Atkins who specializes in architectural design, planning and project management was appointed by Singapore's progressive Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to spearhead an innovative project for the overhaul of urban services and planning in the Bayshore precinct in Singapore.
Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, has carved out a stellar reputation for being a global leader in the transformation of cities and districts all over the world, and its director of urban development and design in South East Asia, Eli Konvitz, has proclaimed that the project will represent an 'exemplar development' for the technologically-driven Singapore, already regarded as one of the world's smartest regions.
He said, "It's a new form of urbanism that can be replicated elsewhere. The Bayshore precinct will be an adaptive system that maximizes outcomes from the interacting aspects - people living, working, playing in and travelling through the area."
It was disclosed that Atkins' strategic approach to the development is to create a diverse number of micro-communities that are bound together by pedestrian-friendly connections, which would subsequently mark Bayshore as a standard-bearer in healthy, place-making.
The precinct in Bayshore will be a highly-visible location that will house around 12,000 families. The URA has said that it aims to deliver a development that will capitalize on existing greenery and new strong public transport connections to the rest of Singapore. The British engineering firm will utilize their expertise in sustainable master-planning to implement a strategy they entitle as 'car-lite', which is basically creating an attractive living environment with a strong ethos centered on community.
Lead designer for the project at Atkins, Maulik Bansal, claimed that it was imperative that the project focused its attentions on putting people at the center of the development and how the new initiative would transform and benefit their lives. He said, "Bayshore will focus on putting people at the heart of the conversation, exploring how communities form around shared spaces, how people interact with them, what choices they have, and how our approach to place-making enables community ownership and a sense of belonging."
Atkins' 'car-lite' strategy is central to the vision for Bayshore, where streets will support the progress of technology, and in turn respond to changes in behaviors and expectations of the travelling public, such as the adoption of concepts like connected autonomous vehicles, already under trial in areas of Singapore.