MRT viaducts overhead, limited space below: How Garden Bloom @ Tengah earned its builder an HDB accolade

Building seven blocks of flats and the playgrounds, gardens and other facilities around them was already a sizeable undertaking.

At Garden Bloom @ Tengah, home-grown builder Chiu Teng Construction had another challenge looming overhead: two MRT viaducts were being built above part of the site at the same time.

The viaducts form part of the upcoming Jurong Region Line, which will serve Tengah and other areas in western Singapore when it opens in stages from 2027.

The two viaducts fork across Garden Bloom’s common green area, passing above a ramped linkway and children’s playground and alongside facilities including a multi-purpose court and fitness stations. One also runs directly in front of the childcare centre in the estate.

The MRT works occupied about 15 per cent of the 782-unit build-to-order (BTO) project’s site throughout Chiu Teng’s 30-month construction contract.

That left the builder with less room to store materials and stage construction activities, while workers and heavy machinery from the two projects had to operate in close proximity.

The Chiu Teng team had to ensure that work on the housing project could continue safely without getting in the way of the rail project – and vice versa.

Its handling of the complex construction environment was among the reasons why the firm received a Certificate of Merit in the construction category at the HDB Awards 2026.

How Chiu Teng worked around the MRT viaducts

Planning for the overlapping works began early, with Chiu Teng’s project team working with the MRT contractor before both projects entered their most intensive phases.

The two teams coordinated equipment movements, construction sequences and safety zones so that work could proceed without one project holding up the other.

Lai Hsueh Cheang, Chiu Teng’s project manager for Garden Bloom @ Tengah, says: “We started the project with some trepidation due to the major MRT infrastructure within our site. This faded away with close collaboration and continuous dialogue.

“By intentionally merging our schedules, re-sequencing activities and coordinating site logistics, we avoided running our critical activities into each other.”

Such coordination became particularly important when Chiu Teng began work on the development’s common facilities and landscaping beneath or adjacent to the viaduct while rail construction was still taking place overhead.

The common green area was divided into three work zones, covering facilities such as playgrounds, fitness stations, a multi-purpose court and rain gardens.

Fixed barricades protected the viaduct’s support columns from accidental impact, while additional cameras were installed to monitor work around them. Construction in the common green area also had to end by 7pm to ensure sufficient daylight for visibility and supervision.

Beyond the mandatory video surveillance system, Chiu Teng installed three solar-powered cameras that provided round-the-clock, 360-degree views of the three work zones.

Using innovation to ease the space crunch

The space taken up by the MRT works also meant less room to store and move materials, while internal routes around the site were fragmented.

Chiu Teng’s solution was to minimise the amount of material waiting around on site.

It adopted a just-in-time system for the prefabricated modules used to build the flats, coordinating their production, transportation and installation so that they arrived when needed.

Work areas were divided into zones, and deliveries carefully sequenced to reduce clashes and avoid materials having to be moved repeatedly around the site.

According to Chiu Teng, this reduced site congestion by up to 50 per cent and improved material-handling efficiency by 25 per cent. The company says manpower needed for these operations was also reduced by 15 per cent.

Technology helped keep the process running.

Chiu Teng used building information modelling (BIM). This technology allows builders to create detailed digital representations of a project and plan construction before carrying out the actual work.

The prefabricated modules were also fitted with QR codes, allowing the team to track them through different stages of production.

Knowing when each module would be ready meant Chiu Teng could better coordinate its delivery and installation – particularly useful on a site with little room for modules to sit and wait.

How prefabrication helped speed up construction

Garden Bloom’s seven 15-storey residential blocks were built using 3,839 prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction (PPVC) modules.

The construction method shifts much of the work away from the building site. Room-sized modules are manufactured in a factory with finishes and fittings already installed, before being transported to the development, lifted into position by cranes and joined together.

Besides reducing construction activity at the constrained Garden Bloom site, factory production provided a more controlled environment for maintaining consistent workmanship.

Chiu Teng estimates that using PPVC resulted in manpower and productivity savings of about 30 per cent and shortened construction time by about 15 per cent.

The development was completed with 782 flats, four playgrounds, five fitness stations, a multi-purpose court, a roof garden and a childcare centre, as well as common green spaces, two precinct pavilions and an eight-storey multi-storey car park.

The Certificate of Merit adds to a series of HDB accolades for Chiu Teng, whose previous winning projects include Alkaff Vista in Bidadari and Keat Hong Pride in Choa Chu Kang.

For Chiu Teng managing director Ng Chee Hwa, the latest recognition builds on a track record the company has established over several decades.

He says: “We have come a long way, consistently delivering our projects with an unwavering commitment to quality and trustworthiness. The accolades and awards we are recognised for will spur our staff to dedicate their efforts towards further and continuous excellence.”

Learn more about Chiu Teng Construction and its award-winning projects.