| Category | Retail | Mixed Use |
|---|---|
| Year | 2020 |
| Size | 19,100sqm |
Projects
Centrium Square
Structurally Strategic and Sustainable
The former Serangoon Plaza underwent more than a simple facelift. The full revamp of its space renews its functionality within the urban fabric of Little India, a heritage zone in Singapore. Centrium Square is now a mixed-use commercial development designed to cater to a host of functions. The 19-storey integrated commercial development comprises a 5-storey podium of retail, car park and communal facilities and a 14-storey tower of office and medical suites. True to DPE's commitment to devising innovative and integrated solutions that consider a development's full life cycle, functionality and value of investment, key engineering strategies were implemented.
Often overlooked, a careful structural response and performance analysis was carried out, including the Construction Sequence Analysis which entailed realistic analysis at every construction stage. This is imperative for tall structures such as this one. In order to support the building operations, the roof of the tower and the podium house all M&E equipment for the development.
Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) technologies were adopted for the project and it was made possible through DPE's close collaboration with the builder, Kimly Construction Pte Ltd. In particular, a good number of structural elements, including columns, beams and slab, utilised the highly-buildable precast concrete system. These precast elements were manufactured in a more controlled offsite environment and brought to the site for installation. DPE carefully simplified and standardised the joints and mechanical connections, such as grouted sleeves and rebar coupler, to further ease the assembly on-site. As a result, manpower and cost savings were increased by up to 20% due to the reduced need for concreting work on-site.
Details
The structural skeleton used a post-tensioning system and pre-cast elements for the columns and roof beams and slabs. These helped to increase construction speed and productivity.
Careful and thoughtful design went into the structural skeleton to provide enhanced foundational support.
Post-tensioning allows for design of longer spans in elevated members, like floors or beams.
The use of post-tensioning also means that fewer materials are used to reinforce the building's load capacity which translates to a more slender structure and therefore reducing its embodied energy. Another strategy to reduce the amount of concrete used is the adoption of flat slabs for the podium floors and a flat plate structural system for the tower block. These structural systems remove the need for beams, which contributes to a significant amount of material savings in concrete, as well as steel. Thus, these methods ensured a sustainable structural solution.
With a 115m-long frontage, the use of tessellation patterns and a colourful design scheme on the podium façade not only creates a distinct identity for Centrium Square but also relates to the rich heritage and multi-sensorial aspects of the Little India streetscape. Its design was realised through a multi-disciplinary collaboration between DP Architects and its group of companies, specifically DPE and DP Green. It received its TOP on 19 May 2020.
Specialist Services
Integrated services provided for this project.