Hing-Yang Wong

Tell us about your specialism and why you chose it

My specialism is tunnels and tunnelling, which I’ve been doing for over 20 years. My journey began with a two-week work experience with Mott MacDonald during my A-levels. It was such an eye opener that I continued after graduating from University. My work has since taken me across multiple continents working on the design, construction and commissioning of tunnelling infrastructure projects worldwide.

Where in the world has your role taken you?

Relocating from the UK to North America for four years and then again to Singapore for 11 years has allowed me to grow as an engineer and build up my resilience to new environments, cultures and challenges. Working in Singapore has allowed me to travel and work on a number of projects in the Asia Pacific region. Crucially, it has given me the opportunity to build up a global network of friends and peers.

What’s your approach to tunnel design?

After working on various stages of a project, from feasibility, Front End Engineer Design (FEED) to detailed design and construction, it’s given me a unique perspective on how important the early planning stages are for the successful procurement and delivery of a project. In particular, stakeholder engagement and working with the end users and operators to make sure their needs are understood and considered. Because ultimately, tunnels are a massive capital investment and this needs to be balanced with operational expenditure considerations so that the owner is not burdened with a piece of infrastructure that is too costly to operate and maintain.

What are some unique challenges when designing deep tunnels in Singapore?

When it comes to designing tunnels in a mature environment with lots of existing or planned underground infrastructure, it often becomes necessary to go deeper underground. However, doing so can carry a number of unique risks associated with variable ground conditions, high groundwater pressures and, in some cases, squeezing ground due to overstress.

What are your career highlights and achievements?

Construction and commissioning of the Thames Water Ring Main Extension Brixton to Honor Oak, a 4.8km-long potable drinking water tunnel, was a highlight for me. I worked on the early concept design stage and planning stages, through to procurement, tender evaluation and to then be given the opportunity to see it through to construction and achieving beneficial use was particularly satisfying. The project increased security of water supply for over a million people in South-East London.

Construction of the North South Cable Tunnel contract package, NS2, was another career highlight. The NS2 project is a 5.35km-long deep cable tunnel, which is part of a wider 35km cross island cable tunnel network. I joined the project part way through the tunnel construction working as the senior resident engineer and saw the completion of one tunnel boring machine (TBM) drive breaking through the reception shaft only to be refurbished and relaunched to recover and dock with a broken down TBM on the second partially complete tunnel drive.