Building Control Act

Building Control Act is an act of parliament under the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

Exterior features include -
 * (a) any air-conditioning unit, including any window air-conditioning unit and any condensing equipment of an air-conditioning unit;
 * (b) any window, with or without movable parts;
 * (c) any grille or shutter, with or without movable parts;
 * (d) any tile, cladding, curtain wall, siding, plaster, bracket or cornice;
 * (e) any gutter, rainwater down-pipe, or part of the roof;
 * (f) any awning or sun-shading device;
 * (g) such other feature that is permanent and is installed on, forms part of or projects outwards from the roof or exterior of any building as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, declare to be an exterior feature for the purposes of this Act.

Actual exhibits of the Building and Construction Authority can be found at Temasek Polytechnic Business Studies Grouping course (Logistics and Operations Management, Business and Marketing), these also include earthquake detection.

Application of building works
It should apply for all building works except -
 * building works for a temporary building or the occupation of any such building
 * retrofitting of exterior features

Demolition
Where, in the opinion of the Commissioner of Building Control, any building has been erected, or any building works are or have been carried out, in contravention of the provisions of this Act or the building regulations, the Commissioner of Building Control may by order in writing require -


 * the cessation of the building works until the work has been withdrawn
 * the demolition of the building
 * such work or alteration to the building or building works to be carried out as may be necessary to cause the same to comply with the provisions of this Act and the building regulations or otherwise to put an end to the contravention thereof.

The orders that are to be made -


 * the manner in which the demolition, work or alteration specified in the order is to be carried out
 * the time within which the demolition, work or alteration shall commence and be completed
 * that the demolition, work or alteration shall be carried out with due diligence to the satisfaction of the Commissioner of Building Control.

An order should be served -


 * where a building has been erected - through owner or occupier of the building
 * where building has been carried out - on the developer of building works or the builder carrying out building works.

If you do not follow the instructions, the Commissioner of Building Control shall -
 * demolish, remove or alter, or cause to be demolished, removed or altered, such building or building works or take such other steps as appear to the Commissioner of Building Control to be necessary, including ordering the closure of the building
 * recover all expenses reasonably incurred by him in the exercise of his powers under this section from the person in default.

Additionally, you will be punished to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

Offences
Any person who commences or carries out, or permits or authorises the commencement or carrying out of any building works (including geotechnical building works) the plans of which have not been approved by the Commissioner of Building Control or without any permit, to a fine not exceeding $200,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both.

Any person who contravenes any approval or permit of the plans can be fined up to $20,000 or jail up to 1 year.

Any developer of any building works and any qualified person, site supervisor or builder directly concerned with the building works who, in carrying out the building works deviates, or permits or authorises the building works to deviate, in any material way from any plans of the building works approved by the Commissioner of Building Control under this Part shall each be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both.

If the Commissioner of Building Control has made an order under section 17 in respect of an accredited checker, a specialist accredited checker or an accredited checking organisation, the accredited checker, specialist accredited checker or accredited checking organisation concerned may appeal to the Minister against the order within 14 days after being served with the notice of the order.

If the Commissioner of Building Control has cancelled or suspended the registration of an energy auditor under section 22FI, the energy auditor concerned may appeal to the Minister against the cancellation or suspension within 14 days after being served with the notice of the cancellation or suspension.

Exterior feature
Where an exterior feature of a prescribed building has been installed on, forms part of, or projects outwards from the building at any time before the applicable date prescribed for the exterior feature, the person responsible for the exterior feature shall carry out or cause to be carried out retrofitting of that exterior feature in such manner, by such person and using such material as may be prescribed in relation to that exterior feature, where there is no prescribed age for that exterior feature, or the exterior feature is, on that applicable date, of the prescribed age or older — within the grace period prescribed for that exterior feature or where the exterior feature is, on that applicable date, less than the prescribed age — within the grace period prescribed for that exterior feature or within the period before the exterior feature attains the prescribed age, whichever period is the longer.

Any person who breaks the offence should be fined up to $5,000 or imprisonment up to 6 months. If a person is charged with an offence under subsection (2), it shall be a defence for him to prove that he was not the person responsible for the exterior feature at any time during that grace period or before the exterior feature attained that prescribed age, as the case may be.

Dangerous buildings
If the Commissioner of Building Control is of the opinion that any building works are being carried out - in such a manner that will cause, or will be likely to cause, a risk of injury to any person or damage to any property, or will cause a partial/total collapse to the building in respect of the building works or any building/street/slope/natural formation close proximity, will render, or will be likely to render, or may have rendered the building in respect of which the building works are or have been carried out or any building, street, slope or natural formation opposite, parallel, adjacent or in otherwise close proximity to those building works, or any part of any such building, street or land, so unstable or so dangerous that it will collapse or be likely to collapse (whether totally or partially),

The Commissioner of Building Control may engage a qualified person or a specialist to carry out such investigations and tests as may be necessary and to advise the Commissioner of Building Control on all matters relating to the safety of the building in respect of which the building works are or have been carried out or the building, street, slope or natural formation opposite, parallel, adjacent or in otherwise close proximity to those building works, as the case may be, the reasons for its collapse (if applicable) and the measures that should be taken to obviate any possible danger that might arise from the condition of the building or make all orders.

The Commissioner may also prevent the situation by immediately stop all the building works, to carry out the inspection as mentioned above or to demolish the building, and remove the rubbish resulting from the demolition.

Without prejudice to the right of the Commissioner of Building Control to exercise his powers under subsection (4), any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with any order in subsection (2) that the person is given shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to the order of immediately stop all the building works, to a fine up to $500,000 or imprisonment up to 2 years; or in the case of other order, to a fine up to $10,000 or imprisonment up to 1 year.

If the Commissioner of Building Control is of the opinion that a building is in such a condition, or is used to carry such loads, as to be or likely to be dangerous, the Commissioner of Building Control may, for the purpose of obviating any danger, order the owner of the building to do all or any of the following:


 * to appoint an appropriate qualified person to carry out (at the owner’s cost) such inspection of the building as the Commissioner of Building Control may specify
 * to execute or cause to be executed (at the owner’s cost) such building works as the Commissioner of Building Control may specify (which may include retrofitting under Part III)
 * to demolish or cause to be demolished (at the owner’s cost) the building or any part thereof, and remove any rubbish resulting from the demolition
 * to cause (at the owner’s cost) the building to be shored up or otherwise secured and a proper hoarding or fence to be put up for the protection of the public from danger, or arranging for the building to be watched.

Incidents
The hidden ninth-floor of The Alexcier will have to be demolished no matter how cool or funky this concept is in land-scarce Singapore.

The removal of the ninth floor was escalated after the order was passed from Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

According to The Straits Times, the company that built the illegal floor in the Alexandra building will have until early April to ensure that it is no more.

The demolition order, along with an order to cease occupation, was handed to the owner of The Alexcier’s eighth-floor unit, ZACD Investments on Monday evening, March 4.

A video from the SCDF inspection showed interior fittings, beds, and work stations.

This is despite claims by Stanley Yeo, the chief executive officer of ZACD Group—the group that owns ZACD Investments, that the hidden floor was built for storage purposes.