Do I need a BCA permit to strip out an office?
Usually not, if the strip-out is limited to non-structural items. The First Schedule of the Building Control Regulations exempts the demolition of non-load-bearing walls and of suspended false ceilings, among other items. If the works touch structural elements such as beams, columns, slabs or load-bearing walls, approved plans and a permit to carry out structural works are needed first, and a Qualified Person must supervise. Workplace safety rules apply either way.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in Demolition and Strip-Out Safety in Singapore: Permits, Structural Stability, Asbestos and Waste. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
In Singapore, demolition is high-risk construction work needing a permit-to-work system. Hacking non-load-bearing walls and false ceilings is exempt from BCA plan approval, but removing columns, beams, slabs or load-bearing walls needs approved plans, a BCA permit and a PE's method statement. Older buildings need an asbestos survey first, and debris must go through NEA-licensed collectors.
More questions on this topic
- Is a strip-out 'demolition work' under the WSH regulations?
- Who must prepare the demolition method statement?
- What happened in the Tanjong Pagar demolition collapse?
- Do I need an asbestos survey before demolition?
- Can demolition debris go into the building's bins?
- What is temporary propping and when is it needed?
- What are the dust and noise rules for demolition?