New technologies impacting the built environment include building information modelling (BIM), design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT) and AI, and Singapore has to keep up.
Desmond Lee, Singapore Minister for National Development and Minister-in-CHarge of Social Services Integration, shared Singapore's approach to embracing next-generation technologies in a welcome speech at the opening ceremony for International Built Environment Week (IBEW) 2023.
"The transformation possibilities are immense. But each link in our built environment value chain cannot achieve deep transformation alone," he observed.
Lee elaborated with more details about the sole winner of BCA’s Built Environment Transformation Award 2023*, the project team behind the new National Cancer Centre Singapore. The centre, launched May 2023, was developed by MOH Holdings, with Arup, AECOM, CIAP Architect, G-Energy Global and Shimizu.
"David Yeow, the project architect from CIAP Architects, played a pivotal role in guiding the team to integrate BIM throughout the project lifecycle," Lee said, noting that BIM and virtual design and construction (VDC) were both deployed to "better identify risks, and pre-emptively adopt mitigation measures during construction".
The project was a pioneer in the use of digital technologies such as BIM and VDC when construction of the centre began in 2017. CIAP Architects initiated the digital BIM model to facilitate information input by the structural engineers and mechanical engineers, ARUP Singapore and AECOM Singapore respectively. Both the main and sub-contractors’ BIM teams then made use of VDC to facilitate closer interaction and resolve clashes before actual construction. VDC allowed better visualisation, collaboration, and faster decision- making, as all project parties could access the same digital model.
Drones were also used to monitor the progress of construction on site, allowing the team to monitor progress from angles not traditionally accessible during manual checks.
"As the drones could provide a bird’s eye view of the site, they contributed to the project team’s ability to optimise space for storage on site and achieved an overall cleaner working environment," Lee shared.
According to Lee, there are currently many initiatives and schemes to drive the transformation of the built environment sector in Singapore, underpinned by three strategic shifts:
- Moving from traditional contracting to collaborative contracting;
- Moving from on-site construction to off-site construction; and
- Moving from firm-level transformation to alliance-level transformation.
One of the advantages of collaborative contracting is that it encourages innovation and transformation, Lee said. "Service providers may avoid new technologies and processes if they involve additional costs. Project parties also have little incentive to innovate if they are unable to share the benefits, such as cost savings," he said.
"Collaborative contracting allows us to set the right environment from the start."
As part of the move towards collaborative computing, the NEC4 contract form, already used overseas, will be adopted. NEC4 allows for project parties to share cost savings or overruns when they occur.
"This sharing of both pains and gains will incentivise project parties to work together to not only resolve issues, but explore innovation and new methods," Lee said.
Public sector developers including JTC, HDB and LTA will be piloting the NEC4 contracting form in their upcoming projects.
Lee said that Singapore's public agencies and private developers are reviewing on-site processes. For example, HDB and its partners are exploring a range of robotic and automation innovations, including robots for painting, polishing and skimming; automated materials transport at construction worksites, as well as 3D concrete printing, Lee disclosed.
"JTC has worked closely with BCA to deploy light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scanning and 360-degree photo capture technologies, to produce a highly accurate virtual 3D environment of its buildings. This allows JTC’s project teams to track the progress of construction worksites, and facilitates BCA’s regulatory inspections," Lee said.
"Lendlease is developing a digital platform to coordinate the design of DfMA building components and systems across its projects. The platform will allow developers, consultants, and suppliers to work on the designs together through new digital technologies."
When it comes to migrating from firm-level transformation to alliance-level transformation, Lee noted that the new Growth and Transformation Scheme (GTS), will support alliances of developers, builders, consultants, and other stakeholders in pursuing best-in-class transformation outcomes.
One such alliance is led by the developer CDL, Lee said. CDL will work with its partners such as ADDP Architects and Woh Hup to drive the adoption of new sustainable technologies in projects. Such technologies will include the integration of sustainability data tracking modules and smart building management systems through a common digital backbone.
"This will allow building owners to better track the building’s energy performance and achieve better sustainability outcomes," Lee observed.
In addition, CDL and its partners will leverage a common data environment (CDE) to issue BIM models as part of tender documents. "This will allow all project stakeholders to access the same BIM model as the single 'source of truth' throughout the project cycle, and facilitate better collaboration," Lee stated.
A strategic shift to transform the built environment sector involves developing and upskilling people so they can take on emerging roles such as in digital delivery management and smart facilities management. P&T Consultants, an architectural and engineering firm, has made use of Workforce Singapore (WSG)’s Support for Job Redesign under the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG-JR) to conduct job redesign for its project assistants and draughtspersons, Lee said.
"In their existing roles, these professionals had been trained in modelling 2D building diagrams," Lee said. "The company then reskilled five of its staff through the Career Conversion Programme (CCP) for BIM professionals, and equipped them with new digital skillsets.
"Doing so has allowed the company to streamline job processes and achieve up to 20% time savings. It has also enabled its employees to take on multifaceted roles." BCA and WSG will bring together some built environment firms to redesign some common roles, Lee said. Project engineers, for instance, can use remote coordination and digital tracking of worksite activities to improve work efficiency and automate basic processes, so that they can focus on higher-level functions such as project planning and data analysis.
"The consortium will analyse business needs, develop job redesign prototypes, and test out the redesigned roles. This knowledge will then be shared with the wider industry to aid them with job redesign," Lee added.
BEX Asia or Built Environment Xpo Asia is targeted at built environment professionals. It is part of IBEW, which is organised by BCA International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore.
*The BE Transformation Award is the highest industry accolade that a building or civil/ infrastructure project can receive. It recognises the firms and people who honed their capabilities to build projects that exemplify productivity, digitalisation, sustainability and collaboration, and showcases high commitment to value chain capability building and development.
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