Beamless flats to be piloted in Tengah BTO flats

SINGAPORE - A beamless flat design will be trialled in two Build-To-Order (BTO) projects in Tengah which will be launched in November.

This will give residents greater flexibility to configure the layout of their flat, compared with current Housing Board flats where the structural beams remain when the walls are hacked.

The beamless flats are enabled by a hybrid system that uses both 2D and 3D precast components, where units can be built using a structural system that allows concrete slabs to directly rest on a column. Currently, beams are needed to connect fully 3D precast components.

The move, announced by National Development Minister Desmond Lee at the HDB Awards Ceremony at Resorts World Convention Centre on Tuesday, is part of the board's Construction Transformation Project, which will pilot technologies and innovations to raise building productivity by 25 per cent at the Garden Waterfront I & II BTO projects in Tengah.

"It will also seek to break new ground with the use of sustainable construction methods," said Mr Lee.

These efforts are in line with HDB's new target of 40 per cent construction productivity improvement by 2030, which means a larger amount of floor area completed per man day. It had reached its previous target of a 25 per cent increase by 2020.

HDB will study the technologies for use in future BTO projects.

These include creating virtual models of units that will allow consultants and contractors to refine the unit design before construction begins.

The virtual mock-up shows details such as the positions of pipes, sanitary fixtures, power points, switches and furniture. From this, the project team can identify and resolve potential issues down the line, like pipes or switches clashing, which could reduce wastage on-site.

Previously, HDB used life-sized timber mock-ups. The virtual mock-ups were used for all new projects launched this year.

HDB will also test technologies from construction firm Obayashi Singapore at the Tengah BTOs, including using artificial intelligence in tower crane operations to optimise hoisting routes for precast components.

For crawler cranes, crane machine guidance technology will guide the operators on the optimal path for lifting.

In both crane types, light detection and ranging will also be used to detect and avoid collisions with building structures and other equipment.

The SkyJuster, a device which controls the direction of cargo lifted by cranes, will be used to orientate precast elements to its correct positions before they are lowered into place. As a result, workers do not need to guide the components into place or make manual adjustments, reducing the number of workers needed.

HDB will also pilot the use of fibre-glass reinforced concrete material for small streetscape furniture such as benches and other landscape features in the Tengah BTO projects.

This method uses less material than conventional 3D printing methods as material will be filled in only the structurally necessary parts.

The Tengah BTO projects offer about 2,070 units of two-room flexi, three-room, four-room and five-room flats, and will be served by two future MRT stations on the Jurong Region Line.

In response to queries, HDB said the cost of adopting the technologies is expected to be slightly higher, but this will not affect flat prices.

"We expect that the costs will decrease over time with the wider adoption of these advanced technologies, creating economies of scale. As technology matures and the industry capacities and capabilities build up over time, it would also become more cost-efficient," it said.

Mr Lee said HDB will continue to help contractors secure manpower and material needed to complete their projects and supply them with more concreting materials at protected prices.

It will also extend the period of protection against steel price fluctuations.

HDB chief executive Tan Meng Dui said the adoption of new technologies "will also enhance the resilience of our construction ecosystem, support the ramp up of HDB's building programme over the next few years and deliver HDB flats faster to our buyers".

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.