Pulau Bahru

Pulau Bahru (Malay: new island) is a 900-hectare artificial island and waterfront district located on the southeastern coast of Singapore. It was created through extensive land reclamation that began in 2025 and was completed in 2046.

Developed for housing with coastal parks and recreational spaces, Pulau Bahru was initially scheduled to open on October 1st 2049 with the unveiling of the DotDesign Museum. The ceremony has been postponed indefinitely after a large explosion destroyed the museum hours before it was set to be unveiled.

HistoryPermalink

Pulau Bahru was first mentioned in the early 1990s as a concept in Singapore‘s Master Plan. Due to the rapid onset of anthropogenic climate change, the government began doing technical studies accompanied by a vigorous campaign of public engagement in 2019. With around 30% of Singapore’s land sitting less than five metres above mean sea level, the island of Pulau Bahru was proposed to increase living space as well as alleviate the danger of rising sea levels. ^[1] Other alternatives such as sea walls were explored, but never made it past the proposal stage.

Physical land reclamation on Pulau Bahru began in 2025 and was completed in 2046, two years ahead of schedule. CommuneCorp, a major South Korean construction firm that specialises in land reclamation and marine infrastructure, was the primary contractor. CommuneCorp claims it would have finished earlier if not for the CMD pandemic, which disrupted its global logistics and operations for a significant period of time. ^[2]

DescriptionPermalink

Pulau Bahru is situated on the southeastern coast of Singapore, stretching from Marina East to Changi. Land on Pulau Bahru has been reclaimed to a higher level to form a line of defence against rising sea levels. Its coastal perimeter includes fifteen outlet drains as well as new tidal gates and pumping stations to channel water into a reservoir.

Pulau Bahru is comprised of waterfront parks, recreational and low-density commercial spaces, and private residences. It is a mixed-use development district designed to showcase sustainable architecture and new innovations in climate-friendly living. The island also features the first evolution of Singapore’s white flat programme, offering homeowners the option of sharing laundry and kitchen facilities in a communal housing complex known as The Ark. ^[3]

2049 DotDesign Museum bombingPermalink

The DotDesign Museum, which was billed as the “capstone piece of architecture” of Pulau Bahru, was destroyed in a large explosion on October 3rd 2049. ^[4] Several surrounding buildings, including The Ark, have suffered significant structural damage as a result of the blast, which also impacted surrounding park greenery and streets.

On October 6th 2049, rescue workers uncovered a series of pipes running underneath the museum with the purpose of carrying seawater from Pulau Bahru’s tidal gates towards The Ark, leading to the discovery of a vast underground G6 data hub contained within the housing complex. Critics are calling for an investigation into the Singaporean government’s role in concealing a G6 data hub as public housing, especially on such a land- and resource-strapped island. ^[5]

Virtual Pulau BahruPermalink

On October 3rd 2049, Orbitat Inc. lost over ¥3.6 billion in market value, which was tied to the attack on the DotDesign Museum. The unveiling of the museum was intended to signal the official opening of Pulau Bahru and trigger the release of corresponding terrestrial land in Orbitat, estimated at over ¥5.3 billion in virtual real estate. As the value of Orbitat’s in-game assets is affected by real-world developments, players were left unable to withdraw their investments in virtual Pulau Bahru in response to the attack, with some claiming an act of “intentional sabotage.” ^[6]

See alsoPermalink

• Singapore
• DotDesign Museum

ReferencesPermalink