00:00Do you need to clap?
00:01Clap for me.
00:02One more time please.
00:10Hi Griff, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to me today.
00:15I'm from North Wales, originally been in Singapore nearly 27 years,
00:18and been involved with MRT projects specifically in the Singapore context for nearly 25 years now.
00:25My first project was Dobi Got, and that was quite an interesting challenge.
00:28And since then, I've been involved heavily in the Marina Bay area.
00:31Yeah, let's talk about the Marina Bay area.
00:33I'm especially curious about the Bayfront station because that's fascinating.
00:37It's got so many different exits, you know, it connects to one of the landmarks in Singapore,
00:41which is Marina Bay Sands.
00:43What was the process of creating the MRT station,
00:46from design, from feasibility studies, all the way till completion?
00:50We won the project in early 2006, pre-IR1 as we call it.
00:55Right, so you didn't even know that there was an IR there.
00:57We knew the IR was coming along, but it hadn't been awarded at that time.
01:01I think it's part and parcel of the design process with all MRT stations,
01:04that the station has a lifespan beyond many developments that are generally in their immediate hinterland.
01:10So you have to have a vision beyond just what's there today.
01:14You need to look at 50, even 100 years hence, in terms of providing flexibility.
01:18So in this case specifically for Bayfront,
01:20we looked at connecting directly into the Marina Bay Sands project as we saw it being evolved.
01:26This is the sort of design process we follow.
01:29You look at intuitive wayfinding to make it as easy as possible for the commuter,
01:34the user of the station, the user of the system to navigate their way through the station.
01:39So in the case of Bayfront Station, you arrive at platform,
01:42the escalators present themselves very direct to you,
01:45straight up through the ferry line, and you arrive in that node.
01:48And therefore your decision process is very easy.
01:50And was it more challenging designing for an area like Marina Bay,
01:53because it connects to so many tourist destinations,
01:55and these people are unlikely to be familiar with the MRT system?
01:58Exactly. That's the biggest challenge.
02:00If you're a commuter and your destination or origin is your home or workplace or work,
02:05you do that journey every day and you know exactly how to get through the system as quickly as possible.
02:09When we deal with visitors from overseas, obviously they're a bit lost.
02:13So therefore intuitive wayfinding, as we call it, is key.
02:16Making it as simple and straightforward as possible for them to find their way from the platform
02:20and then through to the destination or whichever attraction they're visiting.
02:23So what kind of decisions did you have to make in the case of Bayfront MRT to make that easier?
02:28Well, in terms of the station design itself,
02:30next time you're down there and you come up the escalators,
02:33you come through the ferry line, you're into that little drum space, which is that decision point.
02:37Just stop for a second and have a look up.
02:39We put a little small skylight in the centre of that,
02:42and it's just a little glimpse straight up and you see the sky park.
02:45So it helps you give you a sense of orientation where you are, where you're headed.
02:49So little things like that, little gems like that,
02:51we always try to weave them into the design narrative of the station.
02:55Tell me about the design elements specifically for Bayfront station.
02:58I think the challenge that we faced right from the get-go with Bayfront was
03:02we knew that there would be some significant developments in its immediate hinterland.
03:06And with that significant population of people, we had to get safely in and out of the station.
03:11So the very first little humble thumbnail sketch we drew,
03:15you have the two platforms because it's an interchange station.
03:18And therefore, intuitive wayfinding, so escalators on both ends,
03:22and two nodes, one on the north and one on the south of the station.
03:25And that was it. That was the little concept sketch that we developed.
03:28And from there, you can then move into those developments.
03:31So really, it's just distilling it down to the most simple elemental sketch that defines that station.
03:38So when you think about designing a station or even where to place the station,
03:42do you have to think about all these different modes of transport and how they integrate?
03:45Absolutely. So we look at people doing that first mile, last mile journey from their home to the MRT station.
03:51And we look at providing those facilities so that when you come from your home to the entrance,
03:56you can drop your bike there and then obviously continue on foot into the station and then onward with your journey.
04:01So yes, it's a significant part. It's not just the station box.
04:04We look at a hinterland of about 400 meters radius around the station
04:09and how we plug the station as successfully and as comprehensively as possible into its community.
04:15Yeah, wow.
04:16Thank you, Griff. Thank you for the long interview.
04:19Please feel free to take off your jacket.
04:22So you have lots of experience guessing what will happen 100 years in the future.
04:26What will happen to me in 50 years? Tell me. I want to know.
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