National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has laid out ways to speed up the adoption of “game-changing technologies” to boost construction productivity and reduce Singapore’s reliance on construction workers.
In a blog post today, Mr Khaw said selected public sector projects will deploy such technologies and successful bidders of selected government land sales (GLS) sites will be required to adopt productive technologies, such as Prefabricated Pre-finished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) and Cross Laminated Timber (CLT).
Compared to conventional construction methods, PPVC and CLT allow manpower and time savings of up to 50 percent and 35 percent respectively, according to Mr Khaw.
CLT is a new construction material which is safe and meets the same fire safety requirements as concrete and steel. The Singapore Civil Defence Force has assessed the material and has allowed CLT for buildings up to 24 metres. An example of a public sector project which will be using CLT is the Nanyang Technological University (NTU)’s sports hall.
PPVC, on the other hand, relies on building components which are manufactured in a factory, thus reducing the need for workers, and cutting down on noise and dust at the construction site.
In addition to providing funding support for such technologies, the Building & Construction Authority (BCA) and the industry are working with SPRING Singapore to develop Singapore Standards on the codes and guidelines for these new technologies.
To build up expertise in the industry, the BCA Academy will roll out a series of workshops and seminars on new technologies.
“The desired outcome of these efforts is for our construction industry to be cleaner, quieter and faster, without compromising on safety and quality,” Mr Khaw said.
Muneerah Bee, Senior Journalist at PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact her about this or other stories email muneerah@propertyguru.com.sg
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