Developers required to use prefab bathroom units from 2nd half of 2014

SINGAPORE: The push to raise productivity in Singapores construction sector is taking on a new focus this year.

New rules will soon take effect, pushing for greater use of productive technologies such as prefabricated components.

From the second half of 2014, developers will be required to use prefabricated bathroom units (PBUs) for all residential projects on government land sales sites.

Singapore Contractors Association said this is a significant step in getting upstream players like developers onboard productivity initiatives.

PBUs are like huge Lego blocks that are hoisted up by a crane and then stacked, one on top of another.

On average, prefab components already make up one third of each construction project by City Developments (CDL) which has been using prefab construction methods for over a decade.

That is the highest level of prefab adoption among private developers in Singapore, compared to about 50 per cent for public housing projects.

CDL said that with the new rules, more projects could have a prefab component in them in the near future.

Another developer, Frasers Centrepoint, said it has been using a mix of productive technologies in all their developments since 2007.

Cheang Kok Kheong, chief executive officer of Frasers Centrepoint Homes, said: "These include prefabricated railings, precast refuse chutes and dry construction options such as the use of drywall for some of the internal walls.

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Developers required to use prefab bathroom units from 2nd half of 2014