Speech by Minister Chee Hong Tat at HDB Awards 2026

Colleagues,

Partners and friends from the Built Environment sector,

Ladies and gentlemen,

A very good evening. I am delighted to join all of you at this year’s HDB Awards Ceremony.

Let me begin by wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, 中秋节快乐。This festival is a time when family and friends gather together and celebrate reunion. It is fitting that we have come together this evening to celebrate the people and partnerships behind the quality homes that Singaporeans live in and the cohesive neighbourhoods where our communities are formed.

Delivering Homes in a More Challenging Global Environment

To meet the strong housing demand, we need to keep improving the way we build, by making better use of technology and manpower, raising our productivity levels, and shortening construction timelines where we can.

This is why our partnership with the industry is critical. We want to continue to work closely with all of you to find better ways to build, so that together, we can build more and build faster, while maintaining high standards of safety and quality.

This is also the spirit behind the Action Team to Improve Built Environment Productivity, which was formed earlier this year to bring the Government and industry together to identify practical ways to help our companies save time, save cost, and save manpower.

Celebrating HDB Award Winners

I would like to congratulate all our award recipients this evening. The work that you do goes beyond completing a development or finishing a project. These are homes where Singaporeans build their lives, start their families, and raise their children. When we improve the way we design and build, the benefits will be enjoyed by many Singaporeans for many years to come.

This evening, we recognise excellence across different areas, from design and construction, to landscaping and engineering. Your contributions have helped HDB to deliver quality homes and good living environments for our people. Please allow me to highlight a few examples from our award winners.

Garden Vines and Garden Vale @ Tengah is one of the winners of the Design Award. Instead of one large common green, Design Link Architects created a network of smaller courtyards and green spaces throughout the precinct.

Each serves a different purpose, for play, exercise, rest, or simply spending time outdoors, giving our residents a variety of spaces that they can enjoy.

The project also shows that standardisation need not come at the expense of good design. Design Link Architects was able to reap the benefits of modular construction, while giving individual blocks and façades their own character.

Toa Payoh Ridge, a new BTO project in my constituency, is the other Design Award winner this year. I must declare that I did not participate in the nomination and assessment process, but I am not surprised, having visited the estate, having visited some of the blocks,that this project won the award.

ONG&ONG drew inspiration from the surrounding terrain when designing the project, which is integrated with the existing low-rise buildings around it.

Residents can enjoy open views, made possible by the staggered heights of the residential blocks and communal facilities.

Wayfinding elements have also been thoughtfully integrated. And this is a good example of how design can be both attractive and practical.

Besides good design, how we build matters too. Costa Grove @ Pasir Ris, one of the winners of the Construction Award, is an example of building well and with care.

To minimise the environmental impact of building beside mangrove habitats, Chip Eng Seng Pte Ltd adapted its piling design and used smaller machinery to work around nearby trees.

The team also developed a customised canopy holder to install large precast façade panels safely and efficiently.

Raising Productivity through Technology and Innovation

As we build more and build faster, we must also build smarter. Over the years, we have been piloting the use of new robotics and automation solutions to enhance building quality, boost construction productivity, and reduce manpower needs. What matters is not how sophisticated the technology is, but whether it can help solve practical problems on our worksites. Please allow me to share two examples.

The first is the Smart Passenger and Material Hoist, which HDB has been trialling at several BTO project sites. Unlike conventional hoists which require a dedicated operator, the smart hoist can operate safely without one, because it has additional safety features like LiDAR sensors to scan for obstructions and anti-pinch sensors that stop the doors if something is in the way.

Workers can call for the hoist when they need it, just like how we press the lift button in our HDB blocks. Each worker can supervise up to three smart hoists, freeing up manpower to take on higher-value tasks.

While this may sound like a relatively simple improvement, the manpower savings do add up across many blocks and many projects, leading to a sizeable overall increase in productivity. This is like the Malay saying, “Sedikit-sedikit, lama-lama jadi bukit“”. Bit by bit, small individual actions can add up over time.

The second example I would like to share with you is the use of robots for more repetitive and labour-intensive work, such as floor screeding. Today, workers have to manually set out level pegs before levelling and smoothing the floor surface. It is tedious and labour-intensive. A screeding robot automates much of this process and creates a more consistent finish. Workers can then be deployed to take on other more productive tasks.

Based on the encouraging results achieved for these two technologies, we will deploy smart hoists at about 50% of all new BTO sites tendered from 2027, and we will scale up the screeding robot at more BTO sites. This is the next step of our scaling up efforts. But we will not stop here. I have asked HDB to work towards deploying these technologies at all new BTO sites.

Beyond HDB’s research efforts, we also work closely with our industry partners to find smarter ways to build. Our contractors bring valuable experience and expertise, and you give us good suggestions and ideas that can help enhance productivity.

One way we are doing this is through the Shortened Time for Completion Scheme, or STCS, which allows contractors to propose and implement innovative construction methods and technologies for improved productivity and shorter construction times.

Contractors tendering for STCS projects can factor the additional costs required for these technologies into their bids, and HDB will assess their proposals holistically. This is one of the ways that HDB is investing a small premium into helping our industry players to try fresh approaches and build new capabilities.

Some innovative solutions may also qualify for co-funding support by other agencies such as BCA. And where the solutions work well, they can be applied to other HDB projects.

One example is the Inloader for Precast Component Handling, which will be implemented under STCS. Precast components are typically lifted by cranes, which requires significant manpower and equipment.

The Inloader is a specialised vehicle equipped with a hydraulic jack system that allows these components to be lifted without cranes, reducing the manpower and equipment needed.

This then helps to improve productivity and shorten construction times, and we would like to welcome more of such proposals from our contractors.

Unlocking Greater Productivity through Design Standardisation

Besides innovation, another way to boost productivity is through design standardisation, such as the use of standardised precast components. HDB has also adopted Design for Manufacturing and Assembly in all new projects since 2021.

Take Central Weave @ AMK for example. The project uses highly standardised precast component types, which help to simplify precast production and construction. These are productivity gains which could translate into projects being completed several months ahead of schedule.

Earlier in April, I shared that HDB was developing an Enhanced Precast Components Catalogue, or EPCC, covering a comprehensive range of standard precast components across HDB’s projects. Since then, HDB has worked closely with many of you – our consultants, contractors, and precasters. Your feedback has been very helpful in ensuring that the catalogue will be practical and will be beneficial for the industry.

The EPCC will standardise not only the dimensions of commonly used precast components, but also key specifications such as concrete grades, reinforcement and connection details. This will make it easier to use the same components across multiple HDB projects.

There are benefits across the value chain. Consultants can spend less time on repetitive design work. Precasters can produce at greater scale and make better use of automation. Contractors can choose from a wider pool of suppliers, while workers can apply familiar construction methods across different projects.

At the scale of HDB’s building programme, these benefits add up. We expect that the EPCC will reduce project manhours by up to 20%. A wider pool of suppliers producing common components will also give us more sourcing options and strengthen the resilience of our precast supply chain.

With the groundwork now in place, I am happy to share that the EPCC will be made available to industry partners from next Monday, and will be fully implemented in projects that are tendered from December 2026.

To make these standardised designs easier for the industry to use, HDB is also developing a Building Information Modelling, or BIM, library for standardised unit layouts and precast components. Instead of creating the same digital models from scratch for every project, consultants can use these ready-made models and then you can focus their time on the parts of the design that will require customisation. The BIM library for standardised unit layouts has been rolled out progressively to consultants since August this year.

These initiatives complement our wider efforts to raise productivity across the Built Environment sector. In April, I shared that we are working on advancing the Kit-of-Parts approach, or what some call the “LEGO bricks approach”, to standardise precast components across projects of similar typologies.

BCA has also introduced a new Buildability Type Approval pathway. So instead of making separate applications for each project to BCA, developers using approved standardised designs and components across projects of similar typology can rely on the same type approval. With the rollout of HDB’s EPCC and updated Standardised Unit Plan, HDB is taking the lead in adopting BCA’s Buildability Type Approval pathway.

I would also like to reassure everyone that greater standardisation does not mean that everything will look the same. We are not baking cookies; so we are not going to use a cookie-cutter approach. I mentioned Garden Vines and Garden Vale @ Tengah earlier, and there are many other examples. We can standardise components to improve productivity, while continuing to give each HDB project its own identity and character, based on its surroundings and community.

Supporting Our Industry Partners

Raising productivity is not only about adopting new technology or standardising designs. We have also been looking at our rules and processes, listening to feedback from the ground, and making adjustments where they can help our companies work more efficiently without compromising safety and quality.

In July this year, I met some of our contractors to hear their feedback and learn about their experiences working on HDB projects. This is something that my colleagues and I do regularly, to meet different representatives from the industry. One of them was Mr Von Lee of Expand Construction Pte Ltd. He shared with my colleagues and I the challenges that contractors face in completing pre-finishing work off-site for Prefabricated Bathroom Units, or PBUs, used in HDB projects.

I went back and discussed with HDB colleagues, and there are good reasons for PBUs to be pre-finished off-site. When implemented effectively, it saves time and manpower, and ensures better quality and consistency. However, HDB provides full-height wall tiling within its PBUs, with the uppermost row of tiles located at the interface with the upper PBU module. So to minimise the risk of damage during installation and subsequent construction, these tiles are installed on-site. This means that tiling works have to be carried out both off-site and on-site, reducing some of the intended productivity gains under the current pre-finishing requirement.

BCA will therefore waive the off-site pre-finishing requirement for PBUs used in HDB projects with immediate effect, while HDB and BCA will continue to work with the industry to explore other productive solutions.

My belief is that when a requirement no longer achieves its intended outcome, or when circumstances have changed, we should be prepared to review it and find a better way forward.

We must have iron in our spine to make bold changes when needed, but we must not have iron in our teeth and become “tee kee” by being stubborn, clinging on to outdated rules and regulations. That is not what we should do. We should be prepared to make changes when we need to.

I would like to thank Mr Von Lee and all of our business partners for coming forward with your useful feedback. I encourage you to continue to work with us, so that we are able to, together as an ecosystem, build more, build faster, and build better.

We are also applying the same approach to our administrative processes. Beyond raising construction productivity, we also want to make it easier for our business partners to work with HDB by digitalising and streamlining processes to help you to save time and save costs.

For example, tenderers for building projects and commercial units previously had to make a trip to HDB Hub to collect and submit hardcopy tender documents. This took time and resources, especially for companies participating in multiple tenders.

Since June this year, HDB has moved these processes onto e-platforms, so our business partners can access and download tender documents more conveniently. We have also removed the document fee of $250 for building project tenders, which will allow companies to enjoy further cost savings.

Another example is RetailerLink. This is a one-stop platform for businesses to access HDB’s e-Services. Businesses can use either the web platform or mobile app to manage their transactions more conveniently.

While we have received good feedback from the industry on RetailerLink, there is scope for us to do more. Today, businesses still have to navigate different e-Services across multiple platforms for some transactions.

For example, they have to use HDB’s Write To Us service to update their contact details, while tenancy renewals still require hardcopy documents.

So we need to take a look at our processes, not from our point of view, but from the customers’ point of view, from the users’ point of view, to see how we can make them better, improve the UX, improve the user experience.

We will therefore enhance RetailerLink with more e-Services, starting with eRenewal and eGIRO by the end of this year, and eContact in the first quarter of next year. eRenewal will allow businesses to renew their tenancies online with digital signing; eGIRO will allow GIRO arrangements to be set up within minutes instead of waiting for weeks; and eContact will allow businesses to update their contact details instantly. Beyond these, other enhancements to RetailerLink will be rolled out progressively by 2028. But our commitment to all our users and business partners is that MND and HDB will continue to work together with you, taking your feedback, taking your suggestions, to see how we can continue to improve, to make the process more efficient, to help you to save time and save costs.

Conclusion

Please allow me to conclude my speech. The improvements I have shared this evening take different forms – from new technologies on our worksites, to better ways of designing and building our homes, reviewing our rules, and making our processes simpler and more digital.

We need to press ahead on all these fronts, because they share a common purpose: which is to help us to build more, build faster and build better, while continuing to deliver quality homes for Singaporeans.

Our industry partners are key to this effort. We will continue to listen to your feedback, collaborate with you to test new ideas, and work with you to scale up solutions that work. Ultimately, the future of public housing will be shaped not only by HDB, but by all of us across the Built Environment sector. We all have an important role to play in building our city together.

Congratulations once again to all our award recipients. Thank you so much for your partnership with HDB and the very important work that you do.

I wish everyone a wonderful evening ahead. Thank you.