Lendlease to set up S$40m product development centre in Singapore

INTERNATIONAL property group Lendlease on Thursday said it will set up a S$40 million product development centre in Singapore to accelerate the digital transformation of the property and construction sector.

Australia-based Lendlease said it will employ 50 software application developers in the first year and will continue to expand the team in the next few years. It added that it will seek out "top local tech talents" in Singapore, where at least one in five will be "aspiring graduates".

Slated to open by October, the centre is being established with the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

Dawn Lim, vice-president and head of commercial and professional services at EDB, said the statutory board is looking forward to working with Lendlease and other like-minded companies to further drive the transformation and productivity within the built environment industry.

The centre will introduce digital products and services leveraging the firm's recently launched digital property life-cycle platform, Lendlease Podium.

Lendlease said its "significant investment" shows its commitment to growing its digital business with the aim of steering the sector towards "autonomous buildings of the future".

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Richard Kuppusamy, Lendlease's head of digital integration, said Lendlease Podium will utilise data-driven insights to create buildings and improve operational efficiency as well as sustainability, among other things. "Imagine a building that enhances your experience by adapting to your preferences - one that soothes, entertains, improves well-being and reduces energy consumption with minimal human intervention. This is what we call the 'autonomous building'," said Mr Kuppusamy.

The centre in Singapore is part of the wider Lendlease Digital ecosystem, which includes product development centres in Silicon Valley and Sydney.

"Using an agile working methodology - a project management framework for teams to iteratively and incrementally complete tasks and projects, Lendlease is creating a scalable supply chain and integrated logistics software platform for property development and construction projects in Singapore and globally," Lendlease said.

The launch of the product development centre was announced at Lendlease's inaugural Autonomous Building Summit held on Thursday.

The virtual conference brought together international thought leaders, including those from the government, as well as the property, construction and technology sectors.