Building a Resilient Future: CPG Climate Resilience Team

As the climate changes, building resilience is crucial for helping communities adapt and minimising adverse impacts. Climate resilience reduces vulnerability to disasters like floods, droughts, hurricanes, and heatwaves, protecting lives and social infrastructure. Additionally, resilient systems better sustain economic growth, preserve biodiversity and ecosystems, and ensure community well-being.

We speak with Lee Adam Harryman, Senior Vice President and Head (Climate Resilience) at CPG Consultants, to find out more about how the CPG Climate Resilience Team is dedicated to researching and designing integrated solutions to address both water security and climate resilience for long term sustainability.

Editorial Team: How did the CPG Climate Resilience Team come about and what do you do?

Lee Adam: As a veteran in the built environment, environmental engineering is not new to CPG. The many water-related projects that CPG has undertaken in recent years have drawn our attention to the critical impact of climate change. As we started to do more designing and solution implementation for tackling inland flooding, we decided to form the coastal protection strategy team. Subsequently, CPG was awarded by the national water agency PUB, Singapore’s first coastal study for the City East Coast area, which aims to find innovative ways to protect our coastlines. With our growing experience, we evolved into the Climate Resilience team today, which seeks to develop sustainable solutions to strengthen Singapore’s resilience against climate change.

Watch the video below to gain insights shared by CPG's Climate Resilience Team

Editorial Team: How do you think the Climate Resilience Team is positioned to enhance climate resilience?

Lee Adam: CPG's multidisciplinary capabilities make us a one-stop shop for clients. We leverage our expertise in engineering, environmental, and water-related solutions, as well as urban design and master planning. Our extensive experience in holistic water management solutions is also honed through a series of projects that aim at building water resilience. As part of Singapore’s National Water Agency PUB’s holistic storm water management strategy, CPG designed and constructed Stamford Detention Tank and Stamford Diversion Canal. These major drainage projects improve storm water flow and reduce flood risk for the Orchard Road area. We also embrace the Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme. Through our projects, we have integrated ABC water design features into 18 sites, covering 40% of ABC Waters sites in Singapore. These include Kallang River (Bishan-Braddell), Jurong Lake Garden West, Bidadari Integrated Park, and NTU Residential Hall.

Each problem is unique and needs a tailored approach but in general, we can examine CPG's holistic strategies from several areas of expertise: coastal engineering solutions, stormwater management, nature-based solutions, and integrated planning and design.

Editorial Team: Can you share a little more about the City-East Coast study?

Lee Adam: In 2021, PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency awarded CPG with the very ﬁrst site-speciﬁc study entitled City-East Coast (Changi, East-Coast Marina, Greater Southern Waterfront). The study covers 58 km of coastline encompassing some of Singapore’s most important and historical coasts. An area of 213 km² inland is also an integral part of the study for CPG to examine and recommend ﬂood mitigation improvements.

In addition to the primary objective of ﬂood protection, the Climate Resilience Team will also work on integrated, multifunctional measures that complement land use visions in these areas. Such integrated measures will create new recreational spaces to enhance the liveability of the communities. Examples of potential measures include the Long Island scheme, sea walls, earthen bunds and research on other innovative ways.

Editorial Team: What other innovative solutions has CPG considered as part of its study?

Lee Adam: As part of the coastal protection studies conducted by CPG, we have investigated and explored the integration of Green Infrastructure, embracing nature-centric solutions such as the restoration of mangroves, beach nourishment, and the establishment of green buffer zones. Simultaneously, our study extended to elevated structures, contemplating the construction of buildings perched on stilts or elevated platforms as a strategic measure to reduce vulnerability to storm surges and flooding.

Additionally, our research delved into Integrated Drainage Management, wherein, alongside pumps and tidal gates, we contemplate integrated drainage systems that incorporate green spaces. This approach can significantly enhance water management.

Editorial Team: How do you think a solution like Long Island fits in with CPG's ongoing study for the City-East Coast area?

Lee Adam: The Long Island project can be viewed as synergistic with CPG's ongoing study and ideas. There is potential to incorporate Long Island into a broader strategy for comprehensive coastal protection in the future. Naturally, both synergies and trade-offs will be evaluated in the study. With the introduction of the Long Island project, we can also consider how the Long Island plan aligns with other proposed solutions, considering factors such as environmental impact and effectiveness in mitigating sea-level rise.

Editorial Team: What potential nature-based solutions could be employed in tandem with the use of reclamation?

Lee Adam: There are a couple of nature-based solutions we may consider. Mangrove Restoration could be one, where we plant or restore mangrove ecosystems that can act as a natural buffer against storm surges while preserving habitats. Creating living shorelines with native vegetation can help prevent erosion and provide ecological benefits. The construction of artificial reefs can also enhance marine biodiversity and protect coastlines. However, careful planning will be required to minimise ecological impact. This could take the form of designing green spaces within reclamation areas, incorporating natural habitats into the coastal reservoir, and implementing measures for habitat restoration.

Editorial Team: What are some of the aspirations of the Climate Resilience Team?

Lee Adam: With the establishment of the climate resilience team, CPG plans to continue nurturing a local talent pool of experienced professionals. Over time, the team's expertise in this field will allow us to gather more valuable data supporting the study and assessment of the potential impact of coastal flooding. This will enable us to keep developing solutions to help Singapore and the region adopt sustainable and long-term adaptation measures.

We also look forward to more collaboration with industry partners. Recently, we attended the Water Expo@SIWW 2024, where we met and discussed climate resilience with many like-minded professionals who also want to create sustainable environments. Through collaboration and knowledge transfer, we hope to safeguard communities and environments against the impacts of climate change, flood resilience, and coastal threats worldwide.