Singapore is a small island with a hot, humid climate year-round. Despite being one of the wealthiest nations on earth, it has limited freshwater resources, no room to expand its borders, and a heavy reliance on external supplies.

Since 1965, the country has treated its built environment as an engineering challenge. Water, heat, and energy became central pillars of urban planning.

That meant the government had to tackle three core questions:

These questions shaped the very way the city was designed and built.

The answer didn't come from isolated projects, it came from integrated planning at an urban scale.

Watch the full video and find out how Singapore used state-led planning to solve its water, heat, and energy challenges!

Disclaimer: The video is in Brazilian Portuguese, but simultaneous translation and subtitles are available in multiple languages.

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West Japan Railway Company (JR West), in partnership with JR West Innovations and construction startup Serendix, inaugurated Hatsushima Station in Wakayama Prefecture in 2025, making it the world's first railway station built using concrete 3D printing technology.

The building replaced an aging wooden structure and was assembled in full during the gap between the last train of the night and the first one the following morning, a window of just six hours, with no disruption to rail operations.

The process began weeks earlier at a factory in Kumamoto Prefecture, where a robotic arm deposited layers of fast-setting mortar to form four prefabricated sections: a roof, a rear wall, and two corner elements.

Steel reinforcement bars and concrete were then added internally to ensure seismic resistance on par with conventional construction. The pieces traveled over 500 miles by truck to the site and were assembled within the established timeframe. Standing 8.5 feet tall, the building also features relief details of mikan oranges and beltfish on its façade, a nod to the agricultural and fishing heritage of the Arida region.

Beyond speed, the method cuts costs by around 50% compared to conventional reinforced concrete and eliminates the need for disposable formwork, significantly reducing material waste.

Industry research suggests that when combined with low-carbon alternatives to Portland cement, 3D printing could dramatically slash CO₂ emissions in the construction sector.

JR West also highlighted that this approach directly addresses Japan's severe construction labor shortage, a crisis deepened by the country's rapidly aging population, and announced plans to roll out the technology across its entire rail network.