Prefab buildings have to meet same stringent standards

We thank Mr Chee San Chuan for his feedback (Ensure prefab homes do not have built-in problems; March 10).

Buildings adopting Prefabricated Pre-finished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) have to comply with the prevailing building control requirements in the Building Control Act and Regulations, as well as the regulatory requirements of other relevant technical authorities.

In addition, most prefabricated bathrooms today are constructed using concrete and are no different from conventional cast on-site bathrooms in terms of maintenance.

Manufacturers of PPVC systems and prefabricated bathrooms also have to implement a stringent quality control and assurance regime, and be accredited before their systems can be used in Government Land Sales projects where such technologies are required.

This includes the criterion of having the system designed for water-tightness to prevent water leakage.

These accredited manufacturers are listed on the Building and Construction Authority's website.

With the adoption of advanced construction technologies such as PPVC and prefabricated bathrooms, which allow the majority of the construction work to be carried out off-site in a controlled factory environment, we can achieve better quality control, improve productivity, and reduce disamenities (for example, noise and dust) to the surroundings.

Ang Lian Aik

Group Director
Construction Productivity and Quality
Building and Construction Authority

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 17, 2017, with the headline Prefab buildings have to meet same stringent standards. Subscribe