Singapore, 19 May 2021 – The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) bestowed the prestigious IES Lifetime Engineering Achievement Award 2021 to Wong Yui Cheong.
The award is the topmost honours accorded to an engineering leader in recognition of distinctive engineering accomplishments that have made a profound impact on the recipient’s engineering discipline, the industry and the community; and for bringing international honours to Singapore.
In an illustrious career spanning over 40 years, Wong has made distinctive contributions to the local built environment as an exceptional design engineer, project manager, consulting engineer, real estate developer and educator.
A civil engineer by training, Wong devoted the first 20 years or so of his career in the design and construction of many high-rise commercial, manufacturing and residential buildings in Singapore. Setting new benchmarks of excellence in engineering in each project, Wong played a crucial role in shaping Singapore’s cityscape evolution over crucial years of its nation-building.
Beyond local shores, Wong has also left exceptional marks of brilliance in design engineering internationally, through notable projects such as the waterfront landmark structures in Merseyside, England and Malayan Flour Mill in Lumut, Malaysia.
As a project manager with DBS Bank for 10 years, Wong was instrumental in the development of several iconic buildings in Singapore including the DBS Building, Plaza Singapura, Thomson Plaza, Pandan Valley Condominium, the National Grain Elevator Ltd Building and the Raffles City complex.
Wong’s entrepreneurial prowess and outstanding project management capabilities led YC Wong Consultants, a specialist construction project management consulting firm founded by him, to successfully complete prominent buildings like the MAS building and the NOL building. As a consulting engineer, permanent way engineer, resident engineer and administrator, he also made pivotal contributions to the initial development of Jurong Port.
Wong is also a keen advocate of nurturing the next generation of engineers, especially in project management. After retiring from business in 1999, he took up an adjunct professor role in construction project management, contract administration and risks management for the Master of Science (International Construction Management) programme at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Nanyang Technological University.
He has also made a generous S$1 million donation to IES that led to the setting up of the IES-YC Wong Project Management Scholarship Fund to support post-graduate students in carrying out research in project management.
His benevolent giving to support engineering causes extended beyond the scholarship—he also provided engineering consultancy services to the structural design of the original IES building for a token fee of S$1 and donated S$20,000 to the new IES Green Building fund. Wong has also made valuable contributions to IES as a Council Member and Chairman of the Civil and Structural Engineering Technical Committee.
Dr Richard Kwok, IES President, said, “YC Wong exemplifies the true spirit of engineering—to uplift people’s lives and fuel economic growth through skillsets and innovation delivered with utmost commitment. His outstanding accomplishments have underpinned Singapore’s ability to transform into a world-class city and his efforts to raise a new generation of engineers will lay the foundation for our future growth. It is our pleasure to confer the award on him to recognise his contributions and to motivate our younger generation to scale greater heights in engineering.”
“I am very honoured to receive this award. As we move into a new era, global concerns such as climate change and future pandemics are critical issues that will require engineers to solve. It is my hope that the younger generation will join the ranks of engineers to push the boundaries of engineering and create an even greater future for Singapore,” said Wong.
– Construction+ Online
Source: IES
