QUEENSWAY NODE DESIGN COMPETITION

Registration Live Now!

17 September 2024

INTRODUCTION & PROJECT OBJECTIVES

As part of the ongoing DMP2025 public engagement, URA has engaged residents and stakeholders on ideas for a new community node at the sheltered viaduct space below the Queensway Flyover. This also demonstrates a key strategy under URA’s Recreation Master Plan to optimise and transform underutilised spaces into recreational spaces for all.

URA, in collaboration with SIA, is launching a single-stage open design competition for the Queensway node to seek proposals from industry professionals to transform the space into an inviting multi-functional space that the public can use for recreational and community activities. It is open to local practicing architects registered with the Board of Architects (BOA) and aged 45 years and below. The Architect is required to form a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) comprising the following disciplines:

Registered participating MDTs are required to submit fresh, innovative and new design ideas for the Queensway node to realise its vision as a well-loved community node, with a series of programmable, multi-functional community spaces. The proposed ideas are to be accompanied by a clear design statement / narrative that outline the key concepts.

The requirement for the MDT to be led by a ‘young architect’, aged 45 and below, is part of the larger strategy to create more opportunities for the younger generation of architects to be involved in public projects of varying types and scales.

LOCATION

The Rail Corridor is a former railway line that stretches 24km from the north to the south of Singapore. It serves as an important community space that potentially connects around 1 million residents living within a 1 km radius and visitors from all walks of life.

The Queensway node is located along the existing Rail Corridor and is set to be another new community node along the Rail Corridor, following the completion of those at Kranji, the PIE viaduct, the conserved Bukit Timah Railway Station, and Buona Vista. Located underneath the Queensway Flyover, the viaduct structure has created an expansive sheltered area along the Rail Corridor trail, which has the potential to be transformed into a multi-functional space for community activities and events. To the west of the trail, there is an elevated earth mound which opens into an expansive, sheltered space under the viaduct structure (Area A). On both sides of the Rail Corridor trail beneath the viaduct, the earth slopes upwards away from the Rail Corridor trail (Area B). The site also includes an open space at the interface between the Rail Corridor, surrounding access points, and the future residential developments adjacent to the node.

SCOPE OF COMPETITION

The design proposal shall respond to and comply with the planning parameters set out in the Design Brief and Technical Requirements. The proposed design strategy shall demonstrate how the Queensway node can be a multi-functional and inviting space that can be activated and programmed for community use.

The Scope of Works for the design proposal shall focus on three areas:

Provision of new activity/community spaces, public amenities, and public furniture within the study area along the existing Rail Corridor;
Transformation of the elevated earth mound to the west of the Rail Corridor Trail into a multi-functional space that can be used for community activities and events; and
Sensitive lighting strategy for new activity spaces

PRIZES

The winning MDT will be appointed and engaged to provide Multi-Disciplinary (Architectural, Civil & Structural Engineering, Mechanical & Electrical Engineering and Quantity Surveying) Consultancy Services based on a combined professional fee of SGD$570,000 in lieu of the prize money.

The prize money for the 2nd and 3rd place prizes is SGD$10,000 and SGD$5,000 respectively.

TIMELINE

Registration Opens	17 September 2024
Briefing and Site Visit	24 September 2024
Deadline for Questions and Request for Clarification	7 October 2024, 6pm
Publication of all Answers to Questions and Requests for Clarification	14 October 2024, 6pm
Submission Deadline and Registration Closure	7 November 2024, 12pm 14 November 2024, 12pm
Announcement of Winner and Merit Prizes	1Q 2025
Public Engagement with stakeholders by Winner	1Q 2025 – 2Q 2025
Detailed Design Review with agencies	1Q 2025 onwards
Project Completion Date¹	June 2027²

Project Completion refers to the project obtaining Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP).
The detailed project timeline shall be further reviewed together with the MDT taking into account the specific works proposed.

Please note that the dates are tentative and subject to changes. MDTs will be informed of any changes to the programme.

ELIGIBILITY

The Architect is required to form an MDT comprising the following:

All members of the MDT are to be employed with firms that are registered and listed on the PSPC, so as to facilitate the implementation of the selected design proposal on site. Firms are to be registered and listed on the PSPC before the award of the Competition. PSPC-registered firms as listed under Panels 1 – 4 under the AR discipline, and PSPC-registered firms as listed under Panel 3 and 4 for the CS, ME, and QS disciplines are allowed to participate in this Design Competition.

Please refer to clause 1.8 Requirements for Participation in the Competition Brief for more details.

JURY & JUDGING CRITERIA

JURy

Chairpersons:
Mr Tan See Nin
Senior Director (Projects), Urban Redevelopment Authority

Ar Melvin Tan
President, Singapore Institute of Architects
Deputy Managing Director, LAUD Architects Pte Ltd

Members:
Ms Ang Wei Ping
Group Director (Policy and Planning), National Parks Board

Dr Srilalitha Gopalakrishnan
President, Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects
Associate Director (Research), Future Cities Laboratory Global

Ar Jeremy Chan
Member of Friends of The Rail Corridor
Architectural Director, Thymn

Dr Shawn Lum
Immediate Past President of Nature Society (Singapore)
Senior Lecturer, Asian School of the Environment at Nanyang Technological University Singapore

JUDGING CRITERIA

The Jury Panel and the Technical Evaluation Committee will be looking for design ideas that:

Capture succinctly the vision, objectives and intent of the Design Brief;
Respond creatively to the Design Brief and context of the site, in particular, respecting the qualities and character of the Rail Corridor and existing residential developments;
Are conceptually coherent and consistent as a node along the Rail Corridor;
Have unique, attractive and place-making characteristics;
Are inclusive to visitors of all ages, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds;
Are practical, economically feasible and financially sustainable; and
Are designed for safety, buildability and ease of maintenance.
Propose a suitable and sensitive lighting strategy to enhance useability and public safety of the node.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Both Online & Physical submission are required. The venue of the physical submission is at the Training Room 5, Level 5 of the URA Centre (45 Maxwell Road).

Physical submission requirements:

Digital submission requirements:

A descriptive write-up in A4 format of maximum 2 pages to explain the proposed master plan and concept for the proposed design interventions for the Queensway node.
A descriptive write-up in A4 format of maximum 2 pages to explain the proposed construction method, including any limitations and associated risks, along with suggestions for overcoming these limitations and reducing the associated risks.

FAQ

S/N	Question	Answer
Requirements for Participation and Submission
1	We would like to confirm if the team members (CS, M&E, and QS) under panel 3 are eligible to participate in the design competition.	In view of feedback received, the Design Competition will be open to PSPC-registered firms listed under Panels 3 and 4 for the Civil & Structural Engineer (CS), Mechanical & Electrical Engineer (ME), and Quantity Surveyor (QS) disciplines . There is no change to the eligibility criteria for the Architect (AR) discipline where PSPC-registered firms listed under Panels 1-4 are allowed to participate. The Lead Consultant (Architect) is to be aged 45 years or below on the date of submission. The Submission Deadline shall be extended to 14 November 2024, 12pm (Singapore date and time). The hard copy presentation boards shall be delivered to the Promoter at Training Room 5, Level 5 of the URA Centre (45 Maxwell Road), between 9am and 12pm on 14 November 2024. Updated 24 October 2024
2	We wish to clarify if the consultants which will form part of the MDT team MUST be restricted to PSPC Panel 4 as based on the current listing they are rather restrictive with only; MEP – 14 Firms QS – 8 FirmsWill the organizers be open to having consultants beyond Panel 4 to be part of the MDT team, perhaps Panel 3?
3	Are PSPC-registered firms listed under Panels 1-3 under CS, ME, and QS disciplines allowed to participate in this competition? We would like to take part with consultants that we have worked with in our past projects and most of them unfortunately, do not fall under Panel 4. Hope the committee would reconsider including other panels for the rest of the MDT team.
4	It is mentioned in Clause 1.1.2 that only Panel 4 consultants for the CS, ME, and QS disciplines are allowed to participate. However, there are not a lot of Panel 4 consultants listed under the QS discipline for instance. Can the criteria be opened up to more panels to form the MDT?
5	Will different QPs from the same firm be able to participate and therefore, are multiple submissions from the same firm allowed?	Yes, different QPs from the same firm are allowed to make separate submissions. Multiple submissions from the same firm are allowed.
6	Does the QP need to be a partner of the firm?	The QP need not be a partner of the firm where he/she is employed.
7	Can one of the members of the MDT participate in the competition under multiple teams? Eg. CS Engineer listed under PSPC Panel 4 would like to participate in the competition under Team A and Team B.	Yes, members of the MDT may participate under multiple teams.
8	Is it allowable for an architect (under the age of 45) who is not an employee of a firm but is interested to collaborate with the firm to participate (i.e. the firm’s Architect who is older than 45 is to register for the competition)?	The Registration, Submission Form & Statement of Collaboration (Appendix 3.1_C) is to be filled out by the Lead Consultant (Architect) who is aged 45 years and below. Should they wish, the Lead Consultant may collaborate with an architect from the same firm / another firm who is older than 45 (to be indicated under the Collaborator section of the Submission Form (Appendix 3.1_C)).
9	Are points given to credentials of team members?	Credentials of team members are not part of the judging criteria. Please refer to Clause 1.16 of the Competition Brief for the judging criteria.
10	Please confirm C&S, M&E and QS are require to submit the following documents as part of their submission packages:• Form A1 • Form B • Forms C1, C2 & C3 • Form D • Form E • Form F • Form G • Form H Form G:For C&S, M&E and QS documents, it is not appropriate for Lead Architect to declare their information and particulars provided are true and correct. We proposed to include Form G declaration by the C&S, M&E and QS consultants.	The Architect who is the Lead Consultant shall submit the Forms as a package on behalf of the consultants within the MDT. Forms that should be prepared as an MDT for the project include: Forms A1 and A2 Form F Forms that should be prepared by each discipline in the MDT (as information is specific to the firm that the MDT member is a part of): Form B Forms C1, C2 and C3 (please provide details of max. 2 key personnel from each discipline in the MDT) Form D Form E Form G (please note that changes have been made to Form G to require each MDT discipline to sign off on the declaration. Please ensure that you have used the revised Form G.) Form H
11	Is this a two-envelope system? There is mention of a Folder 1 and Folder 2 under 1.7. Also, in 1.6, only the 02 nos. of A1 presentation boards were mentioned for hardcopy submission to the URA Centre. Do we submit these separately in hardcopy or are these 2 folders just required in softcopy?	A hard copy submission is required for Folder 1. Soft copy submissions are required for both Folder 1 and Folder 2.
12	Please confirm/provide: is hard copy submission applies to Folder 1- Design Proposal only. Digital submission applies to both Folder 1 and Folder 2 What is the maximum file size that we have to take note of before uploading for submission the link to the submission page on the Competition website	Yes. Yes. The maximum file size ranges from 20MB – 40MB: Folder 1 Sheet 1: 40MB Folder 1 Sheet 2: 40MB Folder 1 A4 write-ups: 20MB Folder 2: 40MB Submission Form: 20MB The respective file size limits are also available on the submission page. The submission page can be found at this link: https://sia.org.sg/queensway-node/qn-submission/
13	Aside from the online submission and the 2 A1 sheets for the physical submission, is the team able to provide other forms of submission, i.e.: a physical model?	Other forms of submission, e.g. physical models, will not be accepted. Please adhere to the submission requirements in Clause 1.10 of the Competition Brief.
14	With regard to the provided template for Sheet 1, are we supposed to fit our drawings / perspectives within the boxes in the template or can we change the sizes of these boxes? For instance, can we reduce the width of the site plan in the template if we find that the site plan will work better for us if it’s shown in portrait?	Participants are free to re-size the various boxes within the template as long as the required plans, perspectives, etc. are clear and legible. The perspective and description for Area A should be presented on the top right of Sheet 1, and the perspective and description for Area B should be presented on the bottom right of Sheet 1. The site plan should be presented on the bottom left of Sheet 1 and shown at a 1:1,500 scale. Participants are free to choose a landscape or portrait format for the Site plan. Participants are to note that there are changes to the scale of the site plan, and should adopt the 1:1,500 scale. Please refer to the Revised Folder 1 Design Proposal template.
15	We would also like to enquire whether it is possible for the site plan scale to be increased. We have tested the layout and 1:2000 scale is too fine for the intervention to be appreciated and the site in question is about less than 50% of the entire site plan. Can we consider representing the site plan at 1:1000 scale instead? We would also like to check whether we are required to only represent the site plan in portrait format or whether we can also explore the landscape format.
16	We could not locate any form to fill in the breakdown of fee allocation among the consultants within the MDT in the competition package. Please advise.	There is no template for the breakdown of fee allocation among the consultants within the MDT. Submissions may include a word document with the proposed breakdown in Folder 2.
17	Please confirm is each consultant (Architecture / C&S / M&E / QS) of the successful multi-disciplinary team shall enter into a separate contract agreement with the Employer.	The MDT led by the Lead Consultant (Architect) will enter into a single contract agreement with the Employer.
18	Please confirm is each consultant (Architecture / C&S / M&E / QS) of the successful multi-disciplinary team shall enter into a separate contract agreement with the Employer.	The MDT led by the Lead Consultant (Architect) will enter into a single contract agreement with the Employer.

Clarifications regarding competition information and technical queries will be provided after eligible participants have registered for the competition. It will be issued with the Competition Brief, Submission Documents and Appendices.

The competition is organised by URA with the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) as the appointed Promoter.

Organised by:

Promoted by: