SINGAPORE: A new fire-resistant coating product – which could potentially help building owners and construction companies save millions of dollars in fireproofing efforts – was unveiled at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on Tuesday (Oct 31).

NTU scientists and engineers from national industrial developer JTC Corporation spent two years to co-develop a fire-resistant and corrosion-resistant coating that is said to be the first of its kind.

Called FiroShield, it can be applied on virtually anything – from buildings, cars to bicycles.

The announcement of the invention comes two months after 25 buildings have been found to have used external claddings that do not meet fire-safety standards.

FiroShield, which is not considered a substitute for external cladding, can be applied to materials such as steel, timber and concrete.

Application of the coating will take half the required time and cost half the amount compared to conventional ones such as intumescent coatings which provides over 70 per cent of the market demand.

For instance, 5mm of FiroShield coating is sufficient to meet the fire protection standard of two hours – the industry standard – aimed to give the building’s occupants time to evacuate. Comparatively, intumescent coatings require up to 15mm or more.

It is expected to cost US$60 to US$75 (S$82 to S$102) per square metre, compared to intumescent coatings which range from US$100 to US$150.

“This is like a one-stop solution; we take our coating and just directly apply (it) on the steel or concrete structure. We don’t need any preparation, we don’t need sandblasting (and primer) … This by itself gives us fire resistance as well as corrosion resistance. And it can come in different colours,” said team leader Aravind Dasari, Assistant Professor at NTU’s School of Materials Science and Engineering.

It is also long-lasting, and very “eco-friendly” with “toxicity within limits” as it does not contain any halogen-based additives, added Asst Prof Dasari.

Weathering tests in the lab have indicated that its performance dipped by two per cent, compared to a drop of up to 75 per cent for conventional coatings.

FiroShield is slated to be commercially available by the end of 2018, following an industry certification in the United Kingdom, expected to be completed in April of the same year. It will later be used on steel structures within the upcoming JTC Logistics Hub.

JTC expects to save at least S$2.5 million from using Firoshield.

“Beyond next year, if the results proved to be successful, we are going to multiply to other projects. Beyond that, we will work through with BCA and other agencies to see how we can help the industry adopt this new solution,” said Mr Koh Chwee, director of JTC’s technical services division.

Building on the same technology, Asst Prof Dasari and his team is currently working with JTC to develop another type of coating that is water proof and has a higher corrosive resistance than FiroShield.

SINGAPORE: In 2013, the iconic Cathedral of the Good Shepherd closed its doors for an extensive three-year restoration, one that sought to revive and rejuvenate the national monument to its former glory.

Its efforts paid off. 

The 170-year-old Catholic church along Queen Street, the oldest of its kind in Singapore, was one of two winners of the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) annual Art Architectural Heritage Awards.

The award ceremony was held at the church’s Jean-Marie Beurel Centre on Tuesday (Oct 31).

In its 23th year and judged by an 11-member committee appointed by URA, the awards aim to promote public awareness and appreciation of quality restoration of national monuments and conserved buildings in Singapore. 

Built by French missionaries in the 1840s, the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, which won the Award for Restoration, has experienced many repair works across the decades, said head of its heritage ministry Ann Markley.

“In 1970s, there were reports that during the services, pieces of timber would fall down so the roof had to be replaced. There was an extensive restoration in 1958, it was probably restored after the WWII (as well),” the 66-year-old added.

The church’s sixth and most recent restoration, its most major to date, was an overall effort that enlisted the help of a team including a conservation specialist, an archaeologist, pipe organ and stained glass restorers.

Its trademark chequerboard pattern floor seen in old photographs was reinstated and restored, together with its stained glass windows, both of which were installed in the early 20th century. 

Its pipe organ, the oldest of its kind in Singapore, first came with 850 pipes when it was installed in 1912. Now, it holds 1,850 pipes, having been dismantled and brought off-site for restoration.

The 14 Station of Crosses, bought in 1907 from Sisters of the Infant Jesus to grace the cathedral’s walls, have had grime accumulated over the years removed and its colours touched up. 

The overall rejuvenation has left both the church’s congregation and the general public “overjoyed and overwhelmed” by its beauty, said its current rector, Monsignor Philip Heng, 62, who took over in 2015.

“We feel so proud that this restoration has taken place so well, and that it is a symbol for us, of how we have done a restoration that has successfully preserved … the richness of the history of the church in Singapore in the past and how it appeals to the present believers of the Catholic Church, that it does have a modern appeal to it (as well).

“More importantly, the restoration has provided a beautiful ambience for the place of worship. And people feel so proud that this is the mother church of the whole archdiocese of Singapore and that it is truly fitting,” he added.

The other winner – Warehouse Hotel – picked up the Award for Restoration and Innovation.

The 37-room hotel located along the Singapore River was converted from an old warehouse. 

Built in 1895, the warehouse was left vacant and managed by Singapore Land Authority for eight years, until current owner Cheong Keng Hooi bought it in 2014. The newly-restored “100 per cent Singaporean” hotel, as he called it, opened its doors in January this year.

The 64-year-old, who recalled passing by the once dilapidated building on a few occasions 20 years ago, was piqued by its architecture and rich history.

“Earlier on, it was a warehouse for spice trading. After that, it became a spot for secret society activities and underground liquor distillery … We can bring the history back for the future generation to understand,” he said.

Paying homage to an industrial look of “50 to 100 years ago”, the hotel has retained elements of its former self, including an elaborate art installation in the lobby inspired by the warehouse’s pulleys used to transport heavy items up to another level.

The warehouse’s red brick walls, metal roof trusses, jack roofs and vertical security window bars were also similarly conserved.

Since the launch of the Art Architectural Heritage Awards in 1995, 130 projects have been recognised for restoration efforts. Previous award recipients include Capitol Singapore, the Sultan Mosque, as well as Sri Temasek. Five projects have also been given Special Mentions.

This year’s Special Mention was conferred to the iconic Red House in East Coast for its efforts to resurrect the former Katong Bakery & Confectionary within its compound. The team had tracked down the youngest surviving staff of the old bakery operator who then shared with them his experiences.

“(The award) is even more meaningful because this development is an endowment property. An endowment or termed as “Wakaf” is an Islamic Charitable asset which has social objectives where its proceeds are meant for medical needs of the poor,” said Mr Zaini Osman, 40, chief executive officer of Warees Investments whose subsidiary is the development company of The Red House. 

A month-long programme called the Architectural Heritage Session will be held in conjunction with this year’s awards, and will feature technical tours on restoration practices of heritage buildings, public heritage tours as well as seminars throughout November.

SINGAPORE: If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again, as the saying goes. That was certainly the case for Singaporean Abdul Hamid Jonid who was crowned the winner of the Mediacorp Subaru Car Challenge 2017 on Tuesday (Oct 31). It is his 10th year taking part in the competition. 

The 58-year-old, who is also known as Kacang, was the last man standing in the endurance competition, keeping his palm on the car for 74 hours and 15 minutes. That earned him the grand prize of a Subaru XV 2.0 i-S, worth S$65,000 without Certificate of Entitlement.

The annual competition challenges participants to keep their right palms on designated decals on Subaru cars as long as they can. The last contestant standing is declared the winner.

At this year’s competition, which kicked off on Saturday at Ngee Ann City’s Civic Plaza, Mr Abdul outlasted 399 other contestants from Singapore and other regional territories including Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

“I’m very, very happy,” he told reporters. “Thanks to God – he fulfilled my wishes, and my dreams (have come true).”

When asked about the first thing he wants to do now that the competition is over, he said is going to celebrate his win with his family “who is always behind me”.

The contest was down to the final five contestants by around 2.30pm on Tuesday – more than 72 hours after the official kick-off on Saturday at 1pm.

Aside from Mr Abdul, the only Singaporean, there were two contestants from the Philippines – Alex Jr Jose Neblasca and Filmark Ramos Bernante and two Vietnamese – Luan Tu Lang and Pham Duc Nhan.

Luan Tu Lang, 25, came in first runner-up, for which he won S$5,000. The Vietnamese also won another S$5,000 for being the Asian Winner, another S$1,000 for being the longest standing country winner, and will also get a share in the S$10,000 won by the country team from Vietnam.

This year’s competition also saw the longest disruption in its 16-year history, when competition was suspended for nearly two hours on Monday evening due to lightning.

Last year’s winner, Singaporean Sunawr Ali, lasted more than three days – 75 hours and 58 minutes to be exact. But the record still belongs to 2014’s winner G Jaishanker, who proved his endurance with 82 hours and 16 minutes.

SINGAPORE: Crowds of curious students lined the staircases and upper-level hallways of their school, wielding mobile phones and craning their necks in anticipation of the arrival of their royal guest.

And they did not wait in vain. As the car carrying Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrived at the school’s drop-off point, cheers filled the air. The Duchess, who is accompanying her husband, Britain’s Prince Charles, on a four-day visit to Singapore, was there to tour the school and meet participants of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, the world’s oldest schools’ international writing competition. Last year, a Temasek JC student had won an award in the competition.

And for many students, it was a proud moment. Some – who are due to take their A Level exams in a week’s time – took time out of their study schedules to catch a glimpse of the Duchess as she walked through their school.

“We just want to kaypoh,” said JC2 student Tan Guan Yu. “I just feel proud and privileged that out of every school in Singapore, she chose to visit ours.”

“I just wanted to follow from a distance, because it’s interesting,” added his friend, Nicole de Cruz. “I’ve never seen royalty before, and it’s a once in a lifetime experience.”

Other students, who got the chance to meet and chat with the Duchess, were taken by how personable and friendly she was.

Fourth-year IP student Grace Hoten was studying a poem with her classmates and teacher at a bench along the Duchess’s tour route, and was pleasantly surprised when she stopped for a chat.

“When the teachers said she might stop and talk to us for awhile, I didn’t really expect that,” she said. “I thought she would just walk past. But she came to every single table to chat. That was really nice.”

“My mum would definitely have liked me to take a photo with her,” she added, to laughs from her classmates.

The Duchess also observed students taking part in a music activity, and visited the school’s drama centre where Singaporean poet Alvin Pang was leading a workshop for competition students.

Students had been told not to block her route, but many – including their teachers – watched and waited quietly on the sidelines of every stop she made, hoping to catch a glimpse – and a quick snapshot – of the Duchess.

The visit ended with a posed photograph with students and staff before the Duchess signed the school’s guestbook. Crowds of students had lined the sides of the school’s driveway, and were waiting in silence to say goodbye.  

But as she got into the car, what initially started off as a few scattered claps and cheers turned into a wave of applause, as teachers, students, school leaders and even the cleaners came together to say goodbye to their royal visitor. 

SINGAPORE: A residential site at Fourth Avenue in Bukit Timah has been triggered for sale by public tender after a developer committed to placing a bid of at least S$448.8 million, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said in a press release on Tuesday (Oct 31). 

The site was available for sale on the Reserve List of the 1st Half 2017 Government Land Sales Programme.

With a land area of about 1.9 ha, the 99-year leasehold site at Fourth Avenue will have a maximum permissible gross floor area of 359,062 sq ft.

The site is expected to yield 455 units.

“The land parcel at 4th Avenue is a very attractive site, with Sixth Avenue MRT station at its door step and its close proximity to the good schools,” said Dr Lee Nai Jia, Head of Research at Edmund Tie & Co.

“There has been much interest in the site … Based on the current market conditions, we expect the winning land bid to be around S$567 million (S$1,580 per sq ft per plot ratio). We expect about 8 to 10 bids for the site.”

Land parcels on the Confirmed List of the Government Land Sales programme are put up for sale regardless of market interest, while those on the Reserve List are triggered for tender only if a developer commits to bid at a price acceptable to the land sale authorities.

“URA received an application from a developer for the site to be put up for public tender … As the minimum price committed by the developer is acceptable to the Government, the site will be released for sale by public tender,” the housing authority said.

In accordance with the procedures of the Reserve List system, URA is making public the minimum price committed for the site. However, the identity of the applicant will not be released. The tender for the land parcel will be launched at a later date.

SINGAPORE: When OCBC Bank vacated its old headquarters at China Building in 1970, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean remembered it being “quite a sight”.

Then, the local bank had outgrown its old premises and a bigger, taller headquarters was planned. As the new office building was being built, a temporary headquarters was set up along Upper Pickering Street.

On Nov 29, 1970, Mr Teo, then a teenager, was brought along by his father, Mr Teo Cheng Guan, to witness the relocation of the bank’s safes. To shift the huge safes, part of the China Building, including its roof, had to be removed to make space for the cranes.

“It was quite a sight, with huge cranes that lifted and transported huge safes out of the building, and hoisted them to the temporary premises,” said Mr Teo, who added that he has fond memories of the old China Building where his parents worked.

Mr Teo’s father joined OCBC as a banking officer in 1946 before rising through the ranks to become the bank’s chairman and CEO from 1989 to 1991.

The opportunity to take part in the re-opening of OCBC’s new Yangon branch in July 2015 also held “nostalgic value” for Mr Teo – partly due to the fact that his father had taken part in the closing down of the branch in 1963 when Myanmar’s banking sector was nationalised.

These were some of the stories that Mr Teo shared on Tuesday (Oct 31) at the launch of OCBC’s new book titled “Wind behind the Sails: The people and ethos of OCBC”.

The book chronicles the history and growth of Singapore’s oldest local bank since 1932, and contains never-been-told stories by prominent figures such as Mr Teo in relation to key events for the bank.

“SOLID AS A ROCK”

Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Teo said OCBC has played a key role in contributing to Singapore’s growth as an international financial centre, given its status as one of the oldest and largest financial institutions in Southeast Asia.

The bank has shown its resilience over the past few decades, weathering volatility and crises that have affected the banking sector, and acquiring a reputation for being as “solid as a rock” along the way, he added.

“This is because the bank is known to emphasise steady and sustainable growth, and to look after the interests of its depositors, customers and partners. It also has a good reputation for fair dealing with its customers, and valuing and treating its staff with respect. These are high standards that the bank has set for itself, which it has to work hard to maintain,” Mr Teo said.

In his foreword, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the stories in the book provide a “honest appraisal of not only OCBC’s successes, but also how it transformed its failures into lessons and new opportunities”.

At the book launch, OCBC’s chairman Ooi Sang Kuang said the bank has grown in strength over the years into an established and reputable Asian financial institution with a footprint in 18 countries and regions.

But its journey has not always been smooth-sailing, having faced severe challenges such as the Second World War from 1939 to 1945, the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis and the Global Financial Crisis in 2008.

“We have also had to adapt quickly to the rapidly evolving geopolitical, banking and regulatory landscape. We surmounted each and every one of these challenges, not merely surviving but emerging stronger from them,” said Mr Ooi, adding that the values of prudence, integrity and taking a long-term view will remain the lender’s “guiding lights”.

OCBC’s new book is not for sale, but copies will be donated to the public libraries by end-December. As part of the book launch, a public exhibition, which features a 3D model, photographs and sketches of prominent figures in the bank’s history, will be held from Oct 31 to Nov 10 at the OCBC Centre.