Advancing Digitalization and Mechanization in Singapore’s Built Environment to Unlock New Opportunities for Robotics Collaboration

Author: Jonathan Cheng, Chief Technology Officer, Building and Construction Authority of Singapore

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Singapore highly values its enduring relationship of cooperation with China. Over the decades, Singapore-China cooperation has steadily expanded and deepened, generating tangible benefits for Singapore while contributing to a mutually beneficial partnership between our two countries.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is a statutory board under Singapore’s Ministry of National Development. It is entrusted with safeguarding and regulating Singapore’s built environment while facilitating the transformation of the sector. In fulfilling this mandate, BCA works in concert with industry stakeholders and academic institutions to pursue a comprehensive agenda for sector-wide advancement. This includes building and construction safety, workforce development and capability enhancement, the promotion and practical application of advanced technologies, and the systematic improvement of quality, productivity, and sustainability. BCA is committed to shaping a built environment that is safe, sustainable, and of consistently high quality, while fostering the continued evolution of the industry.

Turning to Singapore’s construction market, BCA expects total construction demand to reach between 47 billion SGD and 53 billion SGD in 2026, and to remain within a range of 39 billion SGD to 46 billion SGD per year between 2027 and 2030. Singapore’s construction sector is therefore expected to sustain a healthy level of demand in the years ahead. This strong pipeline is supported by a number of major infrastructure and development projects, notably the ongoing expansion of Changi Airport and the further development of Marina Bay Sands.

Capitalizing on this robust demand outlook, BCA has partnered with industry stakeholders to develop the Built Environment Industry Transformation Map. This map delineates the sector’s priorities over the coming decade, identifies the areas in which further progress is required, and highlights the advanced technologies that will be critical in driving this advancement. The framework adopts a whole-of-lifecycle approach. It covers three principal stages, beginning with planning and design, moving through construction and manufacturing, and culminating in operations and maintenance. The objective is to drive transformation throughout the entire lifecycle of the built environment, from the earliest stages of project development to construction, completion, and subsequent operation.

Transforming the industry also requires a realignment of the incentives and commercial drivers that shape behavior across the built environment ecosystem. To enable this transition, BCA has developed a broad suite of support measures, including jointly developed technology transformation training programs, financing assistance, and deeper cross-industry collaboration.

Although the sector faces a number of challenges, BCA recognizes the considerable potential of digitalization and automation, which will be critical to addressing many of these challenges. BCA began examining how construction-site mechanization and automation could be deployed on a much broader scale, approximately five years ago, following the COVID-19 epidemic. Today, some 30 types of machinery have already been successfully deployed across more than 70 construction projects in Singapore. Many of the technologies already in use have also come from Chinese technology providers.

To accelerate the adoption of robotics, BCA has put in place a number of enabling measures. First, given the constraints of Singapore’s relatively small domestic technology ecosystem and limited operational resources, BCA actively brings in and facilitates the local deployment of promising technological solutions from other countries. Second, it collaborates with regulatory authorities to optimize and streamline approval processes for emerging technologies, helping to lower market-entry barriers. Third, for robotics and automation solutions requiring significant capital expenditure, BCA encourages equipment-leasing models to ease the initial investment burden on contractors. Fourth, financial support is made available, where appropriate, to companies prepared to pioneer the adoption of new technologies. Fifth, once a solution has been successfully validated, BCA helps companies facilitate scale-up, wider market adoption, and commercialization.

The longstanding partnership between Singapore and China has been carefully cultivated over many years. Looking ahead, Singapore will continue to build on this strong foundation and deepen cooperation with China, particularly in driving the digital, mechanized, intelligent, and green transformation of the built environment sector.

This article has been adapted from remarks by Jonathan Cheng at the Singapore-China AI and Robotics Industry Collaboration Forum.

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