Working above an MRT tunnel to deliver flats: Why this S’pore builder earned accolades for its first BTO project

Vico Construction also overcame a Covid-era manpower crunch and used precast construction to save about 700 man-days at Tampines GreenOpal

Families enjoy the playground at Tampines GreenOpal, home-grown builder Vico Construction’s first BTO project undertaken as the main contractor.

PHOTO: VICO CONSTRUCTION

Published Sep 25, 2026, 04:00 AM

This home-grown construction firm likes breaking new ground, even away from its building site.

For Vico Construction, Tampines GreenOpal represented new territory: It was the firm’s first Housing Board (HDB) build-to-order (BTO) development – and one that would test its mettle.

An MRT tunnel runs beneath the centre of the development, presenting an added challenge as construction teams had to carefully work around existing underground utilities. Then the Covid-19 pandemic brought a manpower crunch that threatened to hold up foundation works.

Navigating those challenges has now earned Vico another breakthrough – its first Certificate of Merit in the construction category for housing at the HDB Awards 2026.

The Housing Board’s annual awards recognise companies and consultants that have contributed to better homes, estates and construction practices in Singapore, including through quality construction and good project and site management.

Vico is no stranger to major projects, having worked on developments such as the Thomson Impressions condominium, Marina Bay Cruise Centre and commercial projects including Food Concept @ Pandan. But building a BTO project as the main contractor was new territory.

Vico’s project director and senior project manager Poh Kim Siah says: “This win is indeed a big milestone for us.”

The project comprises eight residential blocks, two multi-storey carparks with roof gardens and two childcare centres.

Building above an MRT tunnel

One of the biggest challenges Vico faced was out of sight, beneath the development.

The Downtown Line MRT tunnel runs under the centre of Tampines GreenOpal, resulting in more than half the project site falling within the Land Transport Authority’s Railway Protection Zone.

This meant construction had to be carefully planned and monitored to protect the rail infrastructure below.

Tampines GreenOpal sits above the Downtown Line MRT tunnel, a key challenge during construction. PHOTO: VICO CONSTRUCTION

Tampines GreenOpal sits above the Downtown Line MRT tunnel, a key challenge during construction.

Existing underground services added another layer of complexity. Before work began, multiple trial holes were dug to establish their exact locations and depths.

Vico then worked with the project consultants to determine where the building’s foundation piles could safely be placed. Close monitoring and additional precautions were also taken during construction to protect the underground utilities.

Another test came after the circuit breaker period when a key supplier faced a manpower shortage in fabricating rebar cages – steel reinforcement required for the project’s foundation piles.

Rather than waiting for the supplier to catch up, Vico deployed its own workers, training them to fabricate the cages in-house.

Poh says the team eventually produced about 30 per cent of the rebar cages itself, helping to save three months and keeping the project on track.

How technology is used to work smarter, faster

Technology was another way Vico sought to save time and manpower.

Poh says digital tools are becoming increasingly important as the construction industry seeks to boost productivity while relying on a smaller workforce.

The Vico Construction team piloted 3D building models and QR-code tracking to save time, improve coordination and reduce rework at the BTO development. PHOTO: VICO CONSTRUCTION

The Vico Construction team piloted 3D building models and QR-code tracking to save time, improve coordination and reduce rework at the BTO development.

“In future, projects must move towards more productivity while relying on fewer workers. We must embrace technology to help increase productivity,” he says.

At Tampines GreenOpal, Vico used Building Information Modelling, which creates a digital model of a building so that its design and construction can be checked before work begins.

The 3D models allowed the team to see where pipes, openings and other building services should go, helping to identify potential problems early and reduce the risk of work having to be redone.

“Previously, a physical demo mock-up is required but with this technology, we are able to know where the pipes are, for example, and we can reduce abortive work and confirm the designs earlier,” says Poh.

QR codes were used to track precast building components from factory production to delivery and installation. This allowed problems to be spotted early and suppliers to be contacted when critical components were missing to prevent delay in progress.

Vico proposed using precast components for roof structures standing more than 5m high, instead of building them from scratch on site. These components were made in a more controlled environment before being transported to the development for installation.

The change saved about 700 man-days across the eight residential blocks, while reducing the risks of workers having to carry out extensive work at height.

Safety was another priority for Vico. Poh says: “Safety shares equal importance with production, quality and cost.”

According to the company, it clocked 5.4 million accident-free man-hours over the course of the project, where the workforce reached about 500 to 600 people at its peak.

Workers attended daily toolbox meetings to go through the risks of the day’s activities and the protective equipment required. Vico also held regular meetings with subcontractors to review site conditions and address safety issues.

Having broken new ground with its first BTO project as main contractor, Vico is looking to build on the experience.

Poh says the company will continue exploring technology and construction methods that can make its projects safer, more efficient and less reliant on manpower.

Learn more about Vico Construction.

Vico Construction 也克服了新冠疫情期间的人力短缺问题，并在淡滨尼绿欧泊项目中采用预制构件施工，节省了约 700 个工日。

在淡滨尼绿宝石 (Tampines GreenOpal) 的游乐场里，一家人其乐融融。淡滨尼绿宝石是本土建筑商 Vico Construction 作为总承包商承建的第一个组屋项目。

图片：VICO CONSTRUCTION

发布于 2026 年 9 月 25 日 上午 4:00

这家本土建筑公司喜欢开拓创新，即使远离自己的建筑工地也是如此。

对于 Vico Construction 而言，淡滨尼绿玉 (Tampines GreenOpal) 代表着新的领域：这是该公司第一个组屋（HDB）预购组屋（BTO）开发项目，也是对其实力的一次考验。

地铁隧道从开发项目中心下方穿过，这给施工带来了额外的挑战，因为施工团队必须小心翼翼地避开现有的地下管线。随后，新冠疫情导致人手短缺，险些使地基工程停滞。

克服这些挑战后，Vico 又获得了一项突破——在 2026 年建屋发展局奖中获得了房屋建筑类别的首个优秀证书。

新加坡建屋发展局的年度奖项旨在表彰为新加坡的房屋、住宅区和建筑实践做出贡献的公司和顾问，包括通过高质量的建筑和良好的项目及工地管理。

Vico对大型项目并不陌生，他曾参与过Thomson Impressions公寓、滨海湾邮轮中心​​等开发项目，以及包括Food Concept @ Pandan在内的商业项目。但作为总承包商建造预购组屋项目对他来说却是全新的领域。

Vico的项目总监兼高级项目经理Poh Kim Siah表示：“这次中标对我们来说确实是一个重要的里程碑。”

该项目包括八栋住宅楼、两座带屋顶花园的多层停车场和两座托儿中心。

建在地铁隧道上方

Vico面临的最大挑战之一是隐藏在开发项目之下的。

市区线地铁隧道从淡滨尼绿洲中心下方穿过，导致该项目场地的一半以上位于陆路交通管理局的铁路保护区内。

这意味着施工必须经过精心规划和监控，以保护下方的铁路基础设施。

淡滨尼绿欧泊项目位于市区线地铁隧道上方，这是施工过程中的一大挑战。图片：维科建筑公司

淡滨尼绿奥帕尔 (Tampines GreenOpal) 位于市区线地铁隧道上方，这是施工过程中的一项重大挑战。

现有的地下管线增加了施工的复杂性。在正式开工前，先挖掘了多个试洞，以确定它们的确切位置和深度。

随后，维科与项目顾问合作，确定了建筑物地基桩的安全位置。施工期间，还采取了严密监控和额外预防措施，以保护地下管线。

在阻断措施实施期间，又一次考验到来了，当时一家主要供应商在制造钢筋笼（该项目地基桩所需的钢筋）时面临人手短缺的问题。

Vico 没有等待供应商赶上进度，而是部署了自己的工人，并对他们进行培训，让他们在公司内部制造笼子。

Poh 表示，团队最终自行生产了约 30% 的钢筋笼，这节省了三个月的时间，使项目得以按计划进行。

如何利用技术更智能、更快速地工作

技术是维科寻求节省时间和人力的另一种方式。

Poh表示，随着建筑行业在依赖较少劳动力的情况下寻求提高生产力，数字化工具变得越来越重要。

Vico Construction团队在BTO（预购组屋）开发项目中试点应用了3D建筑模型和二维码追踪技术，以节省时间、改善协调并减少返工。图片：VICO CONSTRUCTION

Vico Construction 团队在 BTO 开发项目中试行了 3D 建筑模型和二维码跟踪，以节省时间、改善协调并减少返工。

“未来，项目必须朝着提高生产效率、减少劳动力投入的方向发展。我们必须拥抱科技，以帮助提高生产效率。”他说道。

在淡滨尼绿奥帕尔项目中，Vico 使用了建筑信息模型（BIM），该模型可以创建建筑物的数字模型，以便在施工开始前检查其设计和施工情况。

3D 模型使团队能够看到管道、开口和其他建筑设施应该位于何处，从而有助于及早发现潜在问题并降低返工的风险。

Poh表示：“以前，我们需要一个实体演示模型，但有了这项技术，我们就能知道管道的位置，例如，我们可以减少无效工作，并更早地确认设计。”

二维码被用于追踪预制建筑构件从工厂生产到交付和安装的整个过程。这使得问题能够及早发现，并在关键构件缺失时及时联系供应商，从而避免工期延误。

Vico公司提议，对于超过5米高的屋顶结构，应采用预制构件，而不是在现场从零开始建造。这些构件在更可控的环境下生产，然后再运到施工现场进行安装。

这一改变为八个住宅楼节省了约 700 个工日，同时降低了工人在高空进行大量作业的风险。

安全是Vico的另一项优先考虑因素。Poh表示：“安全与生产、质量和成本同等重要。”

据该公司称，在项目进行过程中，累计无事故工时达到 540 万小时，高峰时期工人人数达到约 500 至 600 人。

工人们每天都会参加工具箱会议，讨论当天作业的风险以及所需的防护装备。Vico公司也定期与分包商召开会议，审查现场情况并解决安全问题。

Vico作为总承包商，在其首个预购组屋项目中取得了突破性进展，并希望在此基础上再创佳绩。

Poh表示，公司将继续探索能够使其项目更安全、更高效、更少依赖人力的技术和施工方法。

了解更多关于维科建筑公司的信息。