Measures to Prevent Concrete Structures from Falling Off HDB Blocks
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns measures to prevent concrete structures from falling off HDB blocks, with MP Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling inquiring about nationwide audits, design compliance updates, and future prevention strategies. Minister Lawrence Wong replied that Town Councils and HDB conduct regular inspections, and a mandatory Periodic Facade Inspection regime for buildings over 20 years old will be legislated soon. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has implemented a Facade Access Design Guide and is currently developing specialized inspection guidelines while training and certifying facade inspectors. To enhance maintenance effectiveness, the government is investing in research and development for improved inspection methods and productivity. Finally, BCA and HDB are jointly calling for proposals to develop a drone inspection system to facilitate the monitoring of building facades.
Transcript
59 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for National Development (a) what audits have been performed nationwide since the last incident in 2016 of a fallen concrete sunshade; (b) whether there have been any recommendations or changes made to building design compliance; and (c) what more can be done to prevent future occurrences.
Mr Lawrence Wong: Under the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act, building owners are required to ensure that building exteriors are maintained in a state of good and serviceable repair. For Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates, Town Councils conduct regular inspections on building façades as they are responsible for the maintenance of common property. Where necessary, they will engage a Professional Engineer to follow up on any repairs that are required. In addition, HDB conducts annual audit inspections of selected blocks, with a focus on buildings with more facade elements.
As highlighted in the Committee of Supply debate earlier this year, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will be introducing a Periodic Facade Inspection regime to enable early detection of tell-tale signs of deteriorating facade elements. This will allow building owners to carry out the necessary maintenance and repairs. The regime will focus on buildings above 20 years old, with the exception of private landed houses, temporary buildings and low-rise buildings. We intend to introduce legislation by the end of this year.
Since 2017, BCA has made available a Facade Access Design Guide to help designers integrate suitable access solutions at the upstream planning and design stage to facilitate downstream inspection and maintenance of facades. To complement the upcoming facade inspection regime, BCA is working with the industry to develop inspection guidelines for the different types of facades commonly found in Singapore. In addition to training and certifying facade inspectors, BCA is investing in research and development to see how inspections can be carried out in a more effective and productive manner. BCA and HDB have also jointly called for proposals to develop a drone inspection system for building facades.