The International Built Environment Week (IBEW) 2025 took place from 3 to 5 September 2025 at the Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, marking a major convergence of innovation, expertise, and sustainability in the built environment sector. Spearheaded by BCA International, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), and in partnership with RX Singapore, IBEW was the anchor platform for a week of diverse activities catering to the entire built environment ecosystem.
With industry experts, pioneering startups, and over 200 exhibitors, IBEW served as a dynamic hub for a wide array of stakeholders—from policymakers and industry leaders to future talent—to engage in knowledge exchange, technology showcases, and strategic collaboration.
IBEW Expert Series 2025: Elevating Professional Skills
Under the theme “Today’s Professional, Tomorrow’s Expert,” this year’s event introduced the IBEW Expert Series, which brings seasoned practitioners and innovators together to share practical knowledge, lessons learned, and future-oriented insights, for professionals to deepen technical knowledge and develop or finetune real-world skills. Sessions cover topics such as prefab efficiency, carbon emissions tracking, AI applications in BIM, and other emerging technologies—empowering participants to sharpen their skills and grow into experts themselves.
Camfil contributed to the IBEW Expert Series, sharing practical tools on Scope 1–3 calculations and carbon reporting. “As the first third-party verified APAC air filter supplier certified under the EPD International System, Camfil is committed to helping the region’s built environment sector advance sustainability goals while lowering long-term costs for building owners,” said Tobias Zimmer, Senior Vice President Public Affairs, Sustainability & Corporate Communication, Camfil. “IBEW continues to be an important platform for exchanging ideas and showcasing solutions that can address pressing challenges in the built environment. Through this year’s IBEW Expert Series, we are excited to share our knowledge and expertise, helping industry peers gain insights that can be directly applied to their projects.”
“As Obayashi celebrates its 60th anniversary of building in Singapore, we were honoured to have our experts speak at the IBEW Expert Series and share their insights on how advanced robotics, climate-positive materials, and smart construction technology can help Singapore build more efficiently, sustainably, and resiliently. We were also proud to showcase our latest innovations at BEX Asia. This was the ideal platform to share our vision for the next decades of construction,” said Mr Patrick Chia, Director at Obayashi Singapore, highlighting the company’s commitment to shaping Singapore’s future-ready urban landscape.
By combining real-world experience with forward-looking innovation, the IBEW Expert Series embodied IBEW’s mission to raise professional standards and prepare the industry for a future-ready built environment.
BEX Asia 2025: Showcasing Innovation and Sustainability
As the anchor exhibition of IBEW, BEX Asia 2025 brought together a diverse array of exhibitors focused on digitalisation, sustainability, and operational efficiency. Notable participants included Doxa Holdings International, Oracle Corporation Singapore, Signify Singapore, and Milipede. Each demonstrated solutions that redefine construction, building management, supply chain efficiency, and more.
The exhibition also spotlights the region’s booming startup ecosystem, featuring emerging technologies addressing sector challenges such as financing, late payments, safety, and workflow digitalisation. Startups and innovators at BEX Asia are helping the industry adopt smarter, faster, and greener methods of construction and project management.
“Construction works best when everyone wins: developers reduce project risks, contractors gain stability and smaller suppliers have fair access to capital. At BEX Asia 2025, Doxa is excited to demonstrate how Deep-Tier Financing, developed in collaboration with Visa and regional banking partners, makes this possible by giving developers greater visibility into project health and building a trusted ecosystem that supports every tier of the supply chain. With financial security across the board, projects can be delivered with greater certainty, efficiency and trust.” – Edmund Ng, Co-Founder and CEO, Doxa Holdings International Pte Ltd.
On 5 September 2025, BEX Asia also featured focused sessions for attendees. The inaugural WSH Tech & Grants for SMEs session provided practical guidance and funding insights for small and medium-sized enterprises looking to adopt workplace safety and health technologies. Meanwhile, the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) hosted a seminar exploring sustainable building advancements, including smart lighting, cooling, and energy-efficient solutions. These sessions gave attendees CPD points and connect them with knowledge and tools to strengthen sustainability and safety practices across projects.
Combining the exhibition floor with targeted sessions, BEX Asia 2025 reinforces its role as a launchpad for industry transformation—connecting solution providers, decision-makers, and businesses of all sizes with the technology and insights needed to build smarter, safer, and more sustainable cities.
CORENET X: Streamlining Approvals, Accelerating Progress
A key feature at this year’s IBEW was the CORENET X Industry Seminar. Open to all industry stakeholders, besides sharing of key updates, learning points and good practices, this seminar featured industry firms who have cleared a major milestone approval to share their experiences with the industry to better prepare submissions for CORENET X: Singapore’s all-in-one digital platform for building approvals.
Mandatory starting 1 October 2025 for all new projects with a Gross Floor Area of 30,000sqm and above, the new regulatory process and platform allows organisations to navigate multiple agency requirements, spot and resolve issues early, and complete projects faster, saving time and costs. Key benefits include:
- One-stop approvals: Get all approvals in a single, streamlined process.
- Build with confidence: Know exactly what can be built before starting, avoiding costly changes.
- Save time and money: Complete projects faster with reduced abortive work.
The CORENET X Concierge at BEX Asia offers visitors the chance to get hands-on with the platform and receive recommendations from BCA and partner organisations. From Submission Portal to model export testing, visitors can test drive the system and access curated resources that will accelerate their readiness.
Strategic Partnerships and MoUs
This year’s IBEW also spotlighted new collaborations that will strengthen the region’s built environment ecosystem. BCA International signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bridge Data Centres to promote sustainability and innovative construction methods in the development of green and smart data centres across Asia.
“This new partnership with BCA International underscores our shared commitment to supporting sustainable growth and digital transformation in the region. This is reflected in the BCA Green Mark Platinum Certification recently achieved by our data centre in Malaysia—a demonstration of our ability to meet hyperscale demands while safeguarding resources for generations to come. By combining our expertise with BCA International, we can accelerate our journey towards net zero and deliver stronger, greener solutions for the future of data-driven, resilient infrastructure,” said Mr Eric Fan, CEO of Bridge Data Centres.
In addition, Singapore Polytechnic also formalised a new MoU with the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) to foster a new generation of industry-ready architectural talent and enhance professional capabilities through collaborative training and innovation. This further demonstrates the strong role of educational institutions and professional organisations in preparing the next generation of industry talent.
A Hub for Industry Collaboration and Transformation
IBEW is a dynamic platform that connects, educates, and empowers built environment professionals. This week-long series offered a range of opportunities designed to strengthen industry capabilities and drive innovation.
At the heart of the programme was the IBEW Expert Series, a premier two-day conference where global thought leaders and innovators took a deep dive into specific topics and focused on practical applications, lessons learned, and advanced skills that can be directly applied to projects. Complementing this is BEX Asia, the region’s top exhibition showcasing the latest technologies and solutions.
IBEW also addressed diverse industry needs with targeted offerings such as the Building Engineering Seminar to share the newest policies, technical knowledge, and gathers industry feedback to boost productivity, innovation, and ensure safety; the Future Talent Programme, which inspired young professionals to explore careers in the built environment; the BCA Awards, which celebrated excellence and achievements in the industry; dedicated seminars on key topics like CORENET X and sustainable construction; and specialised exhibition areas like the ConTech Exchange Pavilion.
Together, these immersive experiences empower professionals to deepen their expertise, forge new partnerships, and speed up the transition to a resilient, future-ready built environment.
