Optimising Singapore’s Scarce Land Resources

Lack of natural resources and limited land space puts Singapore on a continual quest for creative approaches to manage scarcity and increase productivity. This has been the major driving force behind the government’s strategic shifts towards higher value-added and more land-efficient economic activitiesto support the country’s future growth.

To overcome these challenges, JTC is taking a multi-pronged approach in maximising the limited land resources. Our two latest land optimisation concepts include the Cluster Industrial Complex with Megahoist and the Plug-and-Play Factory.

The first concept proposes the use of electric overhead travelling hoisting cranes, which are commonly used in port operations, to be placed in the middle of a complex. This would permit containers to be hoisted from ground level to the “doorstep” on each level of the complex, eliminating the need for vehicular ramps. This mechanism will enable JTC to construct stacked up factories on a smaller plot of land as tenants share the use of the megahoist system and loading bays for moving goods. 

The second concept is a plug-and-play factory, designed to resolve land optimisation and intensification issues of land-based industries, particularly those in the oil & gas, aerospace, and biomedical & pharmaceuticals industries, which are built to low plot ratios as their operations cannot be conducted in multi-stacked facilities. Co-location and the use of shared services  in this facility reduces land usage.

Companies will share a centralised “backbone” that comprises warehousing and logistic facilities, as well as ramp-up factories, and perhaps flatted factories and a workers' dormitory.  Land-based factories are located alongside, with each plugging into the backbone's services. Such an integrated facility would enable more factories and worker dormitories to be built on a smaller piece of land.

JTC also explored unconventional ideas that exploit cutting-edge methods which have resulted in innovative developments such as the Jurong Rock Caverns - an underground warehousing and logistics facility, and the Very Large Floating Structure - a facility at sea which offers more space for oil and petrochemical storage.