Taking innovations from theory to reality with BEAMP

By BCA

The Built Environment Accelerate to Market Programme (BEAMP) is a joint initiative that turns innovative ideas in the built environment (BE) sector into reality.

Companies in the BE sector taking part in BEAMP take the role of Challenge Statement Owners (CSOs) – the companies create a challenge statement, pertaining to a business problem.

Various innovators then address the challenge statements, and BEAMP helps to make their solutions a reality. Innovators can get funding for up to 70 per cent of their project cost. In the meantime, the CSO acts as an ongoing advisor, and provides a testbed for the solutions.

BEAMP fulfils four primary objectives:

• It resolves pressing challenges in the built environment

• It allows innovators to generate lead demand, through pilot programmes and test beds

• It develops the capacity for innovation in local enterprise

• It drives investment and partnerships between local BE firms, and regional counterparts

A BEAMP Demo Day was held during the International Built Environment Week (IBEW) 2019, in which the latest innovations were presented to industry leaders.

Real time tracking for worksite safety

Tagvance was one of the 14 innovators shortlisted to work with built environment companies through the initiative.

Tagvance responded to CSO Straits Construction’s call to develop an Internet of Things (IoT) tracking platform. At the BEAMP demo day, Tagvance demonstrated how their system transmits high-precision positioning data, for people and assets.

Straits Construction had presented the challenge of a construction environment, where it may not be easy to identify, for instance, where a person or object may be standing behind a concrete wall. This has implications on safety, and the speed at which work can be done.

To resolve this, the Tagvance platform uses an integrated system of sensors, to provide accurate tracking for both people and objects on the worksite. The Tagvance platform can track such positions even vertically, in both semi-confined and large spaces; and this can be applied to distance of mere centimetres.

Through the same platform, designers and engineers can also make use of real-time viewings, recordings (with replayability), and data presented via heat maps, zone history velocity graphs, and more.

BIM Automated Check through Virtual Reality Modelling

Another participant of the BEAMP initiative is VRcollab. Responding to HDB’s challenge statement, VRcollab demonstrated how it built on its existing Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) system, to create an auto-checker for HDB.

The CAVE system enhances the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM), a 3D modelling process for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) professionals. Through the system, multiple users can view the interior of a virtual building, with a simple pair of 3D glasses.

This is further enhanced by VRcollab’s core technology, which integrates and merges multiple BIM formats, 3D Objects, and Point clouds allowing for cross discipline checks throughout the building life cycle.

This proved useful to HDB, which often needs to create time consuming timber mock-ups for inspection purposes. To solve the issue, VRcollab created an additional software module within their CAVE system to allow HDB’s Building Quality team to inspect an accurate virtual mock-up, without having to resort to the timber mock-ups.

The auto-checker can also be programmed to determine whether various requirements - such as safety and compliance rules – would be met for the structure based on HDB building codes and BCA’s BIM guides.

Tagvance’s Olivia Chen demonstrates the precision of the IOT driven tracking platform.

Tee Jia Hen from VRcollab demonstrates the virtual reality auto-checker to Minister Lawrence Wong.

Got a great idea for the BE sector?

BEAMP brings cross-border opportunities. During BEAMP demo day, BE professionals from across Southeast Asia and beyond were invited to view the latest developments and innovations showcased during the event.

Whether your idea is still on the drawing board, or a working prototype, interested parties may reach out to BCA.

About International Built Environment Week

The International Built Environment Week (IBEW) is the first fully integrated event in Asia Pacific that covers the entire built environment life cycle and value chain.  Organised by the Building and Construction Authority together with Reed Exhibitions and supported by 12 Trade Associations and Chambers, the event offers the perfect platform for industry leaders and professionals from the global built environment to exchange ideas and experiences, widen networks and discover new business opportunities.

The inaugural IBEW was held from 3 to 6 September 2019 at Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Singapore.  Themed ‘Transforming the Way We Build’, the event showcased today’s best practices and tomorrow’s innovations in the areas of environmental sustainability, construction productivity, digitalisation and smart facilities management.

Key highlights included a three-day International Built Environment Conference, specially-curated tours to some of the best-in-class projects in Singapore, four co-located trade shows, networking events and student engagement programmes.  IBEW 2019 also featured special events such as the Breakfast Talk for CEOs, an exclusive forum for C-suite executives from the built environment; and BE Connect, an international business-matching platform for buyers and investors from the region to network and engage with top urban solutions providers equipped to meet their interests.

The second edition of IBEW will be held from 1 to 4 September 2020.  For more updates of IBEW 2020, visit www.ibew.sg (opens in new tab).