http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/...award-20130903

Builder of largest public housing project wins award

Published on Sep 03, 2013

By Charissa Yong


A BUILDING contractor has bagged an award after completing Singapore's largest public housing project.

Straits Construction had four years to finish Casa Clementi, a 10-block development with 2,234 flats and a lush rooftop garden.

To meet the deadline, it pulled out all the stops.

The firm has now won the Housing Board's (HDB) Distinguished Construction Award for its quality work, innovative building methods, project management and efforts to engage the community.

Yesterday, executive director Kenneth Loo told The Straits Times how the firm managed to get the complex project finished on time.

"We planned and made sure that the works were done correctly the first time," he said.

For example, the team anticipated the large volume of precast materials needed at the site on Clementi Avenue 1, and made sure they had allocated enough storage space.

Even a three-week delay did not faze them. "Our contract started right smack during Nan Hua High School's final exam period," said Mr Loo.

"One of the blocks we needed to construct was right next to the school, so we pushed back the piling period."

He added that the company put up noise buffers and helped pay for air-conditioning for the classrooms nearest to the worksite.

Surbana International Consultants also bagged an HDB award for Casa Clementi's design, which features a 15,000 sq m landscaped deck connecting to the third storeys of several blocks.

A ramp spirals down from the deck to the carpark below.

Resident Jotham Lee, 29, said: "I like the carpark underground, it's really convenient to park directly under my block instead of at a multi-storey carpark. The top of the void deck is very well done."

The civil engineer added: "There are tiny areas where the workmanship is not so well done, but overall it's good. It's a nice place to raise a family."

Other design winners include Punggol Breeze, a 12-block HDB project with 964 flats and a long rooftop garden, and the nearby Waterway Cascadia.

Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin will present 18 HDB design and construction awards for public housing projects to architects and contractors today.

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