Whilst Singapore has built deep basements, shallow and deep caverns, this research explores a variant of the underground structure as an open pit of 140m depth and 125m in diameter accommodating up to 17000 housing occupants. Daylighting, air flow and evacuation strategies are assessed as a first attempt to ascertain the likelihood of adequate health and safety provisions.
How deep can the pit be before ventilation and daylighting are ineffective?
How do we securitize open pits from sabotage?
How do we evacuate upwards from an open pit and prevent flooding?
Singapore codes are used in conjunction with references to extrapolate benchmarks as a basis for further study and recommendation.
Other planning considerations are discussed as integral components of the open pit configuration. Whereas conventional research is a retrospective analysis of gathered data, such design-research investigations are powerful tools in planning forward with available data.
Download PDF of the keynote paper, Planning for an Open Pit Underground Habitat here.
