Successful innovations being adopted in other BTO projects

HDB’s first Construction Transformation Project (CTP), Garden Waterfront II @ Tengah, has been completed, marking a key milestone in HDB’s efforts to transform the way public housing is built. The second project, Garden Waterfront I @ Tengah, is on track for completion by the end of 2026. Through the use of advanced construction technologies and more productive building methods, both Build-To-Order (BTO) projects are on track to achieve the targeted 25% improvement in site productivity¹ over the projected baseline productivity rate of 0.6 m²/manday.

2 Launched in 2022 in partnership with Obayashi Singapore Pte Ltd, the CTP was conceived as a testbed for HDB to trial new ways of building more productively and safely, with less reliance on manpower. The 25% improvement in site productivity was achieved through a combination of measures, including greater prefabrication and the adoption of technologies which enabled tasks to be completed with greater precision in a shorter time.

3 Several innovations are now being adapted and progressively introduced in other BTO projects, enabling HDB to reap productivity gains on a wider scale as it continues to deliver a strong supply of homes for Singaporeans.

Garden Waterfront II @ Tengah, the first of two BTO projects under the Construction Transformation Project, was completed in June 2026.

4 HDB’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Building), Dr Johnny Wong said, “As Singapore’s largest housing developer, HDB is constantly looking for more innovative and efficient ways to build at scale. Garden Waterfront gave us the opportunity to test new technologies and construction methods in an actual BTO development and learn what works. We are now taking the successful innovations beyond this testbed and applying them more widely. This is part of our continued efforts to make construction safer, more productive and less manpower-intensive, while delivering quality homes for Singaporeans.”

Taking Successful Innovations Beyond the CTP

Greater Standardisation, More Flexibility

5 One area explored under the CTP was how greater standardisation and prefabrication could make construction more productive, without compromising the design of HDB flats. At Garden Waterfront I & II @ Tengah, HDB adopted a fabrication system that allowed more structural works to be completed off-site, reducing the volume and complexity of work required on-site. This reduced crane usage and manpower requirements, while easing coordination demands and site congestion, enabling works to proceed more efficiently.

6 Additionally, by using more standardised, prefabricated building components and moulds that can be replicated and produced at scale, the modular system reduces reliance on manual labour and improves construction productivity. Such higher level of standardisation also allows common precast components to be used across more HDB projects, giving HDB greater flexibility to redirect supply where needed, thereby strengthening the resilience of HDB’s building programme.

7 Building on this modular design, HDB subsequently developed flats with beam- and column-free living spaces, giving residents greater flexibility to configure their homes according to their needs. This design has since been rolled out to six other projects to date, including projects in Bayshore, Bukit Merah, Kallang/ Whampoa, and Mount Pleasant.

Differences between HDB flats with beams (images on the left) and the beamless system which was adopted for the CTP at Garden Waterfront (images on the right)

Making Heavy Lifting of Precast Components Safer and More Productive

8 Lifting large and heavy precast components into position is an integral part of HDB construction. Traditionally, several workers are needed to manually guide and adjust the orientation of these components as they are lifted by cranes. Under the CTP, HDB piloted the SkyJuster, a gyroscopic device that controls the rotation and stabilisation of lifted precast components during lifting operations. Used together with a tower crane, the SkyJuster reduced the number of workers required to manually guide and adjust the components into position while they are being lifted and installed.

9 Building on this technology, HDB has developed an Intelligent Lifting Frame (ILF) in collaboration with the National University of Singapore and A*STAR. Using real-time sensing, the ILF can detect imbalances and enable the crane operator to remotely fine-tune the lifting points. This keeps heavy loads level, minimises swaying, and enables precast components to be positioned more accurately – allowing workers to operate from a safer distance. The technology has the potential to improve productivity for the lifting process by up to 30%. The ILF has been trialled in a Jurong West BTO project and is currently undergoing further refinement before wider deployment.

The Intelligent Lifting Frame uses real-time sensing to detect any imbalance. The operator can fine-tune the lifting points via a controller for more precise load positioning – all from a safer distance.

Pushing the Possibilities of 3D Concrete Printing

10 The CTP also enabled HDB to explore new possibilities with 3D concrete printing, to create complex architectural forms without the moulds and formwork typically required in conventional methods. One example is the botanic arbor at the common green between Garden Waterfront I and II @ Tengah. Comprising 22 uniquely shaped, curved segments, the structure was ‘printed’ at HDB’s Centre of Building Research at Woodlands. Measuring up to 13.6m in length, 3.7m in width, and 3.6m in height, the arbor is the largest 3D printed freestanding landscape structure in an HDB development to date.

Located next to the adult and elderly fitness corners at the common green, the curvilinear structure provides a sheltered communal space where residents of all ages can gather, exercise, and enjoy the surrounding greenery

11 The structure was fabricated using a combination of 3D concrete printing and cast infill, with new fibre-reinforced concrete materials. Through parametric modelling – a smart rule-based digital design process – and structural analysis, HDB and Obayashi optimised the thickness of each segment, reducing the volume of concrete required by an estimated 50% compared to a conventionally built structure of equivalent size.

Bringing Innovation into the Home

12 Innovation under the CTP extends beyond how flats are built, to how residents can live more sustainably in their homes. Garden Waterfront I and II @ Tengah are the first BTO projects in Tengah where flats will be equipped with a Smart Adapter, which enables residents to monitor their household electricity consumption in real time. More details are in the Annex.

From Testbed to Wider Transformation

13 The completion of the first CTP project marks an important step in HDB’s longer-term efforts to transform how public housing is built. The experience from Garden Waterfront I and II @ Tengah has demonstrated how new technologies can translate into tangible productivity gains and be progressively scaled across HDB’s building programme.

14 Building on the learnings from the CTP, HDB will continue to work with industry and research partners to explore the next generation of construction solutions. This includes harnessing the growing capabilities of artificial intelligence and advanced robotics, as well as standardising more precast components, to develop solutions that can be deployed at scale. This will enable HDB to build more productively and efficiently while continuing to deliver quality homes for Singaporeans.

¹ Site productivity is defined as the amount of constructed floor area completed per manday. A project is deemed to be more productive if more square meters of floor area can be constructed with the same mandays.

Advanced Construction Technologies at HDB’s First Construction Transformation Project Helped Achieve 25% Productivity Improvement