Punggol Waterway helped the Housing and Development Board (HDB) clinch its first international award for environmental sustainability on Friday.
The HDB said it was awarded the Grand Prize for Excellence in Environmental Engineering in the environmental sustainability category, presented by the prestigious American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE).
My Waterway@Punggol, also known to some as the Venice of Singapore, is the only Asian winner for the Grand Prize under the Environmental Sustainability Category.
It won the award five months after it was launched.
The award ceremony was held in Washington DC on Thursday.
HDB’s Deputy CEO (Building), Mr Sng Cheng Keh, said: “Right from the start, we wanted to build a green, sustainable waterway, and using green construction methods too. We are glad to have achieved both objectives.
“Winning this award is testament to Singapore’s small contribution towards being responsible global citizens by constructing an environmentally-friendly waterway.”
The HDB said the waterway has winning features such as eco-drains to ensure surface runoff is cleansed before entering the waterway.
It also has aerators, jet fountains and water curtains to enhance water quality.
The waterway was constructed using green practices. One of them was a “cut-and-fill” method of excavation to fill the low-lying areas around the waterway.
Earth excavated from the waterway was re-used to prepare surrounding low-lying areas for future developments.
Features such as the boardwalks, footbridges and areas around the plaza were built with recycled materials.
The HDB said the waterway is an outstanding example of a vibrant and sustainable town with social communal spaces integrated seamlessly along the waterway.
It took efforts to preserve the memories and heritage from old Singapore by artistically weaving in pieces of history, such as the Kelong Bridge that captures the stilt houses of the past.
