The use of advanced technologies, such as prefabrication, has already been introduced in certain GLS sites.
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has unveiled a research and development (R&D) roadmap aimed at raising productivity within the construction industry, reported TODAYonline.
The R&D roadmap identified 35 technologies under seven clusters, which include robotics, DfMA (design for manufacturing and assembly) and 3D printing, and aims to help contractors change the way they construct buildings as well as sustain productivity improvements in the long run.
In fact, the BCA has already awarded $2 million to four research projects focusing on DfMA solutions.
BCA Chief Executive Dr John Keung said the use of technologies such as prefabrication allows certain stages of the construction work to be done offsite at factories, resulting in better quality controls and shorter building times.
“The conventional way of construction is build the foundation, do up the superstructure. After that’s done, do the architectural finishings and so on,” said Dr Keung on the sidelines of Singapore Construction Productivity Week.
“But under DfMA, while you are doing foundation and piling, you can at the same time build up the superstructure at the factory — you overlap these two activities so speed is faster. And the fact that you’re doing it in the factory, you can … do quality control just like the manufacturing industry.”
Singapore has seen site productivity, which is measured by site area per man-day, increase by an average rate of 1.3 percent per year since 2009, said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, adding that the aim is to raise productivity by up to three percent per year.
“We have made headway in our productivity journey… We are entering a new phase of disruption, which makes industry transformation more urgent than before. We can either change ourselves or be changed by external circumstances,” said Wong at the opening ceremony of Singapore Construction Productivity Week.
Aside from the R&D roadmap, the government is also looking at stipulating productivity outcomes as one of the requirements in future Government Land Sale (GLS) tenders, without mandating any specific technology.
Currently, contractors have been mandated to use prefabricated, pre-finished volumetric construction in certain GLS sites.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
