Speech by SMS Tan Kiat How at the CTIL Research Project Agreement signing ceremony
Jul 13, 2022
Good morning. I am happy to join all of you to witness a research project agreement between the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Woh Hup, as well as its partners.
This project, “Innovation Construction Technologies for Deep Foundation and Excavation”, by the Construction Technology Innovation Laboratory, or CTIL in short, exemplifies a collaboration model where Built Environment firms come together to form an alliance, partner an IHL and jointly undertake research and innovation (R&I) projects, to push new frontiers in building technology.
CTIL project on “Innovation Construction Technologies for Deep Foundation and Excavation”
Much progress has been made for structural construction. We have seen the progress of building technologies – from cast-in-situ to precast, then a shift to Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) technologies. In contrast, we have not seen the same progress in building technologies for underground works. This is despite underground construction costs making up about 30% to 40% of the cost of civil and structural works.
CTIL’s project focuses on underground civil works and it is very timely. It addresses a critical, yet relatively under-researched segment of the construction industry. This is a segment that will be increasingly important as Singapore intensifies its land use, and as we try to maximise the potential of underground space, already heavily utilised for underground roads and MRT networks. Comprising three sub-projects, this collaboration aims to develop an ensemble of underground construction technologies, to improve productivity at a systems level for deep foundation and excavation works.
The three sub-projects will lead to about 25% cost savings in excavation works, 10% cost savings on the fabrication and installation of king posts, and 15% productivity improvement, by reducing the number of rebars that need to be installed for deep foundation elements. But what does this mean for our workers and the many others involved in underground works?
One sub-project aims to develop a stronger, innovative configuration of earth retaining and stabilising structure. Other than cost savings, this method will also provide more working space and enhanced safety for workers. Let me elaborate. As we know, underground structural works can be challenging and labour-intensive. A complex system of support beams forming a frame, is used to brace the perimeter of the area during excavation. As excavation works continue, more support beams are added to the frame. This not only increases the material cost of the project, but also creates a maze-like work environment for workers to navigate. The new configuration reduces the number of support beams needed – resulting in better productivity, more working space, and enhanced safety for the workers.
Another sub-project aims to develop light, high performance king posts, which will be cheaper to produce. And a new smart positioning system, to site them more accurately and easily. King posts are large, steel columns put in place for support, during the excavation process. With these new technologies, project managers can redeploy their workers to take on higher value work, instead of having them spend time positioning heavy, unwieldly king posts, or worse, re-doing this task if there is a positioning error. Taken together, these cost and manpower savings will benefit developers, their contractors and workers on-site for future projects. They would be able to complete their projects faster, cheaper, and safer.
Adopting an industry-led alliance approach for BETA
The CTIL project was supported under Phase 1 of the Built Environment Technology Alliance programme, or BETA. This was launched as a pilot in June 2020. BETA takes a partnership approach to support progressive and committed BE alliances, to achieve their long-term R&I aspirations. Like-minded firms can come together to pool resources, tap on one another’s strength, and undertake more ambitious R&I projects. Through this programme, we also aim to foster and strengthen collaboration between IHLs and the industry.
This approach for BETA recognises the unique characteristics of the construction industry. The delivery of every construction project is dependent on a long and complex value-chain of partners. Collaboration across the value-chain is thus essential, and every player along the value-chain needs to be uplifted for the industry to transform. It is heartening to see that Woh Hup and its partners recognise this, and have reached out to SIT to establish the CTIL. Their investment in collaborative R&I, will enable them to build long-term capabilities and develop their competitive advantage for future projects.
Aside from levelling the capabilities of our firms, we envision that the BETA projects may also lead to the establishment of new industry benchmarks, which will raise productivity standards of the BE sector, and help build a stronger eco-system.
$20mil funding for BETA Phase 2
As we emerge from COVID-19, I am very pleased to announce that the Government will set aside an additional $20 million to encourage and catalyse more of such collaborations under the BETA programme. We will co-fund areas such as Integrated Planning & Design, Advanced Manufacturing & Assembly, and Sustainable Urban Systems, which are aligned to the key transformation areas under the Construction Industry Transformation Map.
I encourage all interested firms to work together and tap on this funding support.
In closing, my warmest congratulations again to Woh Hup, SIT and their partners on an important milestone. Through programmes such as BETA, the Government will support progressive industry alliances to transform the built environment sector. Thank you.