Manifestos for Sustainable Development: Sustainable Modular Steel-Precast Concrete Building Construction System for Dwellings in Singapore

Abstract

Existing and ageing landed residential dwelling properties in Singapore are continuously undergoing reconstruction and improvements. Due to the many faceted architectural designs that are unique to each and every individual owner’s brief, most of such constructions are non-repetitive and use of reinforced in situ concrete with brickworks is commonly adopted. With recent drastic manpower shortage, such traditional construction, which normally takes 6–12 months to complete, is becoming very challenging. The use of sustainable modular steel-precast concrete building construction system paves a path for future construction of small-scale one-off design dwellings. This paper explores the implementation, implications, innovations and achievements of using this modular system in one such project. This is likely the first project in Singapore to test-bed such system for landed residential dwelling addition and alteration. It was conceived by a professional engineer, the project expert with the full support of the owner right from the onset. The paper offers professionals, builders, developers and other stakeholders in sustainable development to meet their goals in such building constructions.