International property group Lendlease has announced that it will set up a S$40 million product development centre in Singapore, with the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), to accelerate the digital transformation of the property and construction sector.
Slated to open by October 2020, the new centre plans to employ 50 technology software application development talents in the first year and will continue to expand the team in the next few years. According to Lendlease, at least one in five will be aspiring graduates who are keen to be part of the industry’s transformation.
The upcoming Singapore product development centre is part of the wider Lendlease Digital ecosystem, which includes product development centres in Silicon Valley and Sydney. Using an agile working methodology – a project management framework for teams to iteratively and incrementally complete tasks and projects, Lendlease is creating a scalable supply chain and integrated logistics software platform for property development and construction projects in Singapore and globally.
“We are very excited to have the support of EDB to propel the built environment sector’s transition to the digital economy and position Singapore as a global innovation hub that leads the market in automating the creation of tomorrow’s smart buildings,” said Tony Lombardo, CEO Asia at Lendlease.
“We are at a critical inflection point of our industry’s development and we are confident that the success of our digitalisation efforts supported by the city state’s best-in-class infrastructure will leave a lasting impact on how we shape, construct and future-proof the built world.”
Lendlease’s new product development centre will introduce a suite of digital products and services leveraging its recently launched digital property lifecycle platform, Lendlease Podium, aimed at simplifying interdependencies in the real estate industry.
The platform’s streamlined, digitised and interconnected supply chain will unlock efficiencies across the entire design, construction and property supply chain and operating model while achieving the best outcomes for safety and sustainability.
In addition, Lendlease is now accelerating to Industry 4.0, focusing on delivering and enabling transformation through digitalisation. “The product development centre by Lendlease will add exciting digital capability to the built environment ecosystem. This will create new jobs in the built environment sector that a wide range of talent, from seasoned professionals to new entrants to the workforce, can aspire towards,” said Dawn Lim, vice president and head for commercial & professional services at EDB.
This significant investment by Lendlease underlines the company’s commitment to shaping and growing its digital business, with the aim of steering the digitalisation of the built environment sector towards autonomous buildings of the future.
“Autonomous Building is more than just unlocking efficiencies,” said Lendlease. “At the heart of it, it is about adopting a Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) mindset, changing the way we look at construction as we move towards industry 4.0 – shifting from labour intensive to skilled-based ways of working. It is about urbanisation and place making, making sure that we create and operate the best places that bring about the best in safety, health and well-being.”
Richard Kuppusamy, Lendlease’s head of digital integration commented, “Think of Lendlease Podium as an operating system for real estate, which allows us to harness the power of data driven insights in everything from creating buildings to improving operational efficiency, sustainability, and provide the best user experiences. Imagine a building that enhances your experience by adapting to your preferences – one that soothes, entertains, improves wellbeing, and reduces energy consumption with minimal human intervention.
“This is what we call the ‘Autonomous Building’. Lendlease Podium will be the conduit that enables us to achieve this automation in creating the best places for our users.”
