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  Business Times 24 Apr 07
Govt mulls requirements for sustainable construction
BCA aims to cut concrete-based projects to below 50% in 5 years
By Uma Shankari

Today Online 24 Apr 07
Concrete plans to sustain construction
New scheme to step up use of alternative building materials over next 5 years
Leong Wee Keat

Channel NewsAsia 23 Apr 07
Singapore rolls out masterplan to cut dependency on sand, granite

SINGAPORE : The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has mapped out a plan to drastically cut Singapore's dependence on sand and granite.

About 95 percent of building projects in Singapore are concrete-based and highly dependent on sand. With its Sustainable Construction Masterplan, the BCA wants to bring this down to below 50 percent over the next five years.

Dry partition walls will be a cornerstone of environmentally-friendly and sustainable construction, which calls for materials to be available on a regular basis and come from multiple sources. They are made of metal frames and plasterboards and do not require sand and water, typically used for concrete mixes.

Such drywalls are currently installed in many private residential projects, to replace conventional brick walls that separate rooms in apartments.

Some common misconceptions about drywalls are that they are hollow and have poor sound insulation. However, contractors have said that is not the case. For instance, a 90mm drywall has thermal and sound insulation quality comparable to a 115mm thick brick wall, and it is just as strong.

Developers said the light weight drywalls could be put up four times faster than brick walls. So it helps to generate some savings in the process and cut down on waste and pollution.

Allen Ang, Senior Manager, Projects Division, City Developments Limited, said, "(A) drywall uses less workers, less natural materials such as sand and water; it's faster (to put up) than traditional brick wall. If I factor all these in, the cost savings is on average 24 percent.

"From our experience (of) developing City Square Mall - a large scale shopping mall - the savings as a result of using drywalls in lieu of traditional brick walls amounted to about 50 truckloads of sand; when translated to dollars, it's about S$36,000."

To further reduce the demand on sand and granite, building designers are encouraged to explore alternative materials like steel and glass, used in projects like the National Library and the Fusionopolis. These can cut concrete use by some 70 percent.

Though some argue that construction costs could climb by up to 10 percent, industry players said the rise in prices of sand and granite would give developers more incentive to turn to steel.

Currently, structural steel design codes here are based on British Standards, and BCA hopes to release new guidelines in steel manufactured to other standards in three months.

Recycled construction waste like concrete and incinerator ash can also get a second lease of life as a road kerb or for layering of roads.

Authorities are also working with the National University of Singapore to process "spent copper slag", a by-product of sand blasting, to partially replace natural sand.

Hardware aside, the BCA has trained 150 practitioners on advance steel design and construction since February this year, and more courses will be introduced. It will work with the Singapore Structural Steel Society on more training programmes, as well as local universities to beef up the curriculum on structural steel design.

Also in the pipeline are discussions on whether it is time to review the legislation to ensure that all projects adopt a minimum level of sustainable construction. - CNA/ms

Today Online 24 Apr 07
Concrete plans to sustain construction
New scheme to step up use of alternative building materials over next 5 years
Leong Wee Keat weekeat@mediacorp.com.sg

YOUR future home is likely to be constructed with less concrete as the Government seeks to step up the use of alternative and sustainable materials such as steel, glass and aluminium.

The aim is to reduce the use of concrete as a key construction material by 30 to 50 per cent over the next five years, through a Sustainable Construction Master Plan laid out by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

The plan comes in the wake of disruption in the supply of sand and granite--key components of concrete--following restrictions imposed by the Indonesian government.

The restrictions caused the price of concrete to jump from about $70 per cubic metre to between $180 and $200 now. Steel is at least 10 per cent more expensive than the current cost of concrete, but BCA chief executive Dr John Keung said the gap between the two raw materials is "fast narrowing".

Unveiling the BCA plan yesterday, Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu said the construction industry, in the long term, "must adopt sustainable construction in a comprehensive manner to reduce its vulnerability to disruptions in supply of essential materials".

Over the next three months, the BCA will work with industry partners and relevant agencies to review existing rules and regulations.

For example, the BCA hopes to introduce a new code to encourage the use of recycled building materials--such as recycled concrete--in construction. The BCA is also working with relevant agencies, such as the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Fire Safety and Shelter Department, to accord priority to amendment plans for on-going projects that are switching to sustainable designs and materials.

Construction standards will also be reviewed, including those for manufactured steel. Currently, the steel allowed here for structural construction is based on British standards.

But the BCA said it would release, in the next three months, a change in guidelines which will allow for other standards of steel and the import of steel from sources such as the United States or Japan.

Industry experts agreed that the move towards sustainable construction methods would be good for the industry.

DP Architects director Tai Lee Siang said the use of steel would bring about a cleaner and faster construction process. "In terms of long-term sustainability and recycle ability, steel is also better than concrete," he added.

Mr Desmond Hill, president of the Singapore Contractors Association, said he would like to see developers become more flexible in the use of recycled building materials for non-structural components. This would help promote the use of sustainable materials in construction, he said.

On the manpower front, the BCA will run more courses to equip practitioners with better understanding of sustainable construction. It is also in discussion with local universities to strengthen the curriculum on structural steel design.

Ms Fu also added that mining activity could start at the Kekek Granite Quarry in Pulau Ubin in three to six months. Reopening the quarry is part of the government's plans to make up for the granite shortfall facing Singapore.

Business Times 24 Apr 07
Govt mulls requirements for sustainable construction
BCA aims to cut concrete-based projects to below 50% in 5 years
By Uma Shankari

THE government is looking to impose mandatory requirements for sustainable construction as part of its masterplan to cut Singapore's reliance on sand and granite, Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu said yesterday.

The measure is one of several announced by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to promote sustainable construction - the use of recycled materials or materials that are readily available from many sources.

Currently, about 95 per cent of projects in Singapore are concrete-based. With its Sustainable Construction Masterplan, BCA aims to reduce this to below 50 per cent over the next five years, said its chief executive, John Keung.

Ms Fu said that over the next few months, BCA will consult the industry on proposed mandatory requirements.

'The disruption in the supply of concreting sand and granite from Indonesia is a wake-up call for the industry to switch to sustainable construction as much as possible, and as soon as we can,' she said at the opening of the sustainable construction campaign and exhibition yesterday.

BCA reiterated its call for developers to use more steel.

Government agencies, including the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Housing and Development Board (HDB) will take the lead in showcasing sustainable construction, Ms Fu said.

For example, HDB has used steel and metal cladding to replace concrete in the construction of lift shafts when upgrading lifts. And LTA is looking at greater use of recycled concrete waste for road construction to reduce the need for granite aggregate.

Besides promoting the use of non-concrete alternatives, BCA is exploring substitutes of sand and granite in the production of concrete.

'We cannot do away with concrete,' Dr Keung told reporters. Industry players said that even projects that use substantial amounts of alternative materials - such as dry walls for the interior - need concrete for the exterior structure.

With this in mind, research and development will be carried out to find substitutes for sand and granite. For example, spent copper slag from shipyards or ash from incinerator plants will be considered.

BCA will also continue to work with the industry to diversify the supply sources of essential construction materials, Ms Fu said.

Developers and contractors BT spoke to said they will wait to see what kind of mandatory requirements BCA proposes.

'Right now, sustainable construction can mean many things,' said the chief executive of a construction company. There are also concerns that moving away from concrete could drive up costs by as much as 10 per cent.

However, BCA's Dr Keung said that with the higher prices of sand and granite now, the gap between concrete and steel has narrowed. 'This will give developers more incentive to switch,' he said.

For the short-term, Ms Fu said that BCA might reduce the stockpile release price for granite from May onwards as shipments have come in from new sources. 'With this reduction, we expect concrete prices, which have been declining since the initial supply disruption, to come down further,' she said.
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