The right to adequate housing is one of the most widely recognized elements of international human rights law. It appears in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 25)[i] and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Article 11),[ii] both of which affirm that every person should have access to housing that supports their health, safety, and dignity. Yet in many cities across Asia, providing such housing is a constant struggle.
Public housing has been central to addressing this challenge. From Hong Kong's high-rise estates to Singapore's planned new towns, these programs have enabled millions to live in secure, affordable homes. But the task is becoming more complex. Cities are growing denser, environmental sustainability is now an urgent policy priority, and public expectations about quality of life are rising.
In this context, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has emerged as a powerful tool for delivering public housing that meets the needs of today while preparing for the demands of tomorrow. Although BIM was initially developed to coordinate design and construction, it is now increasingly recognized as a strategic enabler for realizing the human right to housing in a sustainable, cost-effective, and socially inclusive way.
The Asian Context for Housing Rights
Housing rights in Asia are shaped by diverse economic, geographic, and social realities. Hong Kong, one of the most expensive housing markets in the world, has developed a vast public housing system to accommodate around 30 percent of its population. The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) builds and manages both public rental housing and subsidized home ownership schemes, providing a lifeline for residents who cannot compete in the private market.
Singapore presents a different model. Through the Housing & Development Board (HDB), over 80 percent of residents live in government-built flats. These developments range from older estates that now require upgrading to new projects like Tengah New Town, designed from the outset to integrate green corridors, energy-efficient buildings, and accessible public spaces.
Elsewhere in the region, the challenges are more basic. In Indonesia, millions live in informal settlements without secure tenure or proper infrastructure. In Bangkok and Manila, relocation from flood-prone or unsafe areas must be balanced with access to jobs, schools, and social networks. In all these settings, the right to housing is about more than physical shelter--it encompasses habitability, affordability, accessibility, and environmental sustainability.
BIM: From Digital Model to Policy Instrument
BIM is not simply a drafting tool. At its core, it is a collaborative process that creates and manages detailed information about a building over its entire life cycle--from initial feasibility studies and design through construction, operation, and eventual refurbishment or demolition.
A BIM model is far more than a 3D visual. It integrates architectural layouts, structural systems, building services, environmental data, and cost information into a single coordinated platform. Stakeholders can run simulations to test daylight access, airflow, energy use, and construction sequencing; detect potential clashes between mechanical and structural components; and plan maintenance strategies decades into the future.
When public housing agencies adopt BIM, they are not just modernizing their workflows. They are equipping themselves with a comprehensive decision-making environment that can reconcile human rights obligations, environmental goals, and budget realities.
Hong Kong's Experiences
Hong Kong is one of the earliest adopters of BIM in the public housing sector. Since 2014, the HKHA has mandated BIM for all new projects from the design stage.[iii] The Au Tau Public Estate in Yuen Long illustrates how deeply BIM is now embedded in the city's housing policy.
From the outset, the project team used BIM to conduct daylight and shadow studies, wind flow simulations, and solar heat gain analyses. These informed adjustments to building orientation, façade design, and window placement maximize natural ventilation and lighting while minimizing overheating. A glare analysis ensured that photovoltaic (PV) panels would function efficiently without creating visual discomfort for neighboring buildings.
BIM was equally influential during construction planning. The project used prefabricated modular units, virtually assembled in the BIM environment to check alignment and integrate plumbing, electrical, and ventilation systems before reaching the site. This reduced the likelihood of costly errors, improved coordination between trades, and shortened the repetitive floor construction cycle to just six days. Such efficiency benefits are critical in Hong Kong, where the demand for public housing far outstrips supply.
Public housing in Au Tau, Hong Kong. Photo credit: Hong Kong Housing Authority
Regional Practices
Other Asian cities have adapted BIM to their own priorities. In Singapore, HDB uses BIM not only for building design but also for district-level planning. The development of Tengah New Town demonstrates this integrated approach.[iv] BIM models have guided the positioning of residential blocks to optimize natural ventilation, avoid heat traps, and ensure that public spaces receive adequate daylight. Infrastructure such as district cooling plants and cycling networks is planned in the same environment, allowing early identification of conflicts and opportunities for synergy.
In Bangkok, where flooding is a recurrent hazard, public housing agencies have combined BIM with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to model water flows and drainage patterns. This has led to designs that incorporate elevated walkways, flood-resistant ground floors, and strategically placed retention basins.
In Indonesia, pilot projects in Surabaya and Medan have applied BIM to optimize the internal layouts of affordable housing blocks. The aim is to reduce material waste, improve cross-ventilation, and ensure that communal facilities are well located within each development.
In Malaysia, state housing boards are beginning to adopt BIM for large-scale housing in Penang and Johor. Early trials focus on using BIM for cost control and prefabrication, aiming to replicate Hong Kong's gains in construction efficiency. Meanwhile, Vietnam has started incorporating BIM into urban regeneration projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where the challenge is replacing deteriorating apartment blocks with modern, energy-efficient buildings while minimizing displacement.
Environmental Sustainability as a Housing Right
The right to adequate housing increasingly includes the right to live in an environment that does not harm health or well-being. Buildings are responsible for roughly 40 percent of energy use and a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions. Poorly designed housing can expose residents to excessive heat, inadequate light, and high utility costs.
BIM's analytical capabilities allow environmental performance to be addressed at the design stage. In Hong Kong, energy simulations have informed decisions about insulation levels, shading devices, and photovoltaic panels installation. In Singapore, sun-path and wind flow studies have helped shape building massing to enhance thermal comfort without mechanical cooling. In Kuala Lumpur and Manila, similar techniques have been used to increase resilience against extreme weather events.
Such measures directly benefit residents by reducing energy expenses and improving indoor environmental quality. They also contribute to national climate commitments, aligning housing policy with broader sustainability goals.
Economic Efficiency and Lifecycle Value
Public housing agencies operate under tight budget constraints. One of BIM's most valuable features is 5D integration, which links design elements to cost and schedule data. This allows project teams to forecast cash flows accurately, avoid budget overruns, and adjust plans before construction begins.
The economic advantages extend well beyond project completion. BIM models can be linked to facility management systems, serving as detailed "as-built" records that track every component. In Hong Kong, maintenance teams use BIM combined with RFID tags to quickly locate and service building elements, from fire doors to water pumps. This reduces downtime, lowers maintenance costs, and prolongs the functional life of housing estates.
Overcoming Barriers to Adoption
Despite its benefits, BIM adoption in public housing is not yet universal. The initial costs of software, hardware, and training can be high, and some contractors are reluctant to change established practices. Smaller municipalities may also lack the technical staff to implement BIM effectively.
Hong Kong's response has been to create a BIM Centre, an in-house consultancy that supports more than 2,000 users across the Housing Authority. The Centre develops standards, provides technical assistance, and organizes training for architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, and site staff. Singapore has taken a complementary path, offering government-funded training programs and requiring BIM use in major public projects.
Capacity-building is as important as technology adoption. Without skilled professionals who can fully exploit BIM's potential, the investment will not yield its full value. Establishing regional knowledge-sharing platforms--perhaps under the auspices of ASEAN or other multilateral bodies--could accelerate the spread of best practices and reduce duplication of effort. As more public housing agencies adopt BIM, shared libraries of building components, environmental data, and cost benchmarks could further enhance efficiency and quality across borders.
The Way Forward
As Asia's cities continue to grow, the pressures on public housing systems will only intensify. Rising land values, climate change, and demographic shifts will challenge governments to deliver more housing, more quickly, and to higher standards.
BIM is not a cure-all, but it offers a framework for aligning human rights principles with practical delivery. By enabling early design optimization, improving construction coordination, and supporting long-term asset management, BIM can help ensure that public housing fulfills its role as both a social safety net and a foundation for sustainable urban development.
Conclusion
Public housing is one of the clearest expressions of a society's commitment to the right to adequate housing[v]. In Asia, fulfilling this right is inseparable from the challenges of building at scale, managing costs, and protecting the environment.
The experiences of Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, and emerging projects in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam demonstrate that BIM can play a central role in meeting these challenges. It enables better-informed decisions, reduces waste, and integrates sustainability into every stage of the housing life cycle.
By institutionalizing BIM within public housing policy, governments can move beyond simply providing shelter to creating well-planned, resilient communities. In doing so, they uphold not only the letter of the human right to housing but its spirit--delivering homes that support dignity, equity, and the well-being of present and future generations.
[i] United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25 (1948).
[ii] United Nations, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Article 11 (1966).
[iii] Hong Kong Housing Authority, Application of Building Information Modelling in Public Housing Development, 2024.
[iv] Building and Construction Authority (Singapore), Tengah New Town: Smart and Sustainable Town, 2023.
[v] UN-Habitat, The Right to Adequate Housing, Fact Sheet No. 21, Rev. 1, 2014.