Punggol Waterway
The Punggol Waterway is Singapore's first and longest scenic man-made waterway.
Transformed from bare land into a vibrant 4.2-km meandering waterway, Punggol Waterway is an architecture and engineering masterpiece by Surbana Jurong. Today, it is a popular recreational spot, providing a green respite for residents and visitors.
The waterway was conceptualised based on three key design elements – green, water and people, which cover environmentally sustainable features, storm-water management and community spaces.
Surbana Jurong landscape architects enhanced the waterway surroundings with detailed landscaping and kept the water clean through natural filtration. Pathways, viewing decks and pedestrian bridges integrated seamlessly along the waterway, and were designed to enhance accessibility for people of all ages. Various types of wetland plants were planted along the waterway to stabilise the slope, promote biodiversity and enhance greenery.
The waterway was constructed in an environmentally sustainable manner, and the area’s biodiversity was preserved as much as possible. During the construction of the man-made waterway, approximately 3.3 million cubic meters of earth had to be excavated and removed from the site. The earth excavated was reused to fill the low-lying areas around the waterway, preparing the sites for future developments.
Due to the poor soil conditions, Surbana Jurong engineers had to adopt advanced soil strengthening techniques to strengthen the ground on both sides of the waterway before excavation. To ensure that nearby train tunnels and viaducts sensitive to ground movement are not compromised, the engineers constructed earth-retaining structures in the form of a special diaphragm wall. The diaphragm wall was eventually transformed into the Heartwave Wall, one of the key design features of the waterway.
For its sustainable design and innovative engineering, Surbana Jurong received many prestigious local and international accolades for the project, such as the International Award for Liveable Communities (Gold) in 2012, Singapore Gold Design Mark in 2014, and many others.
