Coastal Protection and Flood Management Living Lab 2026

Singapore's Coastal Protection and Flood Management Research Programme (CFRP) is using a Living Lab pillar to move coastal-defence concepts from research and pilot studies into real shoreline environments. On 17 June 2026, PUB announced about S$14 million in funding for five projects; implementation at selected Singapore coastline locations is planned from 2027, and results will be assessed over three years (PUB, 17 June 2026).

Purpose and decision boundary

The Living Lab is an applied test-bed, not a declaration that any one method has been approved for national deployment. PUB says locations are selected using technical, operational and environmental factors, including site suitability. The three-year assessments are intended to determine whether the measures can be used in future coastal-protection works; the programme therefore generates local performance evidence before any potential scale-up (PUB, 17 June 2026).

The CFRP was launched in 2023 with three pillars: the Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute (CFI) Singapore, Applied Research, and Living Lab. The Living Lab complements Singapore's wider coastal protection programme by testing physical designs, construction methods, maintenance implications and environmental outcomes under local conditions (PUB, 17 June 2026).

Five projects and test locations

The five projects announced by PUB are distinct pilots. XblocPlus will be tested at Tanjong Rimau, Sentosa, using modular interlocking concrete armour blocks to reduce wave-induced erosion at a slope toe. An eco-sand tube with innovative eco-material will be deployed along the Changi coastline and on the seaward side of Yishun Dam, testing jute fibre, low-carbon infill, durability, sediment trapping and marine-biodiversity effects (PUB, 17 June 2026).

The Watertight Modular Solution will be trialled at East Coast Park, evaluating modular concrete and geotextile tube units that can be retrofitted to seawalls and rock revetments and raised incrementally over time. Shellfish Gabions, also at East Coast Park, will use recycled oyster shells and biorock technology to test wave-energy dissipation alongside ecological benefits. An Adaptive Eco-friendly Seawall will be test-bedded at Changi Beach, combining progressive build-up, low-carbon precast elements, smart sensors and self-healing mechanisms while monitoring biodiversity (PUB, 17 June 2026).

Partners and expected use of evidence

The projects involve universities, industry partners and public agencies, including NUS, NTU, SUTD, SIT, Sentosa Development Corporation, HDB and NParks. Their shared purpose is to refine designs, accelerate learning, support local industry capability and enable cross-sector knowledge transfer. The announcement does not establish a universal construction specification, guarantee future adoption of all five measures, or state that construction at every listed location had already begun as of the publication date (PUB, 17 June 2026).

The partners' roles are project-specific rather than evidence that each organisation is responsible for all coastal works. For example, the announced teams pair universities with engineering or construction firms and, in some cases, public land or infrastructure agencies. The projects remain bounded by their stated test sites and assessment questions. A positive technical or ecological result would inform later decisions; it would not by itself replace statutory approvals, site investigations, procurement decisions or PUB's future coastal-protection planning (PUB, 17 June 2026).