Perfecting Resorts World Sentosa in appeal and safety
Location: Singapore
Products used: MasterGlenium, MasterFlow, MasterSeal
The background
Resorts World Sentosa is an integrated resort in Singapore offering key attractions that include theme parks, hotels, spa facilities, casino as well as meeting and incentive venues. Occupying 49 hectares of land on Sentosa island, the S$6.59 billion (US$4.93 billion) resort is developed by the conglomerate group, Genting Singapore.
Universal Studios Singapore, which covers a gross floor area of 245,000m2, along with artificial water landscapes, numerous theme park rides and hotel facilities with more than 1,800 rooms, are among some of the project’s highlights. The theme park also features the world’s tallest pair of dueling roller coasters based on the Battlestar Galactica television series. The resort officially opened in 2010, following 34 months of construction.
The challenge
Under the Sustainable Construction Plan of the Building and Construction Authority, the Resorts World Sentosa Project was required to comply with its environmental guidelines, calling for the use of recycled materials with a reduced dependence on sand and other natural resources.
To fulfil the requirements, VSI manufactured sand (VSI M-sand) and blast furnace slag, substituting natural sand (N-Sand) and cement, were used in concrete production. However, the use of VSI M-sand presented challenges for the project, such as lower concrete strength and poorer slump retention as well as workability. These issues could not be easily overcome with the use of conventional admixtures for concrete.
Waterproofing the 2.5 metre-deep Universal Studios theme park lagoon, which covers an area of 13,000m2 directly above an underground car park, was another challenge to surmount. Heavy dynamic loads acting on the Battlestar Galactica roller coaster also warranted a safe anchoring of its metal structure. All the work was completed under a tight project schedule.
Our solution
Master Builders Solutions provided concrete admixtures, waterproofing and grouting solutions to meet the project diverse construction needs.
MasterGlenium 105 sureTEC, a superplasticiser, was applied on structures requiring high early and ultimate concrete strength. Containing polycarboxylate ether polymers, the product is designed with super retention (sureTEC) technology to facilitate the extension of concrete workability. It also allows early de-moulding of formworks. With high early strength, it enables other works to be conducted once the demoulds took place and helps to shorten construction time.
Waterproofing solutions provided by the Master Builders Solutions team for the Universal Studios theme park lagoon included a MasterSeal 180 top coat in the MasterSeal system. These products, which are easy to apply and fast curing, helped the applicator meet the tight completion timeline. Upon application, they form robust, seamless membranes to provide a long-lasting waterproofing solution.
MasterFlow 870 precision grouts, with its high-strength compressive and heavy impact resistance, were also installed to provide safe anchoring for the Battlestar Galactica roller coaster. Given its high flowability, the grouts allowed quicker installation.