# Homes designed for easier upkeep could mean lower maintenance fees for owners

- **Source:** Channel NewsAsia
- **Published:** 2026-07-23T08:20:09.000Z
- **Author:** Eugene Chow, Marcel Pereira
- **Original:** https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/design-maintenance-study-building-construction-authority-lower-fees-6272746
- **Topics:** Private Residential

## Featured rationale

The short payback and recurring savings may encourage wider adoption of maintainable designs, potentially lowering owners’ maintenance fees and influencing buyer preferences.

## AI summary

Maintainability features added 0.2 per cent to Copen Grand’s construction cost but could save up to S$110,000 annually in maintenance expenses.

## Original article

SINGAPORE: At the newly completed Copen Grand condominium in Tengah , gondolas can access the facades of all residential blocks, eliminating the need for scaffolding whenever the building's exterior needs to be cleaned or repainted. Other design features, such as counters in common washrooms that reduce water spillage, also cut the time needed for cleaning. They added just 0.2 per cent to the development's construction cost, but can save up to S$110,000 (US$85,000) a year in maintenance expenses, according to a Building and Construction Authority (BCA) study. By making routine maintenance tasks quicker and safer, the features reduce the estate’s long-term upkeep costs, with the savings potentially helping to lower residents' monthly maintenance fees.

EARLY PLANNING REQUIRED The condominium's architect said such features have to be incorporated from the outset. "We have to put these measures in the planning stages because it's very difficult to implement when the project is completed,” Mr Markus Cheng, senior associate partner at ADDP Architects, told CNA. At Copen Grand, for example, the building was designed with 1.2m-wide access space so maintenance workers can reach the facade and operate the gondola system. Mr Cheng said providing such access can be challenging in land-scarce Singapore, making it difficult to incorporate after construction. He added that architects also have to balance maintainability with design aspirations. Some ceilings at Copen Grand were capped at 3m so air-conditioning, electrical and other building services could be accessed without the need for extensive scaffolding.

SAVINGS EXTEND TO COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS The same approach is also being applied to commercial developments. One example is the redeveloped Shaw Tower at Beach Road, where features to make the building easier to maintain were incorporated into the design. An integrated track allows a single crane to clean or replace external glass panels, while permanent access systems such as cat ladders allow cooling towers to be serviced without erecting temporary scaffolding. Mr Darren Burrows, senior associate director for building services at engineering consultancy Beca – which worked on the project's building services and sustainability design – said such features are especially important because many building systems require regular servicing throughout their lifespan. "There's lots of moving parts and maintenance activities that we need to carry out, whether it's weekly, monthly or annually,” he said. "The components can be either small but in tight spaces, or they can be large components that we need to consider how we can remove them from a building both safely and effectively, and in a cost-effective manner."

PUTTING A PRICE ON MAINTAINABILITY BCA’s study, conducted with Surbana Jurong, examined four local developments – three commercial buildings and one residential project – to quantify the costs and long-term benefits of incorporating maintainability features during the design stage. It found that most measures had a payback period of less than six years in the commercial projects and less than five years in the condominium, while reducing maintenance manpower requirements. For the commercial developments studied, the measures added between 0.6 per cent and 1.5 per cent to construction costs, but could generate annual operational savings of up to almost S$1 million. National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat unveiled the findings at the opening reception of Singapore Archifest 2026 on Wednesday (Jul 22). He said many of the biggest productivity gains were determined during the design stage. “The biggest gains came from architectural decisions – choices about design specifications, floor materials, ceiling types and facade access – and this reinforces the point that maintainability should be an upfront design consideration.”

BCA said it commissioned the study after industry players sought clearer evidence on whether designing buildings for maintainability justified the additional cost. Mr Deva Lutchia, principal manager at the authority’s Facilities Management Transformation department, said developers and building owners generally recognise the importance of such features, but many have been looking for stronger evidence of the costs and benefits. "They understand that intuitively it's important to do it, but lack the quantitative evidence on how much it costs, or even how much it will save (them) downstream,” he said. “This study brings in that perspective and it really puts the hard figures on the business case of design for maintainability." BCA said it will share the study's findings with architects, engineers and developers to encourage wider adoption of design-for-maintainability features in future projects. It also hopes greater public awareness will encourage homebuyers to look out for such features when choosing a property.

## Chinese translation

> Translation model: grok

### 便于维护的住宅设计或可降低业主管理费

建屋局与建设局研究显示，Copen Grand、Shaw Tower等项目证明，相对细微的设计选择可在建筑全生命周期降低维护成本。

新加坡：在腾中（Tengah）新落成的共管公寓Copen Grand，吊船可抵达所有住宅楼的外立面，从而在清洁或重刷外墙时无需再搭脚手架。其他设计元素，如公共洗手间内可减少溅水的台面，也能缩短清洁时间。据建设局（BCA）研究，这些措施仅使开发成本增加约0.2%，但每年可节省多达11万新元（约8.5万美元）的维护开支。通过让例行维护更快、更安全，这些设计降低了屋苑长期保养成本，节省或有助于下调居民月度管理费。

须在早期规划 该公寓建筑师表示，此类功能必须从一开始就纳入设计。“我们必须在规划阶段就落实这些措施，因为项目完工后再实施会非常困难，”ADDP Architects高级助理合伙人Markus Cheng告诉CNA。以Copen Grand为例，建筑预留了1.2米宽的通行空间，以便维护人员抵达外立面并操作吊船系统。Cheng表示，在土地稀缺的新加坡提供此类通道颇具挑战，建成后再补建更难。他还指出，建筑师须在可维护性与设计愿景之间取得平衡。Copen Grand部分天花板高度控制在3米以内，以便空调、电气等楼宇设备无需大规模脚手架即可检修。

节省也延伸至商业建筑 同样思路也应用于商业项目。例如美芝路重建后的Shaw Tower，设计阶段即纳入便于维护的功能。一体化轨道使一台吊机即可清洁或更换外墙玻璃；永久通行系统如猫梯，可在无需临时脚手架的情况下检修冷却塔。工程顾问Beca（负责该项目楼宇服务与可持续发展设计）建筑服务高级副总监Darren Burrows表示，这类功能尤为重要，因为许多楼宇系统在整个使用寿命中都需要定期维护。“无论是每周、每月还是每年，都有大量活动部件与维护工作要做，”他说。“有些部件虽小却处于狭小空间，有些则体积庞大，我们需要考虑如何既安全又高效、且具成本效益地从建筑中拆除。”

为可维护性定价 BCA与盛裕集团（Surbana Jurong）的研究考察了四个本地项目——三座商业建筑与一个住宅项目——以量化设计阶段纳入可维护性功能的成本与长期效益。研究发现，多数措施在商业项目中的回收期不足六年，在共管公寓中不足五年，同时可减少维护人力需求。就所研究的商业项目而言，相关措施使建造成本增加0.6%至1.5%，但每年可产生近100万新元的运营节省。国家发展部长徐芳达于周三（7月22日）在新加坡Archifest 2026开幕酒会上公布了研究结果。他表示，许多最大的生产力提升在设计阶段就已决定。“最大的收益来自建筑决策——关于设计规格、地面材料、天花类型与外立面通道的选择——这强化了可维护性应作为前置设计考量的观点。”

BCA表示，开展此项研究是因为业界希望更清楚地了解“为可维护性而设计”是否值得额外成本。建设局设施管理转型部首席经理Deva Lutchia说，发展商与业主普遍认同此类功能的重要性，但许多人仍在寻找更有力的成本效益证据。“他们凭直觉知道这很重要，但缺乏关于成本多少、以及下游能节省多少的量化证据，”他说。“这项研究补上了这一视角，真正为可维护性设计的商业论证提供了硬数字。”BCA表示将与建筑师、工程师与发展商分享研究成果，鼓励未来项目更广泛采用可维护性设计功能，并希望提高公众认知，促使购房者在选房时关注此类功能。