What Are The Differences Between A&A Works & Reconstruction?

Additional and alteration work (A&A work) may sound similar to reconstruction work in many ways. Nonetheless, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) of Singapore distinguishes the duo significantly. To be specific, A&A refers to construction wherein the homeowner makes adjustments to a readily-available, furnished property. It is considered minor work that only involves repairs or renovations to weak areas, as well as customisations to existing aspects. On the other hand, reconstruction encompasses an entire change to the property, which includes decreasing or increasing story height or even converting a semi-detached house to a detached one. This article will share how A&A work and reconstruction differ from each other.

1. Extent of construction work

A&A 

• Covers changes made to an existing property without involving alterations that risk its structural integrity. 
• Changes are minimal.
• Some common A&A works in Singapore include construction of a swimming pool, interior changes, addition of verandas and balconies, as well as space allocation for a garage, among others.

Learn more: Additions and Alterations to Landed Housing

Reconstruction

• Occurs when significant changes are made to a substantial part of a property.
• It covers the removal, replacement of the structural elements of a current property, or addition of new components to the real estate.
• Some examples of reconstruction include development of a household shelter, adding more floors to a property, significant landed renovation in Singapore, etc.

2. Criteria

A property project must fulfil the criteria below in order to qualify as an A&A proposal:

• Proposed additional gross floor area shall not surpass 50% of the approved gross floor area;
• External walls that are to be removed and replaced with new walls shall not be more than 50% of the approved external walls;
• Structural changes to the current landed dwelling house (for instance, replacing or building new columns/beams and reconstructing existing floor slabs) shall not be over 50% of existing building;
• Changes/replacement of the whole roof (with/without resultant increment in height) shall not come with another new storey;
• If you engage builders in Singapore to add an attic, the rise in GFA shall be below 50%.

Meanwhile, proposals that do not follow the criteria for A&A shall be considered as reconstruction proposals. Works yielding the following outcomes shall also be part of reconstruction, regardless of whether the works top 50% of the existing building GFA:

• Increment in storey height (covering changes/replacement of any part of the roof involving an additional storey);   
• Change in landed dwelling housing form (for instance, from a semi-detached house to a bungalow).

3. Processing fees

• The URA charges A&A projects a processing fee of $3210 with GST.
• The processing fees for reconstruction costs $6420 with GST.

On the other hand, for existing landed housing that are given the green light under previous landed housing guidelines, new A&A works shall be compliant with the permissible building envelope in the Envelope Control guidelines.

Where the current building already tops the permissible building envelope, the new A&As shall not further expand the building bulk. Such applications will be reviewed by the URA by referring to the merits of the proposal. This is to ensure that the result to be carried out later by builders in Singapore is not worse off.

At CAD Associates, we strive to offer customised interior design for your residential or commercial space. Call us today to get a quotation for our quality service!

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