SDEV begins visit to Singapore (with photos)

     The Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, started his visit programme in Singapore today (January 13), where he met senior government officials to discuss issues relating to the adoption of innovative construction technologies and promotion of green buildings. He also visited a healthcare centre project being built using the modular integrated construction (MiC) method.

     In the morning, Mr Wong first met with the Chief Executive Officer of the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Mr Hugh Lim, to learn about the various policies rolled out by the Singapore Government to support and promote the adoption of MiC – known as Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) in Singapore – in works projects. Singapore has been promoting this innovative construction method since 2013, and has developed more than 50 MiC projects so far.

     Mr Wong and Mr Lim also shared experiences on the promotion of green buildings in the two places. Mr Wong took the opportunity to brief BCA officials on Hong Kong's BEAM Plus assessment method, and learnt about the operation and effectiveness of Singapore's Green Mark Scheme. He also toured the revamped Zero Energy Building (ZEB) situated at the BCA Braddell Campus. The ZEB is retrofitted from an existing building to produce sufficient renewable energy for its daily operation. It is a project which incorporates low carbon, green building technologies and innovative designs.

     Mr Wong then met the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Housing and Development Board, Mr Fong Chun Wah, to learn more about the implementation strategy and experiences of Singapore in adopting MiC in public housing projects, as well as how MiC improves building efficiency and quality.

     In the afternoon, Mr Wong visited a nursing home project being built using MiC modules. He was briefed on the project design and how the concept of "factory assembly followed by on-site installation" is being applied to construct a 12-storey integrated building for healthcare purposes. He also visited the off-site yard, which supplies construction components for the project.

     Mr Wong then proceeded to Jurong Port to visit a prefabrication fitting-out factory to gain a better understanding of the workflow and process of assembling free-standing integrated MiC modules, including completing the basic interior fitting-out as well as appliance and facilities installation at the factory. There, representatives also shared their experiences on how special traffic arrangements were made to transport large modular units to building sites for installation.

     Mr Wong will continue his visit in Singapore tomorrow (January 14).