Building Tengah’s ‘backbone’: How firm delivers town infrastructure faster with out-of-the-box approach

As Singapore’s first brand-new town in more than 20 years, Tengah Town required everything to be built from scratch: roads, drains, sewers and networks that power daily life. 

It also introduced the nation’s first common services duct, made up of two 12km underground systems. One carries telecommunication lines, the other electrical cables – reducing the need for repeated roadworks while helping to save land and make maintenance easier.

At the same time, additional design enhancements were added to the original project brief. All this meant more work had to be done in a tighter timeline – which is exactly what Precise Development faced when it was engaged by the Housing Board (HDB) to carry out the second phase of construction works.

Myriad challenges at Tengah

Taking on the job, the home-grown firm found itself confronted with a multi-faceted host of challenges that would test its planners and builders. 

Major design enhancements were needed for the common services duct framework, which meant working with various government agencies to sort out approvals and trials, often times without precedents. 

A new MRT line, Jurong Region Line, was being built nearby, which meant yet more coordination to facilitate the building of Tengah’s roads and services. 

And all these had to be done at a time when the construction industry was still struggling with shortages in manpower and supply chains resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Mr Chang Kian Boon, Precise’s project manager at Tengah recalls: “When we first took on the project, we knew it would not be business as usual.

“The common services duct was the first of its kind in Singapore, and we had to manage complex design changes while keeping to a tight schedule. Add to that the impact of Covid-19 on manpower and supplies – it was daunting at the start, but our team rose to the challenge.”

Drawing on years of experience and expertise in construction, Precise’s planners and staff came up with several innovative ways to complete the work on Tengah Town in time. 

These efforts won the company the HDB Construction Resilience Award, which recognises top construction firms in Singapore for the successful and timely completion of HDB BTO or infrastructure projects amid difficulties caused by the pandemic.

Yet, such resilience is something Precise has been known for since it was founded in 1983. Starting with just eight staff then, it is now a major player in the built environment sector, boasting notable projects in its books, such as a logistics centre at 36 Tuas Road, and Sunview Logistics & Container Hub in Jurong.

Calling the HDB Construction Resilience Award “a meaningful recognition” for Precise, Mr Chang says: “It is a reminder of how our people’s dedication and resilience make the difference. 

“I am especially proud that we could play a part in building the backbone of Tengah, Singapore’s first new town in over two decades.”

Innovation and agile thinking to meet timeline

At Tengah, Precise innovated to meet the compressed timeline following the assignment of additional work scope by HDB.

It added resources to build roads such as Tengah Drive and Plantation Crescent, lay sewerage systems, and speed up the installation of telco and electrical pipes in common services ducts with new methods and tools.

At the peak of the project, some 200 workers were deployed to make sure that the work could be completed on time.

One of its more notable innovations was the swift implementation of a temporary overland pumping system, a pump and pipe system to keep sewage flowing while work is done on the main pipeline. 

This was done so that the residents in the first few blocks of flats could move into their homes without delays.

Mr Chang recalls the extra efforts that Precise’s team put into designing the system, submitting requests for approval and installing the necessary equipment. 

“All these demanded time and expertise, but we managed to compress and complete it within just three weeks,” he says with great satisfaction, adding that such a process typically takes three to four months.

“Achieving this in record time is something we are very proud of, and it reflects our team’s determination to support HDB’s priorities and help residents move into their homes on schedule.”

What helped Precise make this possible, he adds, was a proactive, out-of-the-box approach.

“To meet the deadlines, we re-sequenced our work, trained multi-skilled teams and coordinated closely with many parties. It meant more upfront effort, but it gave us the flexibility to respond quickly and deliver critical infrastructure on time,” he says.

This approach enabled Precise’s team to build Tengah’s critical infrastructure in stages more efficiently, while its in-house teams, with training, could handle various aspects of construction – such as building drains and services ducts – more effectively. 

Precise also engaged multiple subcontractors to supplement manpower constraints when working on different parts of the sewerage system. It enabled them to do work concurrently, again speeding up the construction process.

These innovations and efforts paid off when Precise successfully completed the works within a compressed timeline.

Key roads and services networks – including some 4km of roads, 8km of roadside drains and 1.5km of trunk sewers – were completed by then, too, facilitating further developments in Tengah.

For Mr Chang, seeing the first few flats occupied was the greatest source of satisfaction. 

“Seeing Tengah’s first families move into their new homes makes all the hard work worthwhile,” he says. “For us, this project was not just about building infrastructures, but about laying the foundation for a community. Knowing that our work has helped bring Singapore’s newest town to life is deeply fulfilling.”

Learn how the Housing Board and its partners work to deliver homes Singapore residents love returning to.