Author: YeeChung Tan

2023 July

Gali Batu Multi-Storey Bus Depot in Singapore Construction work progress

Post author By YeeChung Tan
Post date August 24, 2023

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Gali Batu Multi-Storey Bus Depot in Singapore Construction work progress

Our Gali Batu Multi-Storey Bus Depot in Singapore is in full swing! We recently completed the Level 2 Slab for the bus depot. Get the latest insights into the work progress of Singapore’s largest bus depot, designed to accommodate the growing bus capacity under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP) and Bus Contracting Model (BCM). This 5-storey hub will offer parking, refuelling, washing, maintenance facilities and administrative offices, ensuring seamless daily bus operations.

The Project Team celebrated this progress and to express their gratitude to all the workers, they hosted a barbeque dinner. Mr Toh, our General Manager – Operations for Singapore, personally handed out awards to the Best Safety Conscious Workers.

Well done to all of them! We hope everyone will continue to uphold our exemplary health and safety standards.

Stay tuned for more updates.

2023 July

A Journey of Discovery: Embracing the Beauty and Brilliance of Coffs Harbour, Australia

Post author By YeeChung Tan
Post date August 21, 2023

A Journey of Discovery: Embracing the Beauty and Brilliance of Coffs Harbour, Australia

Whether you seek a relaxing coastal lifestyle or exciting job opportunities, Coffs Harbour has something to offer everyone except bubble tea enthusiasts.

Embark on an adventure with Szeto Yan Weng, environmental and sustainability coordinator of Gamuda Australia, as he shares his exciting experience living in Australia and working closely on one of our projects.

“From tendering for the Coffs Harbour Bypass in the cold calculative streets of North Sydney to enjoying the suns and winds of Park Beach, it still feels like a dream to me. Working on the Coffs Harbour Bypass team with Ferrovial and Gamuda Australia has been such an eye-opening experience. I’m proud to be working with a diverse group of talented engineers from Australia, Spain, Malaysia, Scotland, Brazil and Poland, all with the added feat of them being engineering geniuses in their own right. I’ve even been to one of my colleague’s farms!

Besides the team, this exciting project has all the workings of a successful legacy project. The project presents environmental and engineering challenges, but with a collaborative client and contractor team, we can make significant improvements for the City of Coffs Harbour (a.k.a. Garlambirla) and its surrounding communities.

Szeto Yan Weng and his wife, Low Kah Mun enjoy exploring the Royal National Park.

Beyond work, the project’s location is stunning, surrounded by natural beauty such as Park Beach and the nearby Great Dividing Range, offering numerous hiking and nature trails. Even an urban homebody like me has done several walks with my partner, such as the Urunga Boardwalk, the Muttonbird Island Trail, and the Look At Me Now Headland Walk.

Although typically, you will find me at the Peach and Wolf at Park Beach vacuuming a Cinnamon Scroll or a Sausage Roll (sometimes both), I’ve also enjoyed fresh produce like bananas from Cunninghams and even picked my own blueberries! Where else in Australia can you pick blueberries in the morning and enjoy fresh seafood from the Fisherman’s Co-op, just 10 minutes away?

Despite being told that Coffs Harbour might be dull compared to Sydney, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Friday Night Markets and community events such as the Coffs Harbour Buskers and Comedy Festival, Summersalt! I’ve even found a regular spot at the project’s Moonee Beach Hotel’s weekly trivia team (Let’s Go Quiz My Bypass)! Overall, living and working in Coffs Harbour has been an incredible experience. Whether you seek a relaxing coastal lifestyle or exciting job opportunities, Coffs Harbour has something to offer everyone except bubble tea enthusiasts.”

2023 July

PSI Project Heralds the Dawn of a Bright and Sustainable Future for Penang

Post author By YeeChung Tan
Post date August 4, 2023

PSI Project Heralds the Dawn of a Bright and Sustainable Future for Penang

Culminating years of positive economic advancement and progress, Penang is now on the cusp of a new and exciting phase of sustainable development, aiming to join the ranks of world-class port cities like Singapore and Hong Kong, which overcame the challenge of limited space through land reclamation. The key to this bright new future for the state is the Penang South Island (PSI) project, an ambitious but achievable solution to the problem of limited space for development. Given the urgent demand for affordable housing in Penang today, the PSI project offers a golden opportunity to address this need while simultaneously acting as a driver for sustained economic development. Together with complementary infrastructure enhancements like the proposed Penang Light Rail Transit (LRT), the PSI project offers a pathway to an improved quality of life for all Penangites.

The recent news about the project’s approval marks the culmination of a comprehensive journey of rigorous analysis and study of the PSI project to address environmental concerns. Thorough assessments of environmental impact have been meticulously conducted to ensure that the reclamation works adhere to stringent regulations and implement sustainable practices. Going further, the PSI project would address climate change concerns like rising sea levels, building higher platforms for the islands to face rising sea levels, providing water catchments and green spaces to prevent surface runoffs, and implementing other green initiatives and policies. The end result is a world-class blueprint for sustainable development that will usher Penang into a new era of prosperity.

Sustainable land reclamation is no longer a pipe dream today, as technology has progressed much from the days of the first land reclamations in Holland, in the 1600s. Modern techniques have enabled land reclamation to be carried out with minimal environmental impact. In fact, land reclamation is now used extensively worldwide to maintain and protect coastal ecosystems, helping to preserve precious marine habitats for future generations. A prime example is the coastal regions of Florida, America, where erosion is a serious issue and consequently, sand restoration is conducted annually. Florida’s coastlines are a key economic driver for the state, with every USD 1 spent on restoration, estimated to return USD 700 in foreign revenue through tourism and other economic activities.

Compared to other growth centres, which are mere real estate projects, PSI is a state government project to serve as a strategic enabler. PSI is the launching pad for the following economic growth engines, given its strategic proximity to the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone ecosystem to transform the Penang economy.

In this context, an opportunity exists to enhance the Electrical & Electronic Sector as an aggressive economic enabler.

Penang’s economic heart of electrical and electronic manufacturing is ready for up-scaling and expansion into new high-tech sectors, thereby overcoming challenges of technological stagnation and, consequently, raising the income levels of workers while re-positioning Penang as the regional hub for advanced manufacturing and R&D activities for Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, digital health, Big Data Analytics, Machine Learning and more. Penang can attract much-needed foreign direct investment to its shores.

The PSI project similarly has the same potential to drive exponential growth in Penang’s tourism industry, creating a slew of new job opportunities and breathing life into the local economy. One does not have to look far for proof of this with notable projects worldwide like Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, South Korea’s Songdo International Business District, Japan’s Kansai International Airport and Qatar’s Hamad International Airport, which have had overwhelmingly positive ripple effects on economic growth, tourism, infrastructure and job creation in their respective regions.

Ultimately it is essential to recognise that each land reclamation project is unique, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of its contextual intricacies, environmental considerations and social impacts. Land reclamation can indeed be executed without compromising the environment and marine life with meticulous planning and adherence to sustainable practices, which are the core principles that underpin the PSI project. With the green light for the PSI project now being given, exciting times are ahead for Penangites, as Penang looks to transform into a thriving metropolis of the future.

2023 July

Inspiring Environmental Leadership With Prime Minister’s Hibiscus Award

Post author By YeeChung Tan
Post date August 1, 2023

Inspiring Environmental Leadership With Prime Minister’s Hibiscus Award

In an exciting moment of pride and accomplishment, Gamuda Berhad has been honoured with the prestigious Prime Minister’s Hibiscus Award (PMHA), Malaysia’s premier private sector environmental award for the 2021/2022 cycle. 

We secured the Notable Achievement Award in Environmental Performance for our environmental efforts in the Merdeka 118 Infrastructure Package 05 project.

Times are changing within the construction industry, and gone are the days when environmental concerns are sidelined in favour of project progress and cost. Gamuda emerges as a trailblazer in the Malaysian construction industry, prioritising the environment to address the urgency of climate change.

Lui and her team deems participating in similar awards such as the PMHA is important to gear up for international environmental awards. Seen on stage Mr Justin Chin receiving the award from Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister.

“We are truly proud and honoured that our efforts have culminated in bagging the Notable Achievement Award for PMHA in our maiden attempt. We hope that this award will be the catalyst in breaking ground for a greener tomorrow and drive us to even greater environmental excellence,“ said Andy Lee Choon Foh, general manager, Quality, Safety, Health and Environment (QSHE) Department.

“When the Merdeka 118 Infrastructure Package 05 project was announced in 2018, we just knew this was it. And when we got the award, we were so happy and proud. It’s our first submission for this award, and we got it!” enthused Lui Lee Yen, Senior Environmental Manager, Quality, Safety, Health and Environment (QSHE) Department.

She also added that the award would not have materialised without the effort and team work from the project team as well as the QSHE team.

Rigorous Evaluation Process

The project comprised the construction of the Jalan Belfield Tunnel, flyover, flare wall, relocation of existing utilities, PMU Roadway, and upgrading and improving the surface road.

Merdeka 118 Infrastructure is a project involving the construction of a 580-metre underground tunnel along Jalan Belfield, crossing Jalan Maharajalela, to facilitate access to the basement car park of the world’s second tallest building and South East Asia’s tallest building, the Merdeka 118 tower. Thanks to this tunnel, visitors can now enjoy convenient entry to the tower through the Syed Putra Interchange. 

Lui admits that the submission process is very stringent, which is no surprise for the country’s top environmental award. There were two stages in the submission process, with Stage 1 requiring applicants to meet 15 evaluation criteria such as leadership, priority and commitment, managing environmental issues, environmental accounting and eco-labelling, to name a few.

(from left) Khairun Dalila Salihin, Shamsudin Yussof, Andy Lee Choon Foh, Lui Lee Yen and Wong Xiao Wen from the QSHE Department took nearly four months to prepare for the submission meticulously.

According to Shamsudin Yussof, the QSHE environmental manager, the Gamuda team invested almost six months of dedicated effort to prepare for stage 1 submission and stage 2 site preparation for assessment. This comprehensive exercise involved collaboration among several teams, namely the project operation team, project Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) team and the Group QSHE team.

The submission underwent extensive evaluation, requiring a minimum score of 50 to progress to stage 2 site assessment. During the stage, assessors appointed by the PMHA secretariat conducted a thorough site audit before assigning a final score.

Gamuda’s Eco-Solutions for the Merdeka 118 Infrastructure Project

The Merdeka 118 Infrastructure project encountered a myriad of challenges due to its central location in the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur. The confined space is an additional hurdle in implementing robust control measures for environmental protection. However, the construction team at Gamuda met the occasion head-on, demonstrating ingenuity and deploying innovative solutions to overcome these obstacles.

One such example is the construction of a concrete sediment basin, which replaced the conventional sediment basin due to limited space. This adaptation stands as a testament to our commitment to complying with environmental standards while addressing the project’s unique challenges. 

Wong Chee Keong (bottom, sixth from left), the project manager of the Merdeka 118 Infrastructure Package 05, together with his team, made sure the project adhered to environmental measures despite some constraints.

“We also engaged a SAMM Accredited Laboratory to conduct environmental monitoring for several parameters such as water quality, air quality, noise and vibration levels even though it was not a client requirement. By taking these extra steps to protect the environment and minimise disruption to the public, we showcased our dedication to sustainable practices,” says Khairun Dalila Salihin, environmental officer of the Merdeka 118 Infrastructure project.

Furthermore, the construction sequence followed a top-to-bottom method, starting with constructing both sides of the diaphragm wall. Subsequently, excavation was carried out to build the slab structures from the roof to the base level.

This method is different from the conventional bottom-to-top construction method. It does not require a vast excavation area. All excavation work was done within the two sides of the diaphragm walls. Hence, the earthworks and structural works reduced the impact on the surrounding environment and minimised the social implications for the public.

Inspiring Future Environmental Initiatives

Lui emphasises that this achievement is compelling evidence that construction companies can prioritise environmental commitments and achieve excellence in their projects. 

After all, this marks the first time Gamuda received an environmental excellence award such as the PMHA (presented every two years since its inception in 1996), typically dominated by multinational companies and oil and gas corporations such as Petronas. 

(from left) Gamuda Engineering’s executive directors Adil Putra Ahmad, and Julian Yeap Kheang Teik, Ong Jee Lian, group chief communication and ESG officer, Gamuda Engineering’s managing director Justin Chin Jing Ho and Wong Chee Keong, the project manager of the Merdeka 118 Infrastructure Package 05, together with the QSHE team.

Coming on the heels of this win, Lui reveals enthusiastically that the company plans to participate in the following award cycle of the PMHA by submitting the Sungai Rasau Water Supply Scheme (Stage 1) project.

“We hope to inspire our other project teams through this win. We will keep this momentum going so they have the spirit to protect the environment,” she concludes.