Speech by Minister at the Board of Architects Presentation Ceremony and Seminar on 15 Nov 2022

Tuesday, 15 November 2022

Ar. Chan Kok Way, President, Board of Architects,
Ar. Melvin Tan, President, Singapore Institute of Architects

Ladies and gentlemen,

Introduction

1. Good morning. I am delighted to join you at the Board of Architects Presentation Ceremony and Seminar.

2. Let me begin by congratulating the many young architects who will be receiving their Practicing Certificates today.

3. You have worked really hard during a very difficult and uncertain two years – the pandemic has been tough on everyone, especially the Built Environment profession.

Architects’ role in our built environment

4. Even as our sector begins to recover, there are other challenges ahead of us, including –

a. Climate change,

b. An ageing population,

c. Supply chain disruptions, and

d. Greater uncertainty in the global geo-political environment.

5. At the same time, there are many bright spots and many opportunities for you to shape our future city to meet the aspirations of Singaporeans. I dare say Singapore architects also have wonderful opportunities around the region and around the world

6. Through thoughtful and creative design, you can:

a. Make our spaces more inclusive, by improving accessibility within our neighbourhoods, and

b. Create attractive spaces for residents to live, work, and play.

c. We also need you to think about how our designs should evolve to address changing social trends, changing lifestyle demands, such as the shift towards work-from-home in a post-COVID world. Last year I visited some commercial buildings and I spoke to consultants and clients who lease these premises and they said that in the last two years. Things have changed so much, and they shared that they’ve totally changed their designs to accommodate the different needs of the clients and the different needs of their employees.

7. At the same time, the architectural profession has shared with us the many challenges that it faces, including: 

a. A sense that there’s a lack of recognition for architectural achievements,

b. Fee diving and unhealthy competition between firms,

c. Increasingly unsustainable workload and responsibilities, and

d. Difficulty in retaining talent.

These are very serious issues and the architectural profession has a very important role in the entire built environment landscape.

8. We have been working with the leadership of the profession to strengthen the sector. We’ve done a number of things over the years to address these underlying issues.

9. Let me share a few examples.

Efforts in celebrating local architects

10. One example is our efforts to better recognise and celebrate the achievements of local architects.

11. This also raises public awareness of the important role that architects play in nation building. As we celebrate projects, we want to make sure we celebrate the people behind these projects. These buildings serve their functions because of the creativity and ingenuity of the people, the architects.

a. There are also opportunities for the public to learn about the contributions of our architects, like the “Architecture Stuff + More Stuff” exhibition. The exhibition gives us a glimpse into the lives of Singapore’s pioneering architects and educators through various artefacts.

12. Outside of Singapore, we want others around the world to recognise the skills and talents of our young and upcoming architects.

13. Events and programmes such as the Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition and ASEAN architect’s programme help raise the international profile of our architects and offer more opportunities for them to practice overseas.

Uplifting the profession

14. We also want to uplift the architectural profession.

15. BOA has set up various task forces to address issues that the profession has been  confronting, like fee diving and renumeration, as well as longer-term strategies to create a more progressive and sustainable work culture.

a. SIA is also exploring the creation of a Value Articulation Framework to ensure architects are properly compensated, and fairly renumerated for the work they do.

b. It is encouraging to see BOA and SIA stepping up to take the lead to uplift the profession.  I would like to encourage firms and individuals to participate actively and think about how you can contribute.

c. To address the problem of fee diving, we had enhanced the Quality-Fee Method for the public sector consultancy tenders a few years ago. We want good value for money, and that does not equate cheap. This does not in any way require us to see disruptive competition that affects the quality of projects but also undermines the progression of the sector and may turn people away from what is an extremely fulfilling profession.  This approach seeks to removes outlier bids and has led to a decline in the tenders awarded to the lowest bids, because we weren’t quite sure that these lowest bids would help us achieve the good value, good design and good function.

d. We will continue to work closely with the industry on similar measures and welcome your feedback on how we can continue to uplift the profession. 

Difficulty in retaining talent

16. Finally, we also hear from you that the profession faces difficulties in retaining talent. This is a complex issue that requires the Government, architectural firms, and the rest of the Built Environment sector to address together.

17. A survey conducted by the Singapore Institute of Architects in August 2021, for instance, revealed that only 7 percent of young graduates were likely to stay in the profession in the long run, due to reasons such as long hours and lack of mentorship. This is a very worrying trend, and we need to do more.

18. As a start, employers tell us that they have been making effort to support their employees better, through –

a. Reviewing the career progression frameworks within their firms to make these more structured and transparent,

b. They’ve been helping their colleagues to maintain industry-relevant skills amidst industry transformation, and

c. They’ve been supporting the professional growth and well-being of all employees through mentorship programmes or facilitating flexible work arrangements.

19. The Government will work in tandem to support you and support progressive employers. In this regard, I am happy to announce a new joint workplan involving BCA, URA and SIA.

a. Through this workplan, SIA will work with BCA and URA to encourage sustainable business practices, drive greater collaboration across the Built Environment value chain, and introduce capability development and outreach programmes to attract and retain young talents.

b. We will also suggest concrete steps to build upon the ambitions of the Built Environment Industry Transformation Map.

20. I thank SIA for your consistent support and partnership and look forward to hearing more creative ideas and solutions.

Conclusion

21. Architecture seeks to respond to the needs of society and people by positively shaping the Built Environment.

22. I hope that as architects, you will keep in mind this important mission, and the pivotal role you have in changing the lives of our residents.

23. Before I end, I would like to thank Registrar Larry Ng for his hard work, dedication and passion over the may years He is stepping down from the BOA at the end of this year to carry on many other responsibilities and I wish him all the best.

24. Once again thank you and congratulations to our new graduands.