New regulations to improve productivity in construction sector

SINGAPORE: Productivity in Singapore's construction sector is set to get a boost with the introduction of new requirements on the use of labour-efficient construction methods and building design.

These requirements will included in the Building Control (Buildability and Productivity) Regulations, announced the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) in a media release on Thursday (Nov 6).

From Saturday, building projects will first have to meet higher minimum Buildable Design and Constructability standards. The will make buildings easier to construct and encourage the use of efficient construction methods and processes, said the agencies.

Secondly, projects will now have to use prefabricated and standardised components. This means that new projects will require standardised floor heights and building components such as precast staircases, precast refuse chutes and doors, while all non-landed residential developments are required to adopt drywall as internal partitions for dry areas.

Finally, new projects under the Government Land Sale (GLS) programme will have to adopt high-impact productive technologies. This includes the adoption of Prefabricated Bathroom Units (PBUs) in residential (non-landed) sites, including Executive Condominiums, and the residential (non-landed) component of mixed-use sites sold under the GLS programme.

In addition, the adoption of Prefabricated Pre-finished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) will be imposed on selected GLS sites, said the agencies. PPVC involves the assembly of whole rooms or apartment units complete with internal fixtures that are produced off-site and installed on site in a Lego-like manner, said the agencies.

The first two GLS sites to adopt the PPVC include two upcoming GLS sites at Yishun Avenue 4 and Jurong West Street 41, while PPVC is also being adopted in other projects such as a building extension to Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Hotel and a student hostel Nanyang Technological University. An Executive Condominium at Canberra Drive will also be built with that method.

The tender period for a land parcel at Upper Serangoon Road is also being extended, as interested parties will now have to take these new requirements into consideration before bid submission. The tender - originally set to close on Nov 13 - will now close on Nov 27.

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New regulations to improve productivity in construction sector

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