What it took to win Singapore's first digital construction WorldSkills medal

Ngee Ann Polytechnic graduate Samuel Tan clinched Singapore's first WorldSkills podium finish in digital construction after more than 1,000 hours of training over about five months.

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30 Sep 2026 03:05PM

SINGAPORE: For Mr Samuel Tan, preparing for this year's WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai meant more than 1,000 hours of training over about five months.

The 20-year-old Ngee Ann Polytechnic design graduate competed in digital construction and won bronze – Singapore's first medal in the category.

His win came as Singapore recorded its best showing yet at the biennial event that brings together young people from around the world to compete in vocational and technical skills, ranging from cooking and welding to cybersecurity.

Team Singapore brought home four silver medals, four bronze medals and 19 Medallions for Excellence. The record haul of 27 awards surpassed its previous high of 22 at the 2019 edition in Kazan, Russia.

Singapore fielded 34 youths across 31 skill areas at the Sep 22 to 27 event, which drew more than 1,400 competitors from over 70 countries and regions.

THE GRIND BEHIND THE MEDAL

Digital construction involves using technology to create and manage information throughout a construction project.

Competitors are assessed on tasks including interpreting a client's brief, creating digital building models and identifying potential clashes.

Mr Tan, who specialised in architecture at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, spent part of his preparation training with architecture firms, where he worked on real-life projects and dealt with issues that arose along the way. He also had one-to-one sessions with his coaches.

"The toughest part was consistency, doing this day in, day out," he told CNA's Singapore Tonight on Tuesday (Sep 29).

"Every day there's always something to improve on, some gaps in knowledge to patch. So it was a constant struggle to find my weaknesses."

But the industry training helped give him confidence going into the competition, he added.

BUILDING WITH DIGITAL "LEGO"

At the heart of digital construction is Building Information Modelling, or BIM.

Rather than simply producing a drawing of a building, BIM creates a 3D model containing information about its different elements, which can be used and updated by people working on a construction project.

"When people think about digital construction, some may think it's a 3D modelling software. But how I like to explain it is like Lego, building a Lego model," Mr Tan said.

"So each brick has data behind it. And your job is to put the bricks together in such a way that it makes sense."

That also means accounting for the different parts of a building, from its structure to its mechanical elements, he added.

GROWING THE LOCAL TALENT POOL

Singapore first competed in digital construction at the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition but did not win a medal in the category.

Mr Song Yu Chuan, a WorldSkills expert in digital construction and manager at Ngee Ann Polytechnic's School of Design and Environment, said Singapore's push to use technology to make its construction sector more efficient had been accompanied by schools preparing students in the field.

"We focus on design a lot, but there is a strong demand for digital skills," he said.

"What has happened over the last few years is in line with industry needs, the schools, we've also been preparing our students for this … in-demand skill.”

That had resulted in a stronger pool of competitors to choose from locally, Mr Song noted.

Digital construction is also continuing to evolve with the integration of computational design and artificial intelligence, he said. Such skills could eventually translate into better jobs and working environments.

FROM ONE BUILDING TO A CITY

For Mr Tan, the competition is not the end of his interest in the field and he plans to further his education.

"BIM for me is like the starting point. It branches out into many more things," he said.

One area he is interested in exploring is smart cities and how BIM could be applied to them.

Mr Tan said applying the technology to an entire city would be much more challenging than using it for a single building, and that was where he hoped to take his skills next.

“Seeing any piece of work being done in real life is really a great accomplishment to me, and showing … my skills on the world stage is something that really makes me proud,” he said.