Abdul Gafoor Mosque, Singapore

Abdul Gafoor Mosque is a National Monument built in 1857. In its original form, it had had been a single-storey masonry structure with the terrace roof of a madrasah. The foundation system had had consisted of shallow masonry footings underlain by compressible marine clay approximately 30 metres deep. The structure had progressively undergone differential settlement due to ongoing construction in the vicinity since the late 1980s. There had come a pressing need to provide a solution before any serious damage occurred.

CKMbT was appointed as to provide engineering consultancy services for stabilizing the invaluable monument. The typical solution for this settlement is underpinning and was proving to be very costly for the client. CKMbT came up with a value added proposal to create a basement beneath the existing building along with the underpinning solution. The possibility of adding extra floor space made the project financially viable.

CKMbT designed an underpinning system consisting of micropiles, steel frames and the proposed grid of first-storey reinforced concrete beams. The underpinning system transferred all loads carried by the existing masonry footings to the micropiles foundation system.

CKMbT had taken into consideration any anticipated movements during the execution works which could have undermined the structural stability of the Mosque. Bracings, props, jacks and elaborate building & ground instrumentation had been put in place to restrict and monitor any large differential movements. This project was completed in 2003.

This project is a good example of how CKMbT’s achieves its mission of creating sustainable value for customers by combining the best of engineering practice with latest advances in construction technology. CKMbT was awarded the URA Heritage Award for this project.