Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on inspections of building façades

Jul 9, 2018

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: To ask the Minister for National Development 

a) what audits have been performed nationwide since the last incident in 2016 of a fallen concrete sunshade;
 
b) whether there have been any recommendations or changes made to building design compliance; and
 
c) what more can be done to prevent future occurrences. 

Answer: 

Under the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act, building owners are required to ensure that building exteriors are maintained in a state of good and serviceable repair.  For HDB estates, Town Councils conduct regular inspections on building façades as they are responsible for the maintenance of common property.  Where necessary, they will engage a Professional Engineer to follow up on any repairs that are required.  In addition, HDB conducts annual audit inspections of selected blocks, with a focus on buildings with more facade elements. 

As highlighted in the Committee of Supply debate earlier this year, BCA will be introducing a Periodic Facade Inspection regime to enable early detection of tell-tale signs of deteriorating facade elements.  This will allow building owners to carry out the necessary maintenance and repairs. The regime will focus on buildings above 20 years old, with the exception of private landed houses, temporary buildings and low rise buildings.  We intend to introduce legislation by the end of this year. 

Since 2017, BCA has made available a Facade Access Design Guide to help designers integrate suitable access solutions at the upstream planning and design stage, to facilitate downstream inspection and maintenance of facades.  To complement the upcoming facade inspection regime, BCA is working with the industry to develop inspection guidelines for the different types of facades commonly found in Singapore. In addition to training and certifying facade inspectors, BCA is investing in R&D to see how inspections can be carried out in a more effective and productive manner.  BCA and HDB have also jointly called for proposals to develop a drone inspection system for building facades.