Temasek Polytechnic Launches S$2.3m Integrative Built Environment Centre, Which
Focuses on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Second Minister for Education, will officiate the launch of Temasek Polytechnic’s Integrative Built Environment Centre (IBEC), on Friday, 7 January 2022.

The most comprehensive set-up of its kind in a polytechnic, IBEC covers a wide range of related domains, specialising in areas such as digital architecture, intelligent building systems and smart facility management – areas identified in the Industry Transformation Map for the Built Environment sector. It plays an important part of the ecosystem to build core engineering and skills in these key transformation areas through R&D, PET curricula and CET upskilling programmes.

The Centre, which promotes collaborative R&D, and multi-disciplinary teaching and learning, is an important part of TP’s support for the Singapore Green Plan and the BuildSG movement. Through providing training in the latest technologies, IBEC will help advance the nation’s push for sustainable development, and the transformation of the built environment sector. The Singapore International Facilities Management Association (SIFMA) also recognises IBEC as a key training and research centre for the industry. 

Interdisciplinary Learning & Training

IBEC is a centre designed for interdisciplinary learning and promotes collaborations among students, staff members and industry partners from diverse capabilities. The Centre will cater to the learning needs of TP’s pre-employment training (PET) students across the fields of engineering, design and IT, as well as continuing education and training (CET) students seeking to upskill. Altogether, around 1,000 PET and 1,000 CET students will train at IBEC annually.

Training conducted at IBEC will focus on different aspects of sustainability, such as issues related to climate change, energy efficiency, green building design & smart facility management, and even sustainable product design and packaging. IBEC will be the training ground for a wide range of short courses, specialist diploma courses, as well as SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes.

IBEC will provide both PET and CET students with a live and authentic environment to apply their skills and knowledge. It will enable “plug and play” for learning with technology and data-driven facility management systems so that students fully understand the importance of timely interventions within a real environment that mirrors the sector’s needs.

Industry Training available for CET students:
 

• Fire Alarm Systems & Maintenance
  
• Fire Safety Manager Course
  
• Fundamentals of Chiller and Cooling Tower Systems for Facility Management
  
• Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission, Carbon Tax & Energy Efficiency
  
• Grid-connect Solar Photovoltaic System with Battery Storage
  
• Initiating Environment Sustainability in Corporates
  
• Lean Learning Programme for a Smarter Built Environment
  
• Lift & Escalator Inspector Course
  
• Micro-grid for Urban Farming using Solar Technology
  
• Refrigerant Recovery for Chillers
  
• Smart Energy Storage Systems & Management
  
• Smart Facility Management – Intelligent Automation, Smart Building Systems & Management

Specialist Diploma/SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes offered are:

• Specialist Diploma in BIM Construction & Asset Management (TP-BCAA)
  
• Specialist Diploma in Energy Management & Sustainable Design
  
• Specialist Diploma in Sustainable Energy Management (TP-SIT)

Industry Partners

At IBEC, TP is collaborating with key organisations ranging from government agencies to trade associations and companies, who play a critical role in sustainable development, and the transformation of the built environment sector in Singapore. Some of these industry partners will provide our students with internship opportunities, real-world project collaborations, as well as exposure to the latest technologies. Our list of industry partners include:

• BlueSG
  
• Building & Construction Authority
  
• Cheng Hwa Trading Pte Ltd
  
• ebm-papst SEA Pte Ltd
  
• FSMAS (Fire Safety Manager Association Singapore)
  
• Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
  
• Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES)
  
• Lingjack Engineering Works Pte Ltd
  
• Mitsubishi Electric Asia Pte Ltd
  
• National Environment Agency
  
• NEC Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
  
• Singapore International Facilities Management Association (SIFMA)
  
• SkillsFuture Singapore
  
• Truwater Singapore Pte Ltd
  
• Vanguard Fire Systems Pte Ltd
  
• Vemac Services Pte Ltd
   

Smart Technologies @ IBEC

Among the smart technologies present in IBEC are an AI Enabled Security System, a Smart Chiller System, a Lift & Escalator System, a Total Building Performance Studio, a Building Information Modelling Studio, and Electric Vehicles.

Commenting on IBEC, Mr Peter Lam, TP’s Principal & CEO said: “IBEC has a key focus on the future smart and sustainable built environment, which is closely aligned with Singapore’s plans to grow the Green Economy as one of our economic pillars.  With the support of our industry partners, IBEC is well-positioned to develop in-demand skills to support this sector, such as skills to design processes to lower the environmental impact of production, and manage carbon footprint.  TP looks forward to working with companies to develop future talents for our Green Economy.”