New platform launched to trial innovative built-environment solutions

Singapore

THE Built Environment Living Lab Framework (BE LLF) was launched on Tuesday, with the aim of enabling firms to trial new, innovative technologies.

Through the BE LLF, companies in the built environment and technology sectors will be able to test out solutions that could benefit the built environment. These will be test-bedded in urban spaces, such as at Punggol Town and Jurong Lake Gardens, it was announced at International Built Environment Week (IBEW) 2020.

Proposals can be submitted to the Built Environment Technology Alliance, and good proposals will be test-bedded in living spaces where possible, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said in a press statement. For proposals which are not allowed under existing regulations, the government will set up a "regulatory sandbox" to help companies through the regulatory clearance processes.

Meanwhile, the BCA, SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore have worked together with trade associations and chambers, unions, employers, educational institutions and others to develop the Skills Framework for Built Environment.

The framework offers information about the sector, career pathways, occupations and job roles, as well as the skills and competencies needed for each role. In addition, it lists training programmes available for skills upgrading.

It covers 49 job roles in the built environment sector across eight career tracks, including architectural consultancy and design, engineering consultancy as well as design and quantity surveying.

Speaking at IBEW 2020, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office and in the Ministry of National Development Tan Kiat How said: "For the construction sector to become more resilient, we need to press on with our industry transformation efforts, and leverage even more innovative technologies to tackle the challenges and disruptions posed in a Covid-19 environment."

He also said that almost all construction projects that were suspended during the "circuit breaker" earlier this year have now resumed work. Due to the pandemic, construction demand this year is expected to fall S$10 billion short of the S$28 billion to 33 billion projected in January, although it is expected to rebound next year.

With safe management measures in place at sites, this has resulted in increased costs, while companies have had to adapt in attempts to minimise the impact on productivity. Initiatives announced by the government this year to mitigate the fallout on the construction sector from Covid-19 include the S$1.36 billion Construction Support Package.

Speaking at a panel discussion at IBEW, BCA chief executive Hugh Lim pointed out that the pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of a heavy reliance on labour, but that adopting design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA) can be beneficial for companies in the sector. With DFMA, some construction can take place in factories rendering safe distancing less of a issue due to the level of automation, he pointed out. Similarly, sites which use prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction (PPVC) generally have less workers on site.

Over the past few years, the adoption of DFMA in Singapore has climbed from below 10 per cent in 2016 to 40 per cent this year. "We do see that in the next few years, buildability standards will be raised and that will bring the rest of the sector along, so the economies of scale will be achieved," Mr Lim added.

Lim Ming Yan, chairman of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), expects that the reliance on lower skilled workers in the construction sector will likely come down over time, which could be achieved through DFMA and new technologies.

Sharing the concerns of the business community, SBF's Mr Lim added: "(They) would like to see some of these policies implemented over a period of time; level the playing field so no single company will be adversely affected."

He also pointed out the cost structure in Singapore will be different vis-a-vis the rest of the region. "That is one aspect the business community will recognise, and they will also make their own assessment and adjustment as they go along."

Frank Khoo, group chief investment officer at City Developments Ltd (CDL), said that in the wake of the pandemic, the developer has recognised that design and build processes will have to change. Going forward, CDL is focusing on the redesign of space to take into account greater frequency of working from home as well as social distancing in offices.

Other areas CDL will focus on is increasing the adoption of digitalisation and automation, as well as making its supply chain more resilient.

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