Location: Singapore, Singapore.

Architect: LAUD.

Tiong Seng Contractors has redeveloped its current premises for maintenance and logistics of its fleet of construction vehicles, equipment and resources into an industrial building that includes space for the construction company’s head office at the three topmost storeys. The project is guided by Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) principles from design through to construction, and the early involvement of the contractor further shaped the design in facilitating construction. The building features a simple L-shaped plan, composed mostly of standard grids of 9m, and is flagged at three corners by circulation cores. The use of high-strength rebar and synthetic void former modules in the formation of the flat slabs has decreased the overall dead load of the building and greatly reduced the pile length, resulting in savings for foundation works. The aluminium louvred envelope, wrapping across the longer arm of the building, is subtlely striated in three broad bands differentiated by the opening sizes between louvre blades. The openings for the naturally-ventilated production floors at the lower storeys are the largest to overcome the impeded wind flow at the lower levels. The rest of the façade is made up of an assembly of precast wall panels with cast-in window frames where applicable. The internal atrium houses the feature internal staircase linking the three-storey office space, which is made of Ultra-High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC), contributing to the slim 50mm thick staircase flight profile. The team selectively employed Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) strategies supported by the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) to achieve project goals, including Integrated Concurrent Engineering (ICE) sessions for targeted issue-based resolution involving the simultaneous involvement of relevant stakeholders in a big-room setting.

Photo credit: LAUD Architects.