Singapore Government Press Release

Media Division, Ministry of Information, Communications and The Arts,

MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2nd Storey, Singapore 179369

Tel: 837-9666

Your Excellencies,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Until the recent terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, structural engineering has seldom been a subject of great public interest. The engineers responsible for ensuring the structural safety of our buildings and civil infrastructure generally work silently behind the scene. The latest incidents in the United States have brought to the fore, the critical role structural engineering play in protecting our urban environment.

In many parts of the world, economic growth has been accompanied by massive infrastructure developments. As a result, the building and construction industry is now the world’s largest materials market. Yet, over the past century, the industry had been slow in making innovative use of new materials and technologies. Other than steel, traditional materials such as concrete, timber, marble, ceramics and glass still form the bulk of materials used for construction. These are non-renewable resources extracted from the earth. In an era of technological change, labour-intensive and wet construction methods are still the mainstay in civil and structural engineering works.

On top of this, the sector produces vast quantities of waste. In many developed countries, this is about a fifth of total waste churned out. For example, in the United Kingdom, it is 18%. In Japan it is 17 % and in Singapore it is about 20 % of total waste produced. Research has also shown that on average 10 percent of raw materials delivered to construction sites are wasted. For years, the industry has considered waste a necessary, unavoidable cost. The industry is thus often associated with poor environmental performance. But this may have to change as the world becomes increasingly aware of the limited availability of resources and the fragility of the environment.

Like many countries around the world, numerous efforts have been made by structural engineers in Singapore, both in the public and private sectors, to deal with these environmental challenges.

Design engineers can play a key role in minimising waste generation. Processes can be better engineered so that there is little or no physical waste to manage. In particular, structural engineers can promote the use of more sustainable and recycled materials in their designs. While it is convenient to use traditional materials extracted from natural resources, the impact on the environment from the processes should also be considered and emphasis placed in exploring alternative materials and approaches.

Research on new or recycled materials should pay particular attention to developing cost competitive alternatives. This could be through cheaper but environmentally friendly constituent materials or more efficient construction processes. Exhaustive tests to determine their performances in terms of structural safety, durability and fire resistance are equally important.

Governments, too have an important role to play in promoting a more environmentally friendly construction industry. In these regard, I would like to highlight some of the initiatives by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore, on the use of technology to minimise pollutive activities on construction sites.

Conventional on-site construction with emphasis on "wet" trades is labour intensive. Much of the resources and materials used are for temporary or false works and are wasted. For example, props, timber form-work and scaffolds that do not form part of the final product, are extensively used in sites employing traditional methods of construction. In-situ construction creates dust nuisance, excessive noise and wet, muddy sites. However, with the legislation of buildable design in January this year, designers in Singapore have to produce designs that are construction friendly. They have to switch to a manufacturing approach that uses more prefabricated and standardised components. Site work is now clean and tidy, involving mainly assembly-type operations. More importantly, buildings are built to higher quality under an improved environment.

To raise the industry’s capability in delivering buildable designs, BCA has also funded several relevant research and development projects. They include research on flat-plate structures, development of high-performance lightweight concrete and high-tech finishes for precast concrete. In the area of Environmental Performance, 9 research projects are being pursued. They include research on wood and concrete waste reclamation and recycling, recycling of waste in self-compacting concrete and energy conservation. Altogether, the Government has set aside over $ 9 million for these projects.

Besides the challenge for a cleaner environment, the unfortunate terrorist attacks have also changed the world we live in. Great prominence is now placed on safe structures and buildings. While it is not feasible to cater for all sorts of possibilities of attacks on a building, building practitioners would have to pay more attention to safety and security concerns in the design of their buildings. BCA would also be exploring ways of improving the robustness of buildings by certain strengthening measures to resist progressive collapse without adding undue cost and delay to the industry. Another area to look into would be the improvement of stairways and means of exit to the street to facilitate speedier evacuation in time of emergency.

The design of Civil Defence Shelters is also an unique and integral part of the infrastructure development of Singapore. Household shelters are mandatory for all new homes, whether public or private, built since May 1998. These reinforced shelters, stacked vertically within residential buildings, provide an additional core that enhances the general robustness of our buildings. The shelters are also spread across the island, at selected MRT stations and training institutions, for additional protection to the public.

These efforts are just the beginning of the push towards a safer and greener environment. There will be increased social and political pressures to keep the environment clean and green and to manage waste and resources better. Besides ensuring the safety and security of structures, researchers and structural design professionals such as yourselves can and should also take the lead in resolving global environmental problems and achieving sustainable development.

Finally, I would like to wish all participants a most fruitful conference and to our overseas delegates, a most pleasant stay in Singapore.