share on
The new Obayashi Construction-Tech Lab Singapore will serve as a hub for fostering and deploying next-generation construction productivity technologies in the region.
Global construction company Obayashi Corporation has established its R&D base for the Asia region in Singapore. A ceremony was held on 18 July 2024 (Thursday) to commemorate the launch and bring together local stakeholders from the construction technology ecosystem.
With this milestone, the new Obayashi Construction-Tech Lab Singapore (OCLS) will serve as a hub for fostering and deploying next-generation construction productivity technologies in the Asian region and for strengthening the company's research and development efforts through proactive collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
Citing reasons behind this establishment, Obayashi noted that in Singapore specifically, labour-saving and productivity improvement have become major social issues in the construction industry, largely in part spurred by the shortage of foreign workers due to the pandemic. In turn, construction companies and start-ups in Japan and abroad are actively developing technologies and applying them to construction sites.
Thus the new OCLS, which will serve a base for joint research and development with universities and other research institutions, construction companies, and start-ups in Asia. There will be a strong focus on construction robotics technology, currently actively being developed and applied in the region, and supporting its application to construction sites in Asia.
Beyond that, OCLS will expand its scope to fields beyond construction robotics in the future, and actively promote the results of its research and development outside Japan, and promote the spread of its technology.
OCLS' vision
Using OCLS as a starting point, the Obayashi Group aims to solve social issues on a global scale by building a research and development ecosystem in Singapore and the rest of Asia, and accelerating the development of future-oriented technologies that transcend the boundaries of the construction industry.
The OCLS offices are located in the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Braddell Campus, and will be part of the Built Environments Innovation Hub (BEIH) Ecosystem — a collaborative space envisioned for like-minded individuals to connect and showcase innovative technologies, exchange ideas, and transfer knowledge to accelerate the transformation of the Built Environment.
Key R&D initiatives at OCLS include:
Accelerating the validation and deployment of Asia-origin technologies on construction sites
As part of this, OCLS will receive funding support from BCA’s Productivity Innovation Project (PIP) incentive scheme to bring robots from Chinese robot maker Fang Shi Technology to Singapore. This PIP scheme co-funds technology adoption and innovations that improve productivity.
Collaborative research with the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP)
OCLS will collaborate with SC3DP, located within Nanyang Technological University (NTU), to explore the application of 3D printing technology in the construction industry.
The new Master Research Collaboration Agreement (MRCA) includes the launch a joint laboratory at SC3DP by OCLS and NTU Singapore. This partnership will focus on developing research initiatives to pioneer the development of sustainable construction materials and the 3D printing of mechanical joints and multi-material components.
Collaborative research with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)
Lastly, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) by the two parties last November, both OCLS and SUTD plan to conduct joint research and explore collaborations in the areas of design, development, and application of robotic solutions, along with artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the design and construction process.
Lead image / Singapore Economic Development Board
share on
