BCA iBuildSG Undergraduate Scholarship holder has his eye on the big picture

Daryl Chew believes that a successful transformation of Singapore's built environment lies in the human touch

By Marianne Tan

February 22, 2021

Since he was young, Mr Daryl Chew always held a fascination for buildings. He would construct entire structures out of Lego blocks, from planes and cars to towers and skyscrapers. 

The 27-year-old now works as a production planning engineer at integrated property group Soilbuild’s Integrated Construction and Prefabrication Hub (ICPH). And although he has progressed from tiny plastic blocks to giant concrete slabs, he continues to feel the same passion about buildings that he did as a child.

“The built environment (BE) has existed since ancient times when people came together in urban settlements, and is therefore a relatively traditional field that has remained somewhat technologically constant over generations, compared with sectors such as medical, finance and e-commerce,” he says.

“This thinking, that the BE sector is lagging behind the rest, has impacted the career choices of millennials. It has become increasingly difficult to attract new talent into the sector.

“I want to change people’s perception of the sector and inject a fresh perspective for our future engineers-to-be. In years to come, I hope I will have the opportunity to shape the future direction of our BE sector and ensure Singapore’s international standing as a world-class city.”

Wide-ranging role

As a production planning engineer, Mr Chew is responsible for managing the ICPH integrated Enterprise Resource Planning systems that drive various automation processes. He also oversees the integration and development of other emerging cutting-edge technologies that could potentially increase production efficiency and productivity.

At the same time, he is also involved in many other facets of the industry, such as research and development initiatives in advanced Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) solutions and sustainable green materials, tender and project feasibility discussions, and strategic communications with industry partners, government agencies and institutes of higher learning through work collaborations and visitation programmes. 

Under the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) iBuildSG Scholarship and Sponsorship programme, he has also interacted with key stakeholders in the industry and been involved in discussions about the future of the sector.

Engineer for the 21st century

Mr Chew is hopeful that the transformation process can be kick-started by the Construction Industry Transformation Map, a road map championed by BCA that aims to advance the sector through the widespread adoption of leading technologies, led by progressive and collaborative firms and supported by a skilled and competent workforce. 

What he believes will sustain it is the human touch.

“Without the human factor, no amount of new technologies and digital revolutions would be able to ensure its success,” he says. 

For today’s engineers, Mr Chew explains, this means being able to communicate effectively with industry stakeholders, perform effective cost management, and possess financial literacy and decision-making capabilities, and to think clearly, rationally and innovatively at the same time. 

He is currently pursuing a Master of Engineering (Research) at the National University of Singapore under the Industrial Postgraduate Programme Scholarship, with a deep focus on developing DfMA connection systems for precast technology.

“The industry does not need an engineer who simply works from 9 to 5; it needs an engineer who can also think like a doctor, banker, lawyer and analyst – that is the true transformation for a 21st-century engineer.”

To find out more about careers in the built environment sector, visit www.buildingcareers.gov.sg.