Better By Design
The world is quite like a testing circuit in which we manage to survive despite our flaws and fragility. Thanks to implanting creativity in us, we start from basic facts and seek to deal with extremely unfavorable environment.
Our skills in design thinking have been so advanced that we can exactly imitate natural surroundings. With a hope to create a better world, there comes a wide diversity of design thinking even in sophisticated levels. It also extends to systematic management in order to ensure an ideal life. Design thinking consequently becomes a crucial element in forming decent community and promoting people’s well-being. It is an exploring subject that well combines with other fields of knowledge including public administration, human resource management, civil engineering and medical technology. Pursuing a goal of fulfilling basic needs at the same time wiping out same old problems and providing more options for life, cleverly we come up with a solution that seamlessly blends in with our way of life or sometimes calls for a radical change.
The SMART Tunnel Project in Kula Lumpur is an example of a life-changing cure. The construction of the South East Asia’s longest stormwater tunnel began in 2003 with an aim tosolve the problem of flash floods in Kuala Lumpur and to reduce traffic jams. The tunnel is divided into 3 channels operating in different modes of particular conditions. For example during rush hours the tunnel is used to ease congestion and when the depression rolls in, flood water is diverted into the bypass tunnel in the lower channel. In case the drainage system fails, the tunnel will be closed to all traffic and the automated water-tight gates will be opened to allow flood waters to pass through. To achieve its target the Malaysian government invited a team of professionals from Germany and Hungary with the special tunnel boring machine that’s even longer than a Boeing 747 and paid $25 million for this 2,200-ton-excavator. Like other mega projects, the construction of the SMART tunnel braved daunting challenges such as possible risks of landslide and land expropriation procedures. By virtue of lateral thinking and competent risk management, the tunnel finally became in operation in 2007 to help relieve flood problems in Kuala Lumpur and prevent the city from economic blockade resulted from natural disasters.
Since there are still live issues such poverty, epidemics and unmitigated natural catastrophe that can’t be tackled overnight, being witness to someone’s accomplishment whether big or small is a great blessing.
