To help Singapore manage the 100 inches of rain the country receives each year, CDM designed a complex, low-level dam—a barrage—that reliably accommodates excess precipitation, provides flood control, and enhances water supply and water quality. Today, Marina Barrage is benefitting residents of this island nation with multiple engineering and architectural features that support development, lifestyle, and recreational opportunities in Singapore's urban center.
The 1,150-foot-long (350-meter-long) Marina Barrage includes nine 100-foot-long (30-meter-long) hydraulically operated steel crest gates and a drainage pumping station that is among the largest in the world of its type. Under normal conditions, the gates remain closed to isolate the reservoir from the ocean. However, during extreme storm events when the tide is low, they operate in harmony to release excess flows from the marina. When the tide is high, a massive pumping station capable of pumping up to 6.3 billion gallons per day (280 cubic meters per second) will operate. Regardless of storm flows and tide levels, the barrage and pumping station will alternate to provide stable water levels in a new 600-acre (240-hectare) freshwater reservoir within downtown Singapore.
Watch how it Works
Operations during high tide »
Operations during low tide »
Additional facilities include a 13-megawatt power station and a two-story interactive visitor center complete with a circular glass theater, all located in an urban botanical park setting open to the public. Due to the project's natural setting and emphasis on user friendliness, the design team sought a careful balance between form and function. The roof of the pumping station, visitor center, and power station are covered with turf grass and accessible to the public via two concentric helical ramps. Visitors are able to walk from the park, around the facility, and up the ramps to take in dramatic views from the roof, and then across the barrage. The state-of-the-art visitor center showcases Singapore's significant environmental accomplishments, offering films, exhibits, and even refreshments.
In recognition for this landmark project, the Singapore Public Utilities Board has received the 2007 Asean Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award and garnered the 2007 Stockholm Industry Water Award for a "holistic approach to water resources management."
Read more about Singapore's Marina Barrage (PDF).
awards