​In this edition, we like to explore a certain area of the public sector that had effectively boost productivity. Productivity is not just about robots or machines, it is also about systems and the planning of infrastructures to allow access to the fullest range of affordable goods and services for both public or private sectors.
 
We recently received a tip-off from the ground that there is a wonderful communal space that has effectively served the needs of the public. Heartbeat@Bedok is one of the largest integrated complexes in Singapore. It is one of the most effective communal spaces in Singapore and its productivity in integrating a large range of social services are commendable. ​Heartbeat@Bedok is highly productive in the organisation and distribution of social services like healthcare, elderly care, sports, community and recreation services

We took the opportunity to explore  the heartbeat@bedok in the afternoon and the Health Promotion Board was having a massive event to promote a healthy lifestyle.  Many people were participating and receiving free gifts. We interviewed some residents, they were pleased with the integrated facilities and the convenience it brings to their lives. The residents were particularly happy with the polyclinic, library, sports centre, senior care centre and affordable restaurants.

We decided to check out the “affordable” restaurants. To our surprise, the sushi restaurant was selling at $1.50 for each dish, this is by far the most affordable sushi restaurant in Singapore. The western food was affordable too and you can get a plate of western food at $9.50. We had lunch at the western food restaurant and we agreed that it is both affordable and more delicious than most western food restaurants in Singapore. 

​Heartbeat@bedok is integrated with services such as a polyclinic for affordable health care, a senior care centre to continually care for the ageing population, an affordable childcare centre to continually aid the working mothers, an affordable sports centre at a fraction of private gym to help the citizens to have a healthy lifestyle. It also has a community club ( People's Association ’s Kampong Chai Chee Community Club ) to cater to the various social, physical and mental needs of the residents.

​Unlike shopping complexes which have fully air-conditioned walk-ways and event halls, the Heartbeat@Bedok uses large energy-saving ceiling fans to cool its communal spaces. The residents that we interviewed express their preference for such an energy saving concept to a full air-conditioning concept. They were particularly happy that the communal space is highly productive in integrating health care, elderly care, child care, library services, sports and community activities together in one affordable location.
 
We concluded that with efficient planning, such energy-saving communal spaces like Heartbeat@Bedok can be highly productive in the organisation and distribution of social services like healthcare, elderly care, sports, community and recreation services.

Over the past decade, digital technologies have transformed whole industries, ushering in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Social media platforms and on-demand streaming services from start-ups such as Facebook, Spotify and Netflix have transformed media and entertainment. E-commerce giants like Amazon and Alibaba have disrupted brick-and-mortar retailers. Digital-based mobility companies are challenging old-line automakers. And the new technologies did not just satisfy consumer demands for better entertainment, shopping and transport. In those industries and others, innovations improved companies’ productivity and sustainability and reshaped the skills and competencies needed to thrive.

During the same period, however, the construction industry has continued operating as it has for the past 50 years, with a heavy reliance on manual labour, mechanical technology and established operating and business models. Productivity has stagnated as a result.

Now, digital technologies are gradually entering the construction industry, changing how infrastructure, real estate and other built assets are designed, constructed, operated and maintained. Those technologies include building information modeling (BIM), prefabrication, wireless sensors, automated and robotic equipment, and 3D-printing.
The economic and social impact could be substantial, as the construction industry accounts for 6% of global GDP and employs more than 100 million people worldwide. Within 10 years, full-scale digitization could help the industry save an estimated 12-20%, equal to between $1 trillion and $1.7 trillion annually, according to The Boston Consulting Group.

THE Singapore government's Industry Transformation Map (ITM) for the construction sector is more than a vision for the sector's future. It is a survival plan. It is a timely and necessary response to the technological changes taking place in Singapore and around the world.

Mr Desmond Lee, Second Minister for National Development said when launching the construction ITM: "Essentially, we are speaking about transformation of the whole construction sector - the entire process and value chain, from end to end."

With the reduction in access to cheap foreign labour coupled with growing competition, Singapore's construction sector only has one way forward. It must adopt and master the technology now available to drive productivity and efficiencies at every stage of the construction cycle.

Internationally the Singapore construction sector has an excellent reputation for technology adoption, with credit due to the efforts of the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).  Following the pattern seen in other developed countries, the design teams and larger general contractor companies have been the first to move. Given their size and scale, the integration of technology has an immediate financial benefit. They gain the ability to compete against their global competition.

The adoption of technology requires investment in the technology itself as well as the training of staff. So some smaller and specialty contractors have shown hesitation, partly due to cost, and partly due to the need to upskill their workforce.

The ITM's ambitious plan to train 80,000 tech-ready construction professionals by 2025 is good news for smaller contractors. It gives them access to a pipeline of trained talent which is unavailable to them now. Hopefully this new direction will encourage smaller firms to join the revolution, rather than waiting for the larger companies to force technology adoption on them.
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So what are the latest technologies driving change in the construction sector? How do they work and which ones should Singapore companies adopt to get ahead of their competition? Here are some of the most exciting ones for Singapore companies to explore:
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5-DIMENSIONAL BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING (5D-BIM)

Most people understand what a three-dimensional model of a building is. It shows the structures, or what will be built and where. This is called a 3D-Building Information Model or BIM, containing enough detail to show all the components needed to create a structure from floorboards to beams, to columns, pipes and sheet products.
A more recent advancement is 4D BIM, which incorporates data on time such as building schedules and production constraints.

We are now entering the era of 5D BIM - which means it tracks costs as well as time. With a 5D Building Information Model you can see exactly what the progress of construction will be, and the total cost incurred on a future date - in a week, a month or a year.

5D BIM technology comes into its own when you need to make changes to a design. For example, if the project requires more underground parking, you modify the 3D design to include another level of parking, run an automatic 5D analysis, and immediately see what this change has done to the schedule and total cost of the project.
In construction no plan ever mirrors reality. Weather delays, late crews or material shortages inevitably happen. Things change so fast even the best construction managers cannot revise their forecasts fast enough. This is what makes 5D BIM so powerful. An integrated 5D BIM can yield answers to critical questions as fast as the inputs change in real life.

MIXED REALITY AND THE HOLOLENS

Mixed reality is where the real and virtual worlds merge to create new ways of visualizing and experiencing a building. We are in a new era where buildings will be designed as holographic models with which architects, builders and clients interact.

Microsoft's HoloLens is a wearable computer that lets you see holograms superimposed over the real world. One can experience the full-scale hologram of a building or project a scaled-down model onto a tabletop for viewing. Both experiences improve the understanding of the design and intended use, and both experiences can be shared by more than one HoloLens user.

So why is this important? Imagine you want to understand how a building is going to look from a specific viewpoint. You could read a drawing on a piece of paper and use your imagination. You could view a 3D computer model and better visualize what it will be like. Or you can put on a HoloLens and actually experience it to scale. It's the stuff of fantasy, but the technology is here now.

DRONES, PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND IMAGE RECOGNITION

A drone is little more than a camera mounted on an aerial platform. Drone hardware is interesting for the construction industry, but the software that renders the images and videos is more exciting. With the hardware and software together, we get data from previously unavailable vantage points.
Drones can be used for photogrammetry which uses imaging devices and digital algorithms to produce 3D models of terrain, roads and buildings. Beyond photogrammetry is the field of image analysis and object recognition. Here the software can piece together images of a building to automatically create a 3D image. And beyond image analysis is the use of structured light to produce very accurate 3D models from so-called point clouds.
All of these technologies have applications in construction, from gathering data to inform design, to monitoring construction progress to better manage schedules.

THE INTERNET OF THINGS

The ability of people on the project to respond to changing conditions has always been limited by the tools they use to determine what is going on.

Let's say the electricians fail to show up and you need to determine how many guys you will need next week to make up ground. The best project managers have developed good instincts for this type of decision, because they have never had time to wait for data. They must make a call and get going.
The Internet of Things will bring a range of sensors to the job site. In real time, data from the site can be sent to the office (or trailer) where your team can assess the impacts on the schedule, cost, and material or labour requirements, make an informed decision and communicate that decision to crews on site. Superintendents and project managers will still decide quickly, but with some real data and analysis helping them make the right call.

THE FUTURE
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The building construction sector is not the first industry to face a technological transformation. The digital revolution has forever altered the way business is done in manufacturing and financial services, to name just two.
Now it is the construction sector's turn. The onset of change in the construction sector is so rapid that inevitably those capable of responding to change and integrating technology will be the winners, while those who do not adapt risk being left behind.

SMEs must implement Technology:
SMEs regardless how small or veteran they are it is time for companies to leverage in technology and get ready for the implementation of AI, this will be the future of jobs and work.

SMEs must digitally transform:
SMEs have no choice but to transform digitally or technologically.  They should not think they are excluded from the ability to digitally transform. Today’s artificial intelligence (AI) enables faster and more intense progress in nearly every field of human endeavour, and it is essential to enabling the digital transformation that is at the heart of local and global economic development.

Technology development
According to a research done by IDC, worldwide revenue from AI will surge past US$46 billion in 2020.  In Asia-Pacific, this is projected to rise to US$6.8 billion by 2021.

AI development has accelerated this few years thanks to three factors –
a. the ubiquitous availability of data,
b. the growing capabilities of cloud computing, and
c. more powerful algorithms developed by AI researchers

SMEs must be optimistic of the future of digital transformation:
Throughout history, the emergence of new technologies has been accompanied by dire warnings about human redundancy.  More often, the reality is that new technologies have created more jobs than they are destroyed. Businesses must be optimistic of the future of digital transformation including AI which will overhaul workplaces and will continue to change the way work is done. 
 
Workplace trends:
The trends in workplaces are evolving and how employers can work with employees to meet the demands of the growing and changing digital economy is essential. Businesses are required to create higher-value jobs, and increase personal income through “gig jobs”, referring to part-time, freelance or contract employees and reward their employees well. Bear in mind, the best workers need not just be highly skilled, but must be smart, great, ambitious, innately curious, risk-taking people learning to work well in teams to meet the changing workplace and market demands.

Job transformation in the next three years:
We expect around 93% of jobs to be transformed in the next three years especially with the working population are millennials and 62 per cent of jobs today to be redeployed to higher-value roles or reskilled to meet new demands.
SMEs need to be prepared with three key tasked to be completed because the skills required for jobs in the AI economy are changing so rapidly, we need to ensure that each company’s system for preparing, educating, training, and retraining the current and future workforce are also evolving.
Not only will new AI economy require new technical skills, but there is a growing recognition that most workers will need to learn new skills throughout their working lives.

Three key tasks:
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1. Preparing students for future jobs with AI
Rapidly evolving technology impacting every sector means jobs of the future will require more digital skills form basic computer literacy to advanced computer science.  If our youths are to be the driving force for tomorrow’s digital economy, they need the opportunity to study computer science. Computer science teaches computational thinking, a different way to problem solve and is a skill in high demand by employers.  Together, these skills enable access to higher paying jobs in faster-growing fields. 

2. Reskilling for tomorrow’s economy today
Because technology is changing so rapidly, it’s not enough to just focus on educating tomorrow’s workforce; SMEs must also help today’s workers gain skills that are relevant in the changing workplace. Economic growth depends on a skilled workforce that can enable enterprises to take advantage of a new generation of emerging digital technology innovations.  To achieve this, workers will need to be lifelong learners.

3. Ensuring today’s workplace changes to sustainable development
The economy must be healthy and sustainable, as businesses invest in AI for the long run.  The one trend that we cannot ignore is the impact that AI and machine learning will have on workforce. As each company’s mission and business models are unique, therefore; there is no one road map that fits all.  But all companies, including SEA, have thought about how we want to plan for it. Which jobs in the workplace will it help the most? How can we make smarter decision? It’s all based on each company’s road map implementation. Companies instead of being afraid to move forward, they should have an open mind to think about how best they can use digital technology and AI to do their business and jobs differently to create an impact on economy and society. We recognise that it is AI and machine learning that help make a company’s service or product really good to users and consumers.
 
 4.  Working together  As we move forward, it will be essential for our government, the private sector, academia, and the social sector to join together to explore how to best support workers in the new economy.  This can be achieved by developing new approaches to training and education that enable people to acquire the skills that employers (SMEs) need as technology advances; by creating innovative ways to connect workers with job opportunities; and by modernising protections for workers to promote labour mobility and cushion workers and their families against uncertainly in a fast-changing global economy.