sky-rise greening solutions and systems to enhance the living environment. In the area of analytics, his team looks into multi-disciplinary research using new and emerging forms of data, alongside new computational approaches and techniques, to gain actionable insights to enhance the planning, design, and operation of towns.