Gamuda Digital IBS: Enhancing sustainability through digital design and build

The company was recognised with two wins at the Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards 2022

The construction industry is one of the significant emitters of carbon. It is no surprise that many efforts have been made over recent years to cut the carbon intensity of this sector.

As a regional engineering and construction company, we at Gamuda Berhad have long recognised that the future of green construction is through the digitalisation of the Industrialised Building System (IBS). Digital IBS reduces embodied carbon, saves time, material, and labour and cuts waste, leading to an overall more sustainable approach.

Thus, we have come a long way since we first started our foray into the Digital IBS in 2016 with our continuous pursuit of accelerating technology adoption and doing business responsibly through Gamuda Digital IBS. We aimed to be the key enabler in elevating the industry standards toward a vision of future home building and a sustainable construction method that transforms traditional delivery models with robotic automation, enhancing productivity and quality.

Adding to our capability and sterling track record is the recent double win at the Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards 2022. Our engineering arm, Gamuda Engineering walked away with two prestigious awards – the winner of Digital Engineering and Digital Industrial Construction for our advanced impact in Digital IBS.

The MTEA 2022, now in its fourth year, lauds outstanding companies that have made exceptional contributions to technological innovation in the country.

Pocketing the third award this year at MTEA is also MMC Gamuda KVMRT (T) Sdn Bhd, our joint venture company that is currently completing the construction of the MRT Putrajaya Line. MMC Gamuda was the winner of the Information Management – Heavy Civil Construction category for its innovative solution, 3D laser scan-BIM.

Lauding these wins, Ts. Lim Hui Yan, Gamuda Engineering Executive Director, said that their triple win in the awards programme is a testament to the Group’s philosophy of leading sustainably in all aspects of its operations.

“We continue to elevate the nation’s construction industry with this digital shift, spearheading the change to deliver sustainable quality living using Digital IBS across our townships. Accelerating the adoption of 100% Digital IBS across all our landed and high-rise developments, the solution we are advocating is to bring boundless value to all our developments through advanced digital design and robotic manufacturing. It’s all about ensuring fast construction with flexibility in design and superior quality housing. In fact, the homes we’ve manufactured thus far are a testament that it is possible to create well-finished building components assembled into highquality buildings while ensuring aesthetically perfect finishes,” Lim said.

Adding on, Lim said, “It is a win-win situation towards creating not only greener, high-quality construction but also building a sustainable workforce ecosystem. In terms of talent development, the comprehensive digitalisation and automation approach reduces the dependency on foreign workers while allowing us to upskill our local workforce. We are equipping young people with the right skills through training and building up a pool of innovative, highly skilled talents ready to take on Industry 4.0.”

Leveraging cloud-based digital design tools, Gamuda Digital IBS services incorporate seamless integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) with highlevel automation and end-to-end precision robotic production for accurate builds. Our innovation has recorded unprecedented success for the local construction industryalmost no construction wastage; 30% faster construction; 65% reduction in reliance on low skilled foreign labour; double working opportunity for the locals in the construction industry, and consistent robotbuilt quality.

Our BIM maturity was also recognised not only locally but also internationally when we became the first main contractor in Malaysia to receive the prestigious BSI (British Standard Institution) Kitemark™ certificate for Design, Construction and Commissioning. The certification recognises our milestone in digital construction, demonstrating our excellent compliance with the global ISO 19650 standard in implementing BIM for construction.

Furthering this, Gamuda Digital IBS transforms the delivery of a project and construction practices with better efficiency while contributing to improved productivity and enhanced quality. Aligning to the Group’s ESG commitments reflected in our Gamuda Green Plan 2025, Gamuda Digital IBS is a concerted effort to raise the nation’s construction standard towards greener construction solutions.