QUALITY CONSTRUCTION IN RELATION TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This study explores the conceptual relationship between quality construction and economic development and provides in-depth observations of the industry‟s approach to the government‟s quality initiatives. The first aim of the study is to examine the impact of quality development in the construction with respect to different phases of development in Singapore. Through the theoretical framework of the economy‟s progression, it relates the phases of economic development, the housing priorities of construction and the experience of quality development in Singapore. It was found that many quality initiatives were introduced at different stages of development. From the early industrialization to the current globalised and diversified economy, the quality of building construction has moved beyond providing physical shelter to delivering quality homes of the future. It was evident that the quality construction serves as a valuable indicator to the economic development of a country. Secondly, this study aims to investigate the industry players‟ support and approach of the quality initiatives in Singapore. In-depth interviews with the authority, public and private sector in the construction industry were conducted to gain better insights into the approaches of the quality initiatives that an industry player complies. Based on the verbatim quotations presented, it was concluded that quality construction was embraced by the industry only after the Bonus scheme of CONQUAS 21 was implemented in 1998. Even though quality construction is generally appreciated, there are three critical issues that led to the ambiguous explanation in the willingness of the industry‟s participation in the various quality initiatives. Three main issues are: lack of funding to follow the initiative, strict requirements of scheme and different perceptions in benchmarking the quality standards. It was also found that only well-established companies are able to gain advantage from the quality initiatives. ii This conceptual framework relating to the quality construction and economic development may be useful for developing nations seeking to improve their economic status. In order for the quality of building construction in Singapore to improve, there must be a high level of cooperation between the government and industry players and thus, this will help to efficiently improve the economy. The limitations of this study includes the time and resource constraints in getting information pertaining to quality construction, the limited sample population in the knowledge of quality construction and the exclusion of developers, consultants and suppliers.