Urban Innovations in the City II
24 April 2017
3.30pm – 5.00pm. Registration from 3.00pm, seated by 3.30pm
URA Function Hall
Resources
Lecture Poster (PDF: 1.78MB)
Lecture Report (PDF: 592KB)
Lecture Transcript (PDF: 1.03MB)Lecture Video & Photos
e
Synopsis
A continuation of the “Urban Innovations in the City“ series, the second instalment will feature the innovative master-planning approaches that JTC adopts in its role as Singapore’s lead agency for the development of industrial infrastructure. JTC’s Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Mr David Tan, will share on JTC’s efforts in shaping Singapore’s urban environment and ensuring that the emerging needs of Singapore’s industries are well-supported.
Lecture Report
“It’s easy to develop a single building, or a couple of buildings. But it’s more
challenging to develop a district of buildings, because your considerations
are different. You’re looking at a district level — how buildings interact,
how people move needs to be considered.
As a master developer, you need to take care of that. You have to look at
how you bring people, be it by public or private transport, into the district.
The form and shape of buildings has to be considered, and the urban
design factors come in differently. It’s the whole value chain from master
planning to design to construction to facilities management. That’s a
challenge in itself.”
Staying agile and attuned to innovation is crucial for industrial developers like the Jurong Town
Corporation (JTC) in an age of disruption, said JTC Assistant CEO David Tan at the CLC Lecture on
Urban Innovations in the City II.
Beyond traditional roles as infrastructure providers, industrial developers now have to help
companies transform and stay competitive in the face of challenges such as changes in the economy
and workforce, environmental and sustainability considerations as well as disruptive technology and
business models.
“The new value [of JTC] is that we will
provide flexible spaces for everyone.
We’re not only focused on multinational
corporations or small to mediumsized
enterprises or start-ups, but
for everybody, so that we can come
together in a fully integrated district,”
said Tan. “Hopefully, this will help grow
our economy, provide good jobs for our
people and good conducive working
environments.”
JTC developments foster industryacademia
collaboration, accommodate start-ups and nurture new industries such as advanced
manufacturing and cybersecurity. Tan also pointed to JTC strategies such as transitioning from generic
industrial spaces to industry clustering, innovative building solutions and shared facilities.
The creation of integrated ecosystems such as one-north and the future Jurong Innovation District
brings with it both challenges and opportunities.
“We want to develop our districts and our buildings to be not only sustainable, but also liveable. How
do we integrate various uses such as offices, R&D, residential, open community space, clean industries,
and still maintain the necessary environment?
“How do we create a smart district that focuses on various issues like smart parking, waste
management, intelligent street lighting and smart metering? The key is to develop the smartness so
that you can get good public feedback and continuously improve the facilities,” said Tan.
Community-building, not traditionally considered within the purview of industrial developers, is now
factored in as well. “How do you build intellectual and social vibrancy? How do you build a community,
so that people can come together, interact and collaborate?
“The key thing is when you design your buildings, you must design them with place-making in mind.
There must be spaces that are exciting for people to come together, exchange ideas and hopefully
innovate,” said Tan.
Mixed use districts can also bring about competitive advantages. “There are estate-level utilities and
services such as district cooling systems and pneumatic waste collection that reduce business costs
and help companies become more competitive,” he added.
Written by Alvin Chua. This report first appeared in the
May 2017 Better Cities newsletter.
About the Speakers
SPEAKER
Mr David Tan
Assistant Chief Executive Officer, JTC Corporation
David oversees the land planning, redevelopment of land, procurement
and contract management, as well as the master planning and
development of JTC’s next generation estates and developments like
one-north and Jurong Innovation District. He has over two decades
of professional experience in a multitude of areas from leadership
& management, engineering & innovation to industry development;
having been involved in the planning, design, construction and project
management of major infrastructure, building and reclamation projects.
He was involved in the development of the Jurong Island as the world’s
top ten chemical and energy hub and the development of Jurong Rock
Caverns, South East Asia’s first underground liquid hydrocarbon storage
and terminalling facility, located some 150m beneath Banyan Basin.
MODERATOR
Mr Tan Szue Hann
Head, Sustainability, Surbana Jurong Pte Ltd
Tan is Head of Sustainability at Surbana Jurong, and is also Singapore’s
2015-16 Building Construction Authority -Singapore Green Building
Council Young Green Architect (BCASGBC) of the Year. He is a Registered
Architect with the Board of Architects, and a Council Member of the
Singapore Institute of Architects, chairing the Sustainability Committee.
He is also a Board Member at the SGBC. In 2016, he was nominated as a
World Cities Summit Young Leader.