Driving The Next Wave of Transformation in the Built Environment Sector

Held on 28 April 2021, the inaugural BuildSG LEAD Summit, organised by the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA), brought together leaders in the Built Environment (BE) Sector to discuss their roles in driving and developing the industry ecosystem, especially in light of current COVID-related challenges faced by the industry.

Mr Seah Chee Huang, chief executive officer (CEO) of DP Architects, was among the distinguished panellists invited to share their thoughts and perspectives in the second plenary discussion, Role of Leadership in Developing the Built Environment Business Ecosystem.

The discussion was moderated by Mr Winston Chow, Associate Professor of Science, Technology and Society, School of Social Sciences at Singapore Management University, and saw younger leaders across the value chain, representing both large organisations and local SMEs, share their thoughts on how BE leaders could foster the building of a more collaborative ecosystem.

Sharing the stage with Chee Huang and Winston were Mr Louis Lim, CEO at Keppel Land Limited, Mr Roy Khoo, Director at Kimly Construction Pte Ltd, Mr Marcus Loo, Chief Executive Officer of Savills Singapore and Mr Omar Shahzad, Group Chief Executive Officer, Meinhardt Group.

During the discussion, Chee Huang shared his perspective on how innovation is not just about technology, but also about typology, science that drives design and programming, and how technology plays a key role in enabling productivity, allowing the sector to achieve more important outcomes in the wellness space, and in terms of sustainability.

When asked what more can be done to raise the next generation of BE industry leaders in Singapore, Chee Huang shared his view on how institutions of higher learning provide safe environments to experiment, innovate and learn success among architects, engineers, and other BE sector-related courses, thus playing a key role in building industry alliances early on. In the same vein, Chee Huang stressed the importance of continued learning for his generation of industry professionals in order to avoid obstacles in the next generation’s push for change.

In his concluding thoughts, Chee Huang reinforced the urgency of driving change for the present, and implored everyone to focus not just on the cost of innovation today, but on the cost of not reinventing the way the BE sector builds and creates, especially in light of existential threats like climate change.

On top of the programme’s keynote presentations and plenary discussions, BCA’s inaugural BuildSG LEAD Summit also saw Mr Tan Kiat How, Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office and National Development, taking the podium, thanking BE sector leaders for their partnership within the industry and with the government. Mr Tan addressed how leaders can play a crucial role in developing stewardship, how COVID-19 provided a strong impetus to change, and as a result, advanced the way the industry builds.

Watch the full recording of the Summit here.