Building something underground is not new for Singapore. About 12 kilometers of expressways and 80 kilometers of transit lines are below ground. Now, Singapore is working on huge subterranean developments, including the Jurong Rock Caverns, and will free about 150 acres of land, an area equivalent to six petrochemical
Building something underground is not new for Singapore. About 12 kilometers of expressways and 80 kilometers of transit lines are below ground. Now, Singapore is working on huge subterranean developments, including the Jurong Rock Caverns, and will free about 150 acres of land, an area equivalent to six petrochemical plants. Another project is the Underground Science City beneath Kent Ridge Park, with 40 interconnected caverns for data centers and R&D labs that would support the biomedical and life sciences industries with a street-type layout spanning 192,000 square meters of rentable space.
"Retail spaces, warehouses, industrial buildings and certain types of offices can be sited underground," said Vikas Gore, Director of DP Architects, as interviewed by The Strait Times on AsiaOne.
While going underground is already an expensive option, factors such as unsuitable rock types to build upon could cause the price tag to rise further. Nicholas Mak, Head of Research at SLP International, said building one level underground costs about the same as building three on the surface. Dr. Zhi-Ye Zhao, one of the researchers behind Nanyang Technological University's study on underground space development, added that extensive studies are still needed.