Despite the productivity gains, some developers are anxious that using prefabrication technology may compromise the uniqueness of luxury projects, media reports said.
They noted that its one-size-fits-all approach sacrifices on personal touches and the extra attention to detail demanded by most buyers.
The issue emerged after the government mandated developers acquiring Government Land Sales (GLS) sites to incorporate a certain level of prefabrication in their projects, which includes installing prefabricated bathrooms.
While the technology has been widely used in building common condo features like rubbish chutes and staircases, developers explained that luxury home buyers would expect more attention to detail in bathroom designs considering they are paying more.
“For luxury developments, layouts and design are critical to give the requisite degree of uniqueness,” said Chng Kiong Huat, Executive Director of Property Services at Far East Organization.
“The use of prefabricated bathroom units means that other than the finishes, home buyers will be receiving a standard product design based on a few pre-set layout templates available from the market,” he added.
However, some developers see the benefits of using prefab bathrooms.
Allen Ang, Head of Green Building at City Developments (CDL), noted that it may result in productivity gains of 40 to 80 percent, compared to those built using standard methods.
“There is a misconception that prefabricated bathrooms are meant only for mass-market projects,” he stated.
Francis Koh, Group Chief Executive of Koh Brothers Group, believes that such bathrooms may be enhanced by incorporating better finishes such as higher quality sanitary fittings.
In fact, two luxury projects, The Sail @ Marina Bay and St Regis Residences, have incorporated prefabricated bathrooms in their units.
More than 20 private residential projects have installed such bathrooms since 2005.
Muneerah Bee, Senior Journalist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories email muneerah@propertyguru.com.sg
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