Civil & Structural Engineer And Geotechnical Engineering Module

1. As available land space in Singapore is in ever shorter supply, more and more construction projects are venturing underground, where the dynamic and uncertain geology of Singapore can cause major problems and result in major claims – as evidenced by the Nicoll Highway collapse in 2004.

2. It was therefore apt that this year’s Civil Engineering module of the Construction Expertise 101 Workshop was led by two geotechnical engineers from Mott MacDonald – Andrew Forsythe and Gerardo Pittaro – who have worked on a wide variety of construction projects including many MRT stations, Changi Airport, and a wide range of tall buildings with deep basements and even deeper foundations.

3. The seminar covered various aspects of civil engineering, beginning with the history of the profession, where some early civil engineering projects were exhibited and discussed. The discussion then turned to the statutory obligations of civil engineers. The speakers took time to highlight the framework for civil engineering projects in Singapore during the design and construction phase; before moving on to the challenges faced on site. One such issue which was explored was that of underground construction in reclaimed land. The talk placed a clear emphasis on the geotechnical aspects of civil engineering work, as (particularly in the context of Singapore) it is in the ground where the greatest degree of uncertainty, and therefore the greatest risk, lies.

4. On the whole, the session was one which was mutually beneficial to the speakers and the delegates because it gave an overall idea of the obligations and challenges that geotechnical engineers face working underground in difficult geological conditions. It was felt that an increased level of collaboration between the legal and engineering communities would be valuable for resolving the challenges highlighted in the presentation.

Contributed by: Andrew Forsythe, Principal Engineering Geologist, Mott MacDonald & Gerardo Pittaro, Geotechnical Engineer, Mott MacDonald