Singapore is embracing ‘Lego style’ prefabricated construction method for residential housing
- Using prefabricated volumetric construction, one residential development in Singapore was completed six months ahead of schedule
- Prefabricating modules at an off-site production facility can boost quality control, expert says
Standing 140 metres tall, the 40-storey residential twin towers of The Clement Canopy private condominium at Clementi Avenue 1 in Singapore are considered the world’s tallest concrete modular towers using the prefabricated volumetric construction (PPVC) method. The towers contain a total of 505 residential units that were fully sold and completed in the first quarter. The keys have been handed over to the owners, and some residents have already moved in.
Jointly developed by Singapore-listed UOL Group and United Industrial Corp (UIC), The Clement Canopy was completed about six months ahead of schedule.
Using conventional construction methods, the towers would have taken 30 to 36 months to complete. With the PPVC method, the construction cycle was reduced to 24 to 30 months, which means a 20 to 30 per cent time saving, according to Pierre-Eric Saint-Andreι, deputy CEO for Bouygues Batiment International.
Considered a world leader in modular construction, Bouygues Batiment International is the parent company of Dragages Singapore, the construction firm that built The Clement Canopy.
Since November 2014, Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority has stipulated that selected sites offered in the Government Land Sales (GLS) programme need to adopt the use of PPVC for at least 65 per cent of the total constructed floor area within residential developments.
For instance, four sites offered for sale under the GLS programme this year came with a PPVC requirement. These were the executive condo site at Clementi Avenue 1, where a joint venture between UOL and UIC emerged as the top bidder with a bid of S$491.3 million (US$361.38 million), or S$788 per square foot per plot ratio on July 3. Other sites included Tan Quee Lan Street, Bernam Street and one-north Gateway.
