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21-01-13, 16:45
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/archive/friday/specials/property/construction-sector-needs-quantum-leap-boon-wan-20130118
Published January 18, 2013
Construction sector needs quantum leap: Boon Wan
It must embrace advanced construction tech and systems
By Mindy Tan
[SINGAPORE] In a rallying call to the construction industry, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said that it needs a "quantum leap" in productivity, not just "incremental improvements".
This can be achieved via the adoption of advanced construction technologies and systems that are already being tested and implemented around the world, said Mr Khaw on his blog yesterday.
Contour crafting, which is similar to 3D printing for instance, will allow for an entire building to be "printed" rapidly and efficiently using layers of concrete.
"In other words, a 2,500 square foot house can be built, complete with electrical and plumbing fittings, in less than 24 hours!" he enthused.
While this technology is still under development, a simpler variant - robotic fabrication - is already available.
As a first step, robotic intervention can potentially replace labour-intensive and inefficient work such as tiling, said Mr Khaw, adding that this was one of the areas that Future Cities Laboratory (FCL), under the Singapore-ETH Centre, is working on.
"What is interesting here, in particular, is that the use of robotics in construction bears the potential to build structures which allow for more variation and diverse architectural programmes," said an FCL spokesman.
"Further possible effects are improvements of the working conditions, material saving and predictable, stable production quality."
According to FCL, an industrial robot costs between $30,000 and $60,000. For the robots to be used on construction sites, however, certain additional components and modifications are necessary.
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said that it was closely monitoring the programme and will look at pilot projects once such technologies are matured.
Separately, Lend Lease is looking to introduce cross laminated timber (CLT), which is fabricated by binding layers of timber and can support heavy loads including the structural and non-structural components in buildings, in Singapore.
According to Lend Lease, which developed Forte - the tallest residential timber building in the world - construction time was reduced by about 30 per cent through the use of CLT.
Construction of the 10-storey building in Melbourne, Australia was completed in 11 months instead of 14 months with only four skilled workers, two crane crew and one supervisor on-site.
"CLT has been successfully used in Europe for over a decade and more recently parts of North America but not as yet in Singapore and Asia, hence an opportunity for Singapore to be the first in Asia," said Mann Young, head of sustainability, Asia, Lend Lease.
Finally, the unitised building (UB) system, a modular system where room-sized units complete with internal finishes, fixtures and fittings are manufactured in factories before being transported to site for installation and assembly, has been approved for use in Singapore.
Mr Khaw noted that not only does the typical UB system cut down construction time by 50 per cent, it also means reduced construction noise and dust pollution, as well as cutting out labour-intensive wet trades on-site.
UB Australia recently formalised a licence agreement with Swee Hong Ltd to implement UB in Singapore. For future developments, Swee Hong will probably be the builder, while UB Australia will provide technical advice related to the system.
Projects adopting the UB system will be accorded fast track status to subsequent regulatory submissions involving the use of such materials, methods, or processes.
Published January 18, 2013
Construction sector needs quantum leap: Boon Wan
It must embrace advanced construction tech and systems
By Mindy Tan
[SINGAPORE] In a rallying call to the construction industry, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said that it needs a "quantum leap" in productivity, not just "incremental improvements".
This can be achieved via the adoption of advanced construction technologies and systems that are already being tested and implemented around the world, said Mr Khaw on his blog yesterday.
Contour crafting, which is similar to 3D printing for instance, will allow for an entire building to be "printed" rapidly and efficiently using layers of concrete.
"In other words, a 2,500 square foot house can be built, complete with electrical and plumbing fittings, in less than 24 hours!" he enthused.
While this technology is still under development, a simpler variant - robotic fabrication - is already available.
As a first step, robotic intervention can potentially replace labour-intensive and inefficient work such as tiling, said Mr Khaw, adding that this was one of the areas that Future Cities Laboratory (FCL), under the Singapore-ETH Centre, is working on.
"What is interesting here, in particular, is that the use of robotics in construction bears the potential to build structures which allow for more variation and diverse architectural programmes," said an FCL spokesman.
"Further possible effects are improvements of the working conditions, material saving and predictable, stable production quality."
According to FCL, an industrial robot costs between $30,000 and $60,000. For the robots to be used on construction sites, however, certain additional components and modifications are necessary.
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said that it was closely monitoring the programme and will look at pilot projects once such technologies are matured.
Separately, Lend Lease is looking to introduce cross laminated timber (CLT), which is fabricated by binding layers of timber and can support heavy loads including the structural and non-structural components in buildings, in Singapore.
According to Lend Lease, which developed Forte - the tallest residential timber building in the world - construction time was reduced by about 30 per cent through the use of CLT.
Construction of the 10-storey building in Melbourne, Australia was completed in 11 months instead of 14 months with only four skilled workers, two crane crew and one supervisor on-site.
"CLT has been successfully used in Europe for over a decade and more recently parts of North America but not as yet in Singapore and Asia, hence an opportunity for Singapore to be the first in Asia," said Mann Young, head of sustainability, Asia, Lend Lease.
Finally, the unitised building (UB) system, a modular system where room-sized units complete with internal finishes, fixtures and fittings are manufactured in factories before being transported to site for installation and assembly, has been approved for use in Singapore.
Mr Khaw noted that not only does the typical UB system cut down construction time by 50 per cent, it also means reduced construction noise and dust pollution, as well as cutting out labour-intensive wet trades on-site.
UB Australia recently formalised a licence agreement with Swee Hong Ltd to implement UB in Singapore. For future developments, Swee Hong will probably be the builder, while UB Australia will provide technical advice related to the system.
Projects adopting the UB system will be accorded fast track status to subsequent regulatory submissions involving the use of such materials, methods, or processes.