Introduction to Singapore Polytechnic

Singapore Polytechnic was founded in 1954 and was the first polytechnic in Singapore that offered three-year diploma courses. Today, there are 49 diploma programs, including architecture, arts and humanities, business, design, engineering, and health sciences. There are 1,500 staff and 18,000 students housed in a unique green campus, which has been architecturally designed with landscaped courtyards. Figure 23.1 illustrates the Administration Building.

FIGURE 23.1 Administration building

About the School

Singapore Polytechnic offers a diploma in architecture from the School of Architecture and the Built Environment. The school also offers courses in landscape architecture, civil engineering, facilities management, and water technology. Each academic year 120 students enroll in the first year of the three-year Diploma in Architecture (DARCH) program. The DARCH curriculum focuses on the integration of design with technology, and students are exposed to the real world in a simulated office environment.

The school firmly believes that BIM is an important part of challenging the creativity of the students toward innovative architectural solutions. To formalize the integration of BIM into the curriculum, a pilot program was introduced in 2010 for final-year students of the fall 2009/spring 2010 class. A year later, the DARCH course required students to be able to conceptualize design ideas and develop them into workable design schemes with details, using BIM.

Bridging the Industry Gap

Singapore Polytechnic is a school that graduates architectural assistants to the architectural industry. Students are required to design their projects in a way that fulfills statutory building regulations set by the Building Construction Authority (BCA) and the Fire Safety and Shelter Bureau. They must design with regard to building setbacks, fire safety, and evacuation design. From the earliest massing studies, students prepare their schematic models to meet these regulations.

As a result, graduates from the DARCH program transfer into the office environment with a minimum of retraining. There are numerous opportunities for students to participate in competitions and real projects. In the spring of 2010, a Revit competition was organized for the first pilot run, which impressed jurors to the point of offering positions within their practice. The BCA of Singapore took note as well.

In Singapore the BCA is spearheading an initiative to implement BIM for the entire AEC industry in Singapore. The statutory board is responsible for processing and approving building plans before any construction can commence. By 2015, all building plans have to be submitted in BIM format.

About the Lecturers

Lecturers at Singapore Polytechnic are not only professionally trained in architecture but also incredibly committed. They challenge their students to develop proficiency in both design and technology. For the first Revit pilot, the lecturers also closely worked with Gerard Heng of Autodesk Education. Together they developed a curriculum illustrated by Figure 23.2. Heng also trained both staff and the students while implementing Revit in a studio environment.

FIGURE 23.2 BIM adoption process