Public flats in Singapore may be getting smaller but this has not lowered quality of living, says Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) CEO, Dr Cheong Koon Hean.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a housing forum on Thursday morning, Dr Cheong noted that there were now fewer persons living in one flat which works out to increased living space per person.
“Our families are smaller. In the old days, we have very large families living in a flat. Today, the family is two, three, four (people).”
The size of HDB flats has shrunk by five to 10 per cent over the last 20 to 30 years.
For example, a five-room flat in Bukit Batok Central built in 1989 has a floor area of 121 square metres, compared to 110 square metres for a similar unit built in 2003.
Based on official surveys, the average household size was 3.5 in 2010, and 4.9 in 1980.
This means an occupant in a 110 square metre five-room flat today will have 31 square metres of space, while a resident in a 121 square metres five-room flat in the 80s had only about 25 square metres of space.
Dr Cheong added that interior design also plays a part in creating good living space.
“In many global cities of the world or big cities, people do pay attention to how they do the inside of the flat as well as optimising the use of furniture and storage. It can be a very comfortable living environment.”
Speaking at a forum, Dr Cheong said designing and building public housing is not an easy task.
“We really take care of people from the time they get married until they retire and this raises many expectations from our residents. We have to keep pace with the changing and evolving needs and aspirations of our residents by having a greater variety of designs, yet keeping cost affordable. ‘Efficiency’ and ‘cost’ are therefore key to us to build value-for-money housing.”
And as HDB towns and flats remain under the label of ‘HDB’, Dr Cheong said “residents often expect their flats to be serviced by HDB beyond the one-year defects liability period”.
She said HDB is therefore “very conscious of building in such a way that minimises potential problems in the long term”. This includes ensuring construction that is durable, and minimising dis-amenities such as water seepage, overlooking and noise.
Source : Channel NewsAsia – 10 Nov 2011
To achieve this, HDB also engaged both the public and private sectors for new housing projects.
For example, the HDB held a design competition for its Punggol Waterfront project and received more than 100 entries. The eventual winner stood out for its unique design that maximised each resident’s view of the waterway, and for incorporating green features that tie in with the HDB’s push for sustainable living.
All 108 entries will be displayed at the HDB Hub Atrium in Toa Payoh from November 10 to 13.
A new business portal for builders was also announced at the forum.
The portal, which will be launched next moth, will allow builders to access technical resources such as HDB’s standard specifications, conditions of contracts and schedules of rates. E-services such as the submission of progress payments will also be provided.