In a review of the local construction industry, a panel of experts – including WongPartnership senior counsel and founder Wong Meng Meng, managing partner of Rider Levett Bucknall Winston Hauw and executive director and chief executive officer of Tiong Seng Holdings Pek Lian Guan – concludes that while Singapore has taken notable strides to learn from other countries, more improvements can still be made.
(One topic covered was the use of glass in skyscrapers under the hot Singapore sun. Image courtesy of Terence Ong.)
The panel spoke at a graduation ceremony of students in the SMU and Building and Construction Authority’s advanced management programme, to a 100-member audience of industry players and graduates. It explored risks and opportunities of the construction industry.
For instance, the panel suggested changes to be made to building methods, such as the use of pre-fabrication, to bring about greater levels of productivity, and ultimately greater profits.
It lamented that efforts to encourage productivity – with measures like foreign worker quotas and levies – while commendable, have been implemented a little bit too late. Wong further highlighted countries like Australia and New Zealand, who are already reaping the benefits of pre-fabrication: needing fewer labourers.
Another point raised was while it was good to learn from their overseas counterparts, construction companies in Singapore should not copy methods and ideas wholesale. Wong cited the use of glass in many skyscrapers in Singapore, questioning, “Why glass when you’re facing the hot afternoon sun?” He added that contractors should look to modify methods applied in other countries to fit local requirements and needs.
And while Hauw praised the productivity and sustainability initiatives taken to keep up with other developed countries, Pek reminds that it is possible for workplace safety and health to be pursued alongside productivity – companies do and should not have to choose between one or the other.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comments:
Please input the captcha text :
|