Surbana Jurong (SJ), one of the largest Asia-based urban and infrastructure consulting firms, held a groundbreaking ceremony on 18 January for its new campus, which will house its global headquarters in Singapore.
Named Surbana Jurong Campus, the 68,915 square metres development will be built in Jurong Innovation District (JID), a vibrant ecosystem of enterprises in advanced manufacturing, urban solutions and smart logistics. The campus can accommodate up to 4,000 employees and will be completed by 2021.
The campus will support SJ’s rapid growth by facilitating stronger teamwork and knowledge sharing among its Singapore and global talents, and will serve as the nerve centre for research and development of innovation for the built environment as SJ transitions to applied research to create and bring practical and viable solutions to the industry and community. The campus’ location in JID provides the company access to a vibrant and collaborative ecosystem of R&D and capability developers, startups, and technology enablers for potential collaborations to accelerate the adoption of smart technologies and solutions.
Designed by Safdie Surbana Jurong, a collaboration between Safdie Architects and Surbana Jurong established in 2017, the campus will serve to demonstrate what a sustainable, people-centric and future-ready workplace would look like. Created by renowned architect Mr Moshe Safdie, the design of the new headquarters embodies the character of Singapore as the Garden City by integrating the structure harmoniously with the natural landscape. Situated on a previously undeveloped greenfield site, the campus will push the boundaries of sustainable design in both construction and operation.
SJ’s multi-disciplinary team of experts will undertake the entire development from start to end. This encompasses consultancy solutions from project funding, architecture and landscaping, engineering, workplace strategy, cost and project management, through to integrated facilities management and security services.
DRIVING DIGITALISATION AND INNOVATION
The building of Surbana Jurong Campus will embrace the use of digital technologies to scale up productivity and efficiency. The development will demonstrate SJ’s leadership in leveraging Building Information Modelling (BIM) and extending it to a comprehensive Integrated Digital Delivery, or IDD. IDD fully integrates processes and stakeholders along the development value chain through advanced info-communications technology and smart technologies.
Additionally, SJ will apply its proprietary solutions such as BIM:FM technology to the facilities management process to increase productivity and achieve cost savings for long-term building maintenance and operational cycle. The construction will also utilise the Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) approach with the use of precast materials, a signature competency of SJ utilised in its affordable housing projects.
To drive innovation, the campus will be a living lab with dedicated spaces for research and test-bedding of new ideas, including test-bedding future-ready solutions developed by the SJ-NTU Corporate Lab, a joint corporate laboratory set up by SJ, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) and the National Research Foundation Singapore.
CHAMPIONING SUSTAINABILITY
In line with SJ’s commitment towards delivering sustainable urban solutions, the campus pushes the boundaries of sustainable design in both construction and operation. It is designed to meet Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark Platinum Certification for Super Low Energy Building.
The campus utilises solar photovoltaic technology which will yield around 340MWH of renewable energy annually, and integrates features such as rain gardens and bio-swale to enhance water sustenance. It also boasts many other green technologies, including smart lighting control, underfloor air-distribution system, and predictive smart building control systems such as live energy and water management dashboards.
The campus is a result of strong collaboration and on-going support from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). Lim Kok Kiang, Assistant Managing Director, EDB, said, “Surbana Jurong’s Campus is testament to the company’s long-term commitment to Singapore, and its dedication to being a technology and innovation-driven design and engineering consultancy. We look forward to more partnerships between Surbana Jurong and key players, both in Singapore and around the region, to develop new solutions for the urban and infrastructure sectors.” — Construction+ Online
