How best to house the dead may not be an issue at the uppermost of many people’s minds. But MND agencies are accustomed to looking far ahead, planning for Singapore’s present and future. It is in this spirit that the Housing & Development Board found an innovative solution to mitigate the problem of burial ground shortage in land-scarce Singapore.
Together with the National Environment Agency’s burial policy and exhumation programme, the lifespan of the only remaining active cemetery in the country can now be extended by another 100 years. The Choa Chu Kang Cemetery was originally estimated to last only up to 2013, based on the rate of usage of land for traditional burial.
“LEGO” System
Adapting HDB’s prefabrication construction technology, engineers from HDB and NEA developed the Pre-cast New Burial System (PNBS).
It works like a LEGO system, where the pre-cast crypts are designed to interlock and form a series of underground burial chambers, which comes with a crypt-lifting mechanism.
As the burial chambers are interlinked and fitted closely together, the use of land is intensified, since less space is needed. In addition, the burial plots can be pre-installed, and held for use in the future.
This complete redesign of burial operations makes for more efficient and cost-effective cemetery planning and management. The crypts are constructed with pre-fabricated concrete, and can be reused.
On top of that, the PNBS promotes greenery and environmental sustainability, as the structures are built underground and overlaid with extensive greenery. This makes it easier for NEA to turn the future cemeteries into pleasant, park-like environments.
IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Awards 2009
The PNBS recently won the hearts of the judges at the IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Awards 2009.
The success demonstrates that engineering solutions are not only able to resolve complex technological and operational problems, but can also reap great benefits when applied to a traditional field such as burial and cemetery management.
“HDB is glad to be able to contribute its expertise and work with another agency to develop a burial system in land-scarce Singapore - one that is suitable for our multi-cultural and multi-religious community, as well as tropical climate,” said Mr Wong Swee Khian, one of the HDB engineers who worked on the project.
“Together with NEA, we found a solution that not only ensures the sustainability of burial ground, but also intensifies the burial land use and extends its lifespan for our future generations.”
Patent Benefits
The PNBS system has been granted a patent in Singapore, and is in the process of filing patents in other countries such as Malaysia, China/Hong Kong, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates.
This presents great commercialisation potential for the overseas adoption of the PNBS, especially for countries facing problems with burial land scarcity.
Indeed, while some of the older countries boost impressive mausoleums, Singapore can be equally proud of its innovative pre-cast burial system. Such a technology holds promise for adaptation by other countries.
HDB’s Engineering Feats
The Pre-cast New Burial System is the latest in the series of prestigious engineering awards HDB has won.
Others are:
- “Transforming Rooftops to Sky-rise Greenery Instantly – The Modular Way” project
IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2007 - “Enhancing Sustainable Construction Through Innovative Prefabrication Solution – The Spiral Connector System”
ASEAN Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award / IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2008