As Asia’s appetite for more future-ready buildings and infrastructure expands, global engineering and infrastructure advisory company Aurecon aims to play a major role in the birth of new ideas to feed this hunger, through its new Singapore-based Regional Centre of Excellence for Digital Engineering.

Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), Aurecon’s new Regional Centre of Excellence for Digital Engineering serves as an extension of the company’s Digital Futures team. This Centre is the first of its kind for Aurecon and is dedicated to solving client challenges with emerging digital technologies and alternative business models.

“The engineering and construction industry is not spared from digital disruption, which is changing the way we work and live. The decision to extend the Digital Futures team into Asia was driven by increasing regional demand for digital transformation in the building and construction sector. Singapore’s strategic location places our new Centre of Excellence at the epicentre of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and within touching distance of North Asia,” said Paul Lombard, Managing Director, Middle East and Asia.

Aurecon will invest SGD3 million over the next three years and will focus on three areas: Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics; the Internet of Things; and Visualisation & Digital Collaboration. Each area of focus will have a dedicated Digital Specialist in charge of consolidating ideas and lessons to support priorities such as urban mobility and infrastructure within Singapore. Once adopted locally, these ideas may then be exported to other parts of Asia, or even the world.

The launch of the Centre of Excellence in Singapore is an integral part of Aurecon’s near and long-term business goals in Asia. On the more immediate front, the Centre accelerates the development of digital engineering capabilities for Singapore and the wider Asian market. Building these capabilities in the heart of the Asian landscape will help the company strengthen its leadership position, while offering innovative and practical project support to developers.

Aurecon’s latest investment is aligned with Singapore’s Professional Services Industry Transformation Map, which looks to accelerate the development of innovative and exportable solutions from Singapore, to support regional infrastructure boom. which looks to accelerate the development of innovative and exportable solutions, from Singapore, to support regional infrastructure boom.

Headquartered in Singapore, the Centre of Excellence will be headed by Phil Lazarus, Digital Practice Leader, Asia.

To deliver tangible outcomes, Aurecon has identified four key competencies for development. The first is 3D collaborative design and BIM (Building Information Modelling) to support the coordination of construction projects. The second is based around enhancing personal and emotional connections using technologies such as virtual reality. The third is a proprietary design collaboration and project delivery portal called GeoDocs, that allows secure file access from anywhere.

The fourth is the Smart Centre, which aligns with Singapore’s Smart Nation vision and uses sensors to collect data from multiple points.