HDB LUP
It can’t be that timely. I was just commenting on HDB LUP because my late mother’s HDB flat is slated for HDB LUP! And amazingly, ours is the ONLY block going through the LUP programme! The other surrounding blocks had all been completed wwaaaaay before. I wonder which precinct are we bundled with.
Now, where do I begin?
RE: How lift upgrading programme works (From HDB Infoweb)
RE: HDB to look at speeding up lift upgrading works (From Today online)
RE: Why lift upgrading takes time (From ST Property)
In summary:
(1) Overhaul existing lifts – 6 months
(2) New lifts – 16 months
(3) Basically, what MP Foo Mee Har is saying to HDB is “I don’t need it to be cheaper, better, faster. I just need it to be faster.”
In all the articles, several things were brought up:
- Detection and diversion of services
- Micro piling works
- Overhaul old lifts
- New lift shafts using precast steel of concrete
There are a lot of other things involved here which are not mentioned in details, like Architectural Works (plastering, painting, railings, flooring?), M&E Works (electrical works, lighting installation, testing and commissioning,?) and other Structural Works (new concrete slab for landing, expansion joints) These are just some I can think of off hand.
If I am the resident, what would bother me most are not the above. It will be the hacking works. The parapet wall needs to be hacked to create a landing/opening connecting to the lift shaft. And by the fact that the lift stops at every floor means every parapet wall at every floor needs to be HACKED!
Why am I concerned about this? Because hacking of concrete is (1) extremely loud (2) extremely dirty and dusty (3) extremely time consuming.
Hacking works in the construction industry are measured by man hours, we call it Daywork Rates. It is different from, say, lay 10 m2 of brick wall where we pay for 10 m2 of bricks, cement and sand mortar, bricklayers, (there’s very little machinery used in bricklaying) plus profit.
In Daywork Rate, it is basically just man-hours. If the labourer takes a longer time to complete the work, we pay more, in terms of time and money. If the labourer is very gungho and hardworking, he takes a shorter time to complete the work, we pay less. But come on, who, realistically, will do that?
In the case of HDB LUP hacking works, I am not sure if Daywork Rates are used (my guess is NO), I hope they have a method to quantify and shorten this hacking works.
In one of the article and I quote:
Another constraint, said industry sources, would be the work hours for the construction – typically from 8.30am to 6pm. Unlike condominiums built on vacant land, HDB blocks picked for the LUP are occupied and are located near other blocks with residents who will endure only so many inconveniences within the day.
Hello!! Condominium developments here are build on vacant land? Tuas? Seletar Reservoir? Pulau Ubin? Hello!! Ler Leh Gong Si Mi? All, if not most condominium developments here are built within existing housing estates. They still have to abide to the working hours! There are adjacent condominiums and human beings live there!! Not monkeys! So, this constraint is not unique to HDB LUP, it applies to every development, new or upgrading works!!
Then, there is this smart alec who wrote this to Today and I quote:
Firstly, cement lasts better than other materials in all climates, especially the tropics. To give it the best overall strength, the process should not be rushed. For instance, speeding up the drying process could come at the cost of future maintenance.
Doesn’t he even do his homework before voicing out his comment in national newspaper (and the fact that it actually gets published baffles me!)
(1) No one uses cement only. It is called concrete, a combination of Cement, Sand, Aggregate and Water.
(2) It is not drying process, it is known as curing.
(3) The strength of the concrete depends on the proportion of Cement vs Sand vs Aggregate vs Water.
And by the way, HDB LUP uses precast concrete components!! Precast concrete components are fully manufactured and cured in factory before transporting them to the site for assembly! These precast concrete components would probably be sitting in their factories waiting for the site to be ready.
Side track a bit. Do you know that the Marina Bay Sands’ bathroom uses precast concrete components, complete with tiling, sanitary wares, etc. all assembled in factories and transported to MBS site to be assembled by connecting the pipes and joints?
In ending, it is quite difficult to suggest ways to improve the time period of the upgrading works because very little information are available. I suspect HDB has no idea on the construction programme either. The construction programme is managed by its consultants and contractors. Delays like this needs to be slapped with LD. I am not even sure if the main contractor and the lift contractor are treated as separate contracts? Or is the lift contractor contracted as subcontractors to the main contractor? I would suggest the latter, that would allow better site coordination and construction programming. Just pay the damn Profit and Attendance!
Going block-by-block may sound attractive but it drains resources.
I believe there are other ways to overcome this. Again, I do not have the number of blocks taken by a precinct. If it is 20 blocks, the contract can be structured with phased completion, say 3 blocks here, 5 blocks there, clustering the resources by the proximity of the blocks. With this, HDB will still enjoy competitive pricing as the contractor will have an overview and extent of the work involved. At the same time, the contractor will focus their resources in that particular phase, complete it and get the money!! Then move forward to the next phase! Phase by phase, cluster by cluster. Better cashflow for the contractor too!
Just so you know, one of my project – a 9 units 3-storey semi-detached housing development complete with attic and basement and swimming pool takes 18 months to complete.
