T.Y.Lin bags top honours for VTVCH restoration works
The firm received top honours for its role in restoring the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall. Image courtesy of T.Y. Lin Internatinoal.
T.Y. Lin International Pte Ltd (TYLI) received the 2015 Structural Award (Structural Heritage Category) of The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) for their role in the restoration of Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall (VTVCH). Dr. Tan Guan, TYLI’s Director of Building Structures, Qualified Person (QP) and Project Manager for the project accepted the award at the recent 2015 Structural Awards ceremony held on 13th November 2015 in London.
Judges from the Structural Awards 2015 called the restoration project a “bold structural undertaking,” and noted that “the structural work was carried out with sensitivity and great care for the historical features, further enhancing the building.” They were impressed with the structural interventions of the project in restoring an intricate 150-year-old concert hall and upgrading it to modern times. The 2015 judging panel was comprised of some of the industry’s finest and their collective knowledge spans a variety of disciplines including academia, architecture, construction, sustainability, innovation and research.
TYLI provided civil, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering services for the restoration of VTVCH. The structural challenges managed by TYLI included: reinforcing and strengthening the Theatre’s footings and foundations, to create two new underground basements; replace the Concert Hall’s timber floor with a concrete surface, to achieve the acoustic requirements of a 21st century performing arts venue; removal of the non-original columns from the foyer to create an open, welcoming space.
Further, a key element of the works was the restoration of the façade walls, which had deteriorated over time. The beams were exposed for structural strengthening with steel plates and the application of protective coatings. A new steel beam was installed where no lintel beam was provided.
The facade wall at the loading bay area was also strengthened by the installation of new steel beams and columns to allow the door openings to be enlarged for direct access to the new service lifts. In providing access for irregular shaped and large objects, the access at the loading bay area was enlarged and new service lifts were constructed.
In ensuring the safety and the preservation of the conserved structures & façade walls, TYLI stipulated several measures for the construction phase including: acontrolled demolition methodology and work sequence that was carefully planned, controlled pilling workforthe basement construction and extensive monitoring to manage any potential displacements of the conserved structures during the basement excavation, underpinning and construction.
Dr. Tan Guan, commented, “We are honoured to receive such a prestigious international award and to have our work recognised by international industry experts is extremely rewarding.” He continued, “Delivering the project was challenging, working in conjunction with the National Arts Council (NAC), we developed a preservation scheme to overcome many structural challenges while protecting the integrity of the sensitive structure.
For more information, visit www.tylin.com