Govt push to boost building productivity through tech

Singapore's Government will make it a requirement for successful bidders of selected government land sales sites to adopt productive technologies, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan wrote in a blog post yesterday.

The Building & Construction Authority (BCA) will provide funding support to adopters of such technologies.

The BCA Academy, its education and research arm, will roll out a series of workshops and seminars on new technologies to build up expertise in the industry.

All these are in line with the Government's efforts to boost Singapore's construction productivity and reduce its reliance on construction workers, Mr Khaw said.

"We are speeding up the adoption of such game-changing technologies," he wrote.

He cited a 10-storey building extension to the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Hotel, owned by OUE Limited, as an example of a private-sector player making use of the Prefabricated Pre-finished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) method.

This method entails manufacturing buildings - complete with internal finishes, fixtures and fittings - in factories, before transporting them to the site for a "Lego-like" installation.

It reduces the need for workers, and cuts down noise and dust at the construction site, he said.

In the public sector, Nanyang Technological University will be constructing its sports hall using Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), which is made from wood harvested from sustainably managed forests. Unlike sawn timber, it can support heavier loads and be applied for structural and non-structural components in buildings. It is also flexible and light.

"PPVC and CLT enable manpower and time savings of up to 50 per cent and 35 per cent respectively, compared with conventional construction methods," said Mr Khaw.

He added that the BCA and the industry are working closely with Spring Singapore to develop standards for the codes and guidelines on these new technologies.

"The Government will walk the talk and deploy such technologies in selected public-sector projects," he said.

This article by The Business Times was published in MyPaper, a free, bilingual newspaper published by Singapore Press Holdings.