Singapore's 20 largest architecture firms 2015

Healthcare architects steal the spotlight in Singapore

As public sector projects are put into action this 2015 in Singapore, the construction industry is seeing a consequential rise in demand: the increase in infrastructure requires a growing number of skilled professionals in various areas of the construction and architecture industry. These include recent developments in public transportation, housing, and land preparation works for Changi Airport.

“The average construction demand is expected to be sustained between $27 billion to $36 billion in 2016 and 2017, in view of mega public sector, infrastructure projects required to meet the long-term needs of Singapore’s economy and growing population,” says Femke Hellemons, country manager of Adecco Singapore. “Based on estimations from the Building and Construction Authority, [the new projects] should account for 60% of all construction contracts in Singapore (up from 52% last year).”

Demand for healthcare architects and medical planners has sharply increased as Singapore’s healthcare industry continues to grow. Interior designers are in high demand particularly for those with experience in workplace solutions, as well as project managers and architects.

Labour shortage

Singapore’s labour market is currently experiencing a shortage due to high demand – with more jobs available than there are job seekers, the employment rate has risen since June 2015. At the same time, professionals are more careful in weighing their options and prefer jobs where they are provided more flexible schedules, healthcare, vacation days, and better career prospects in general, apart from the salary offered. 

“In candidate trends, we are seeing candidates keen to work in firms where they are given an opportunity to be a part of the full spectrum of the process, from design to construction. Candidates want to work with architectural consultancies, contractors and developers to understand both the consultancy and the client side of the process,” says Lynne Roeder, managing director of Hays Singapore.

Personal growth as well as career growth has become major factors in deciding whether or not to accept a job offer, especially with the abundance of jobs in Singapore. “As we shift towards a Productivity Paradigm Change, talent shortages can be an issue as they can hinder the effectiveness of operations,” says Hellemons. Acquiring and retaining talent has become a challenge for employers, but one definite way to manage their employees is to invest in developing their talent, whether it is through formal education or through exposure to different experiences that would enable further learning firsthand. 

Who made it to the SBR’s list?

DP Architects and AEDAS remained the two largest architecture firms in Singapore based on total number of registered architects with headcounts of 82 and 73, respectively. Surbana Jurong, a result of the merger of Surbana International Consultants and JURONG International Holdings, last June ranked third with 64 registered architects.

In its third year of ranking architecture firms, SBR expanded the list to top 20. The list welcomes new entries including SCDA Architects, CIAP Architects, AC Consortium, AGA Architects, ID Architects and JGP Architects.