Breaking boundaries with perfect precision

This article is part of a series featuring the winners of the inaugural iBuildSG Distinguished Fellow ↗ (opens in new tab) award.

Six Built Environment sector leaders, whose professions straddle across academia, architects, builders, engineers and developers, have been conferred the title of iBuildSG Distinguished Fellow ↗ (opens in new tab). Appointment as a Distinguished Fellow is the highest level of recognition given to senior Built Environment (BE) leaders under the iBuildSG Leadership Engagement and Development (LEAD) Framework for their leadership and immense contributions to the BE sector.

In 1991, Mr Wong Heang Fine and his team of architects and engineers were tasked with developing Bintan Island, Indonesia, while working at the Singapore Technologies Industrial Corporation. On their first foray, the team had to don their trunks to swim onshore after taking asampan(wooden boat) from Batam city.

“It was raw jungle, we imagined what Stamford Raffles felt like when he landed in Singapore,” quipped Mr Wong, now Group Chief Executive Officer and Board Director of global urban, infrastructure and managed services consultancy Surbana Jurong.

In just five years, the virgin land, a third of Singapore’s size, was converted into a Hawaii-like tropical resort paradise, complete with two 18-hole golf courses, an industrial estate.

The Bintan project remains his most memorable as it was a rare chance to build something from scratch. But Mr Wong, who has been engineer, developer, builder and consultant, still stretches his limits.

“I want Surbana Jurong to do things that others cannot do,” shared the feisty 62-year-old who trained as a mechanical engineer. His next goal is to make multi-function buildings the norm through adaptive, multi-disciplinary and sustainable design.

Navigating new ground

Mr Wong’s expertise in wading into unchartered territory has shone since he took the helm of Surbana Jurong in 2015.

Imprints of the home-grown firm span continents: From developing a master plan for the 730 sq km Kigali City in Rwanda, the “Jewel of Africa”, to building apartments in Abu Dhabi that have impressed Middle Eastern royalty.

Under his charge, the organisation has witnessed a fivefold increase in fee income to US$1.8 billion, more than half of which is generated outside of Singapore. Surbana Jurong also ranked 25thin this year’s prestigious Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 225 International Design firms, the only Singapore-headquartered company on the list for the last three years.

These are lofty achievements, but he attributes them to simple qualities.

“The secret ingredient is our ability and discipline in executing projects,” said Mr Wong, who is also a Board Member of the Building and Construction Authority, and Member of the Corporate Advisory Board of the World Green Building Council.

“It’s not just about design, but the ability to construct projects of a certain quality. Nothing is left to chance.”

This means assiduously sieving out the best suppliers by checking on their finances and demanding method statements, and tight supervision – even checking how marble pieces are boxed so they do not get damaged en route.

Technology is also harnessed to deliver the best product.

For instance, a virtual-reality software called the Computer Aided Virtual Environment (CAVE) allows architects, engineers, and even security and facility managers to “walk-through” a building before it is completed, so the best design outcome can be achieved.

A CAVE that can accommodate up to 40 people will be a highlight at the state-of-the-art Surbana Jurong Campus, which will house the company’s global headquarters when it is completed in 2021.

Artist impression of Surbana Jurong Campus, Credit: Safdie Surbana Jurong.

Impacting lives

Mr Wong is a firm believer in developing talent at Surbana Jurong, which has over 15,000 employees across more than 40 countries.

In recognition of the company’s good human resources practices, he won a Medal of Commendation at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) May Day Awards 2020.

“On our name card, our motto is ‘building cities, shaping lives’,” he said. “We tell our employees that everything we do has an impact on society. Today, you enjoy driving from Changi Airport to the city on the highway – it is on land reclaimed by Surbana Jurong.”

He also pointed to providing potable water in Africa and electricity in Australia as examples of how the company’s work benefits society.

The industry’s impact is especially pertinent during a global pandemic, he added, citing how carparks could be turned into hospital facilities or how airports were reconfigured for quarantine passages.

“As consultants, our traditional mindset is geared towards efficiency. But going forward, it will be sustainability – not just about being green, but being able to operate even in a pandemic,” he said.