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PB,s Century-old Legacy Providing Engineering PB,s Century-old Legacy Providing Engineering Winter 1994/95 Issue No. 30 Prepared by and for the employees of Parsons Brinckerhoff

Volume VIII Number 4
PB,s
Century-old
Legacy
Providing
Engineering
PB,s
Century-old
Legacy
Providing
Engineering 2
PB Network
Winter 1994/95
Overview (Hitchcock)...........................................................................................3
William Barclay Parsons, An American Engineer in China ................................3
Introduction (Chien)..............................................................................................4
SPECIAL FEATURE SECTION
PBA: Strong, Diversified and Growing (Hyland) ................................................5
In Hong Kong - Railway Facilities and Power Systems
Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation
Maintenance Center (Gaskin) ............................................................................6
Power Supply System of the Lantau
and Airport Railway (Wong, Pang)...................................................................9
Yangpu Power Plant, Peoples Republic
of China (Tse, Yeung) .....................................................................................12
In Taipei - Underground Structures
Panchiao Extension Project, Taipei (Siranovic) .................................................14
Geotechnical Aspects of the Panchiao
Extension Project (Mak)..................................................................................17
Use of Diaphragm Walls in Taipei (Topcubasi).................................................19
In Singapore - Mechanical and Electrical System Design
Suntec City, Singapore (Lo) ...............................................................................20
Singapore Post Center (Leung)...........................................................................21
Song Be Golf Resort, Vietnam (Cheung)...........................................................23
Bintan Lagoon Golf and Beach Resort, Indonesia (Han)...................................24
DEPARTMENTS
Networking
PB Sets PC Standards for Office Automation (Milliken) ..................................25
E-mail Update (Hashmi) .....................................................................................27
Preventing Software Piracy (Milliken) ...............................................................28
Technology Transfer (Santoianni, Collins).............................................29
Computer Tutor
Word for Windows 6.0 vs. 2.0 (Tanner) ............................................................36
In Future Issues .........................................................................................40
Spring 95: ISTEA
Summer 95: Technology Transfer at PB
Fall 95: Airport Planning, Design, and Aviation (Deadline May 15)
Winter 95: Projects in Europe and Africa (Deadline August 1)
Spring 96: Major Investment Studies (Deadline October 31)
Award of Excellence ...............................................................................40
IN THIS
ISSUE
Providing Engineering Solutions in Asia OVERVIEW
3
PB Network
Winter 1994/95
The aspect of Parsons Brinckerhoffs operations in Asia that usually strikes
first-time visitors early and sometimes dramatically if they are on a project
assignment is the fast pace of activity in our offices, construction sites and
with clients. Ive often said that a PB engineer in Asia can achieve a lifetime
of professional experience in about ten years. You will see that is true if you
consider that first, the typical project cycle for planning, design, construction
and commissioning is three years (four years for transit); and, second, engineers
are typically involved in several projects simultaneously.
The second impact is the scale and diversity of projects, as reflected in the
articles in this issue. Multimillion-square-foot commercial developments and
multibillion dollar transport infrastructure projects are the norm, punctuated
by specialized and challenging smaller assignments across the region, from
Vietnam to Bali. The result is a professional environment that is both
challenging and demanding, one that attracts the the best of the best.
The glue that sustains PBs success and growth in Asia is the PB culture of
mutual respect, trust, collaborative decision making and our focus on quality.
And, when you think about it, these are the keys to PBs success worldwide.
These characteristics are special and deserve nurturing as PB continues to
expand its horizons in the U.S. and abroad and its presence as a global company.
To succeed in this global environment, all of our professional staff need to readily
and efficiently share information and lessons learned with other PB staff around the
world. I would like to thank the authors throughout Asia for contributing to this
global exchange of information. Thanks also to Keith Hawksworth and Phil Chien
for supporting this effort; to Christian Ingerslev for organizing and compiling most
of the articles; and to Gloria Hettinger for assisting with the production of this issue
of PB Network. We hope you find it informative.
Woody Hitchcock
President
Parsons Brinckerhoff International, Inc.
William Barclay Parsons, An American Engineer in China
The history of Parsons Brinckerhoffs presence in Asia goes back almost 100 years. In 1898, 13 years after
the opening of his engineering office in New York, William Barclay Parsons was called upon to survey the
proposed route for 1,000 miles of railway in China, and he set sail with a small staff that summer. The
railroads route, from Hankow to the seaport of Canton, crossed through Hunan, the only Chinese province
that had not yet been mapped or explored by a foreigner.
Despite many problems, Parsons completed the surveying project successfully, two days ahead of schedule.
He welcomed the challenges of a grand transportation project, as demonstrated by his words describing a
comparable undertaking of his era, the spanning of the American continent by railway, To do the planning,
to gather the materials, and to carry such an enterprise to successful completion demanded an extraordinary
combination of vision, executive ability, technical skill, unflagging enthusiasm, and indomitable courage...
What calling can point to a single act of comparable achievement? Wouldnt the founder of our firm be
pleased today?
Adapted from:
Parsons Brinckerhoff: The First 100 Years, Benson Bobrick, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1985 4
PB Network
Winter 1994/95
I look back on the establishment of PB in Asia and its expansion over the last
eighteen years with great satisfaction. As an engineer, I acknowledge our high
standard of work on several major projects that have facilitated the development
of Asias major cities. PB has contributed to the skylines of these cities, providing
mechanical and electrical services for some of the largest building complexes in
the world. In serving these cities, PBs participation in rail, road and airport
projects has enhanced our position as one of the worlds leading transportation
consultants. Projects that come to mind include the Taipei MRT, the Singapore
Underground Road System and, in Hong Kong, the Lantau and Airport Railway
and Chek Lap Kok Airport.
As a manager, PBs growth has enabled me to work with a wide range of
skilled professionals. Our staff has been key to our success, enabling PB to
capitalize on the growing Asian market. Experienced and flexible engineers
and managers from larger offices have always been ready to board a plane and
support a project in another part of the region. Parsons Brinckerhoff (Asia), Ltd.
(PBA) in Hong Kong supported Parsons Brinckerhoff Consultants, Pte. Ltd.
(PBC) in Singapore with the design of the International Convention and
Exhibition Centre, a major building project in Singapore. This support helped
PBC develop into a leading M&E services consultant in Singapore. Similarly,
engineers from PBAs rail group are in Kuala Lumpur filling key roles in the
Brickfields Redevelopment project, a major conversion of an existing rail yard
into a commercial and industrial development.
We have developed a strong base of diversified skills in Asia by building on the
expertise of PB in the U.S. A good example is the PBA group that specializes
in subway environmental control systems. Initially we relied on the skills and
expertise provided by our U.S.-based specialists. Now, however, our 20-person
team in Hong Kong is at the forefront of current technologies and practice.
PBs core business in Asia has centered on building services and transportation
infrastructure. Other groups are now being developed with specialist skills in
areas such as fuel and energy systems, industrial facilities, health care, commu-
nications and security. We plan to continue to capitalize on the depth of our
expertise in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. Our goal is to increase our
presence in the expanding markets in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, and the
emerging markets in the Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar.
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You will read about exciting, major projects that illustrate the magnitude of
work being done in our Hong Kong office, including the Yangpu Power Plant
which has been selected as PBs 1994 Project of the Year. Next, three perspec-
tives of the Panchiao Extension Project in Taipei are presented technological
challenges, geotechnical issues, and diaphragm walls as the favored excavation
support system in that region. Ar