Building and Construction Authority
Cluster Feature | Organisation

Laying Firm Foundations

Building and Construction Authority
We talk to BCA Scholar Tung Qiao Yue, who shares how her role has opened her eyes to the basics and advanced developments of engineering.

For a small island-state, Singapore has come a long way to become the magnificent metropolis it is today. Our skyline is decorated with glittering skyscrapers and the country boasts a comprehensive network of roads, highways and MRT lines that drive convenience and connectivity. But beneath these structures lie a solid foundation of planning and execution – a foundation set by BCA.

As the main policy-maker and regulator of the built environment sector, BCA constantly strives to spearhead advanced construction technology and drive the development of the nation. But the organisation also goes back to basics, delving deep into the structural plans and construction sites to ensure that from conceptualisation all the way to completion, our buildings are set on a firm foundation of safety.

Meet Tung Qiao Yue, a BCA scholar who is helping to lay these foundations.

The Structure of a Dynamic Career

Qiao Yue is an executive engineer in BCA's Geotechnical Engineering Department. Her portfolio concentrates on projects with deep excavation and tunnelling – structures like basements and MRT stations.

Her main priority is to ensure safety: this includes checking through structural plans submitted by engineering consultants, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, and conducting site inspections during the construction process. The job gives Qiao Yue the opportunity to understand policies and regulations that shape the built environment sector.

Her role has given her the opportunity to interact with industry stakeholders across the entire construction value chain. Whether it is the consultants responsible for conceptualising the designs, or the contractors who play a part in turning the ideas into reality – each group comes with different priorities and expertise that she can learn from. Appreciatively, she says, "To be able to participate in a project from design conceptualisation to construction to seeing the final product is not what many other professions can offer."

And although the realm of geotechnical engineering is also one fraught with natural barriers such as soil conditions and weather, Qiao Yue enjoys how the work brings her to construction sites to observe the work in progress.

These behind-the-scene experiences have been particularly eye-opening for her, and she recounts how impressed she was to see people and traffic functioning smoothly just metres away from gigantic shafts at construction sites.

"Seeing it is quite a testament to the robust design and construction methodologies we have here in Singapore," Qiao Yue exclaims.

Tung Qiao Yue

Tung Qiao Yue 
BCA Undergraduate Scholar

Executive Engineer, Geotechnical Engineering Department

"To be able to participate in a project from design conceptualisation to construction to seeing the final product is not what many other professions can offer."

Avenues to Grow

The desire for a bird's eye view of the built environment sector is what motivated Qiao Yue to take up the BCA Undergraduate scholarship. With a keen interest in civil engineering, she felt that BCA's big picture perspective would be the ideal place for her to grow and develop her career.

With its people-centred development framework, she says, officers are able to chart their own learning and development pathways to achieve their goals.

Also, she adds, BCA is not an organisation where younger officers are penalised for their age. To succeed, the key is simply to be willing to work hard, think out of the box and contribute fresh ideas.

She noticed BCA's focus on development as early as in her undergraduate days, when she was given a chance to intern at the organisation. Over the course of eight weeks, she was attached to two different departments, where she began her journey to understand the regulatory and policy-making arms of the sector.

But what pushed Qiao Yue's learning further was when she was given a "mini project" to carry out on her own. She was surprised and glad that her suggestions were taken seriously by her colleagues and mentor, and they even implemented some of the ideas she had.

She says, "this definitely gave me a sense of having done something constructive during my internship there."

A Place for the Passionate

BCA is always looking for driven individuals who are passionate about the built environment sector, and Qiao Yue recommends the scholarship to those with a keen interest in the sector.

She explains, "BCA is an organisation that constantly seeks to be at the forefront of construction technology, including green and productive initiatives and technology. This will be an interesting area of exploration for fresh graduates seeking to push new frontiers in the built environment sector."

But she also recommends that aspiring scholars see beyond the monetary benefits to also consider if BCA is an organisation they wish to work for. Likening the scholarship interview process to a job interview, she says, "Do some research on the company and compare the organisational values and programmes with your own job expectations."

But she also recommends that aspiring scholars see beyond the monetary benefits to also consider if BCA is an organisation they wish to work for. Likening the scholarship interview process to a job interview, she says, "Do some research on the company and compare the organisational values and programmes with your own job expectations."

Ultimately, she advises that potential scholars should also put serious thought into their long-term goals and be able to demonstrate how these are aligned with the organisation's purpose.