ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE

(FIRST SESSION)
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QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MONDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2008

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for National Development besides the conventional concrete cover for the lift shaft as part of the Lift Upgrading Programme (a) what are the other different options for lift shaft designs and construction methods; (b) what is the difference in each of these designs and methods; and (c) what is the difference in the construction cost for each of these designs.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: HDB has been continually exploring the use of new materials and technologies to ensure that the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) is carried out in a cost-effective manner. To this end, we have switched from the use of conventional concrete to lighter materials such as ferroconcrete and steel in the construction of new lift shafts. 

The weight reduction for both ferroconcrete lift shafts and steel lift shafts results in substantial savings in terms of foundation design and piling cost. The cost of a ferroconcrete lift shaft in a typical 11-storey LUP block is about $386,000 each. The cost of a steel lift shaft is about $350,000 each. This is about 6% – 15% lower than the cost of a conventional concrete lift shaft, estimated to be around $410,000.

Since the steel lift shaft is cheaper than ferroconcrete lift shafts, HDB has used only steel lift shafts for its LUP works since Mar 2007.