Prefabricated Volumetric Construction (PPVC) and its relevance in Singapore

The idea of Prefabricated Volumetric Construction (PPVC) was created to speed up construction in this traditionally labour-intensive industry. Since its introduction, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has made a regulation where selected projects in certain land parcels of Government Land Sales have to adopt the PPVC method.

PPVC comprises the completion of free-standing, three-dimensional modules with internal finishes, fixtures and fittings in a prefabrication facility off-site before it gets delivered and installed on-site. This construction method is commonly referred to as the “LEGO” building method since the rooms, also known as “blocks”, are constructed off-site before being transported on-site to be put together just like LEGO.

Advantages of PPVC

PPVC ensures better quality control whereby the rooms or spaces within a unit are built at a specialised prefabrication facility with a controlled environment and stringent quality control, reducing the chances of human error occurring. After the fabrication is completed at the facility, completed rooms are transported to the construction site to be stacked.

Some of the advantages brought about by this besides better quality control, are improved productivity and construction environment as well as boosting efficiency. With improved efficiency, the construction process can be much faster since construction can start earlier before being stacked up at the construction site.

PPVC also allows for fewer on-site hard labour to be employed for the job, making the process less labour-intensive. This also translates into better cost savings as contractors are able to hire fewer workers for construction. This method provides for a better construction environment with rooms being constructed externally away from the construction site, there would be less noise and dust pollution that would affect surrounding neighbours.

Disadvantages of PPVC

On the contrary, since the fabrication of PPVC units are effectively offshored, they are prone to the effects of external environment macroeconomic factors. An example of this was during the COVID-19 pandemic when countries were locked down, and foreign workers could not enter the country to work, halting foreign labour in the country and pausing construction projects across the country.

Another constraint of PPVC is a shorter ceiling height and limited room sizes. This restriction is a result of limitations in transporting the modules whereby traffic regulations state that transporting trucks must be shorter than 4.5m to be allowed on public roads without police escorts. Hence the unit’s ceiling height is what remains after removing the height of the truck platform and the slab thickness of the unit’s floor/ceiling. The structural walls of PPVC units are not hackable which further leads to limited renovation options for such units.

Despite the setbacks mentioned, PPVC provides for better quality control, improved productivity and the construction environment, outweighing its disadvantages. In short, PPVC is undeniably paving the way forward for the construction scene in Singapore.