A major review of the construction industry in Singapore was undertaken over the past 1½ years which involved representatives from major industry players, namely the developers, architects, engineers, and other professional consultants, contractors, as well as regulatory bodies and consumers. The Construction 21 (C21) study was initiated in May 1998 to address certain problems faced by the industry, in particular, the heavy reliance on unskilled labour and the low level of productivity. It became apparent that the underlying problem was systemic, and hence an integrated approach to address issues across the construction value chain was necessary.

After more than a year of extensive study and deliberations, the final C21 report was launched in October last year. It articulated a vision of the construction industry in the 21st Century: ‘To be a world-class builder in a knowledge age’. It aims to transform the industry from a Dirty, Demanding and Dangerous (3 D’s) to a Professional, Productive and Progressive (3 P’s) industry.

To realise this vision, 6 strategic thrusts and 39 recommendations have been proposed. One strategic thrust is to enhance professionalism in the industry. Specific recommendations under this thrust include:

1. enhancing the curriculum for construction-related fields by including soft skills (e.g. management) to make them sufficiently broad-based; and
   
2. introducing common modules for engineering and architecture students for foundation and multi-disciplinary skills development.

The objective for mounting common modules is to expose students to related fields so that when they eventually enter the construction industry, they will have, among other things, more balanced and broad-based skills. It will also help to promote camaraderie among architecture, building and engineering (ABE) students who will be working together in the future for closer integration and better understanding of the construction process.

Consequently to achieve the desirable interaction mooted by the Construction 21 Steering Committee, a Taskforce* comprising representatives from the School of Design & Environment (SDE) as well as the Faculty of Engineering (ENG) was formed in January 2000.

The Taskforce examined the various ABE courses in NUS to identify modules possibly common in terms of curriculum and structure that ABE students can take jointly together. The Taskforce also considered logistical issues such as teaching staff, equipment and laboratory support, student numbers, as well as timetable coordination. In its deliberations, the Taskforce recognised that the department(s) with the relevant core competence should be responsible for mounting classes of common modules.

In addition, the Taskforce acknowledged that student interaction in the common modules should not be limited only to attending mutual lectures where interaction is only minimal. A conscious attempt should be made to mix ABE students in small tutorial classes where student interaction and camaraderie can be promoted more rigorously. Assoc Prof Lam Khee Poh, the Acting Dean of the then Faculty of Architecture, Building & Real Estate (now renamed SDE), commented that this deliberate mode of teaching and learning “would help to achieve integration and synergy between the professionals, and promote a common understanding and aspiration for a better built environment. This setting would also enable ABE students to cross-fertilise ideas as they learn about the arts, design, engineering, and science.”

After distinguishing the relevant modules and finalising the operational details of mounting common modules for students in FABRE and ENG, the Taskforce has sent its recommendations to senior management for implementation in the 2000/01 academic year. Apart from organising common modules, the Taskforce has also recommended that multi-disciplinary design projects, for ABE students to work together as a team, should be introduced so that multi-disciplinary skills development can further take place within the professions. Students should ideally undertake this in the higher years when they have completed their basic training in their respective professional disciplines. It would also be desirable to mount such mutual assignments using electronic media in the form of digital design projects. By working together, ABE students would have the opportunity to observe and evaluate how their counterparts from closely allied disciplines tackle problems that are of common interest to them.

The introduction of common modules and integrated design projects for ABE students is highly strategic. Not only will it facilitate interaction between ABE students and further strengthen the core competence of departments in the two faculties, it will also better prepare our ABE graduates for the work environment of the 21st century.