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SINGAPORE: Singapore will see its tallest public housing project in a few years. Located at Pearl’s Hill, the new Build-to-Order (BTO) development is set to have some blocks rising over 60 storeys.
This exceeds the 50-storey record set by the Pinnacle@Duxton, which was completed in 2009. While no official statistic exists for the average height of HDB blocks, most blocks in Singapore fall within the 10- to 40-storey range, with early public housing averaging around 12 storeys.
Announcing the new BTO project in Pearl’s Hill on Mar 4, National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said the Housing and Development Board (HDB) will find more opportunities to build taller flats across Singapore.
The rationale for such housing projects is clear: in land-scarce Singapore, the increasing demand for homes and other needs means that urban planners will need to intensify land usage by building upwards.
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The Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Master Plan 2025 already shows a strong focus on “vertical zoning” and mixed-use developments, with different land uses stacked on top of each other rather than across different plots of land.
A mixed-use development that has been vertically zoned should therefore ideally have light industrial uses on lower floors, followed by commercial spaces on mid-floors and residential units on higher floors.
Urban intensification is not unique to Singapore. In most thriving cities, the tendency has been for planners and architects to build upwards in order to accommodate their growing populations. These range from New York’s 432 Park Avenue, a 96-storey ultra-luxury apartment complex, to the 65- and 70-storey Astaka twin residential towers in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
However, super-tall residential buildings can come with risks and challenges.
For instance, the devastating blaze that tore through Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court last November. While the fire was exacerbated by construction scaffolding mesh which did not meet flame retardant standards, the height and density of the buildings likely made it difficult for fire fighters to contain the fire. The tragedy also showed how difficult it is to evacuate high-rise buildings in an emergency.
In the case of the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London, which killed 72 people, the local fire brigade did not have sufficiently tall aerial appliances that could allow firefighters to reach the higher floors of the 24-storey building.
Another area of concern is the feeling of crowdedness, with more people packed into a building, and possible logistical challenges for residents such as longer wait times for lifts. Should there be a breakdown, residents living on higher floors may find themselves faced with an unplanned workout.
Urban scholars have long pointed out that building upwards could result in a decline in street life and community ties. American-Canadian journalist and author Jane Jacobs, for one, often described the high-rise modernist apartments that were increasingly in vogue in the 1960s as “towers in the park” that reduce street-level activity and isolate residents in higher floors.
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Riken Yamamoto also recently pointed out that large scale urban developments can erode the social fabric of smaller neighbourhoods. In contrast to rural neighbourhoods, Yamamoto argued that most modern apartment buildings lack the civic and communal spaces necessary for fostering community ties among people.
It is a paradox that closer physical proximity in a high-rise, high-density city can also equate to social isolation and weak community ties.
That said, the reality is that Singapore’s land constraints will make it hard to provide for all without building upwards. If building and living even higher is the way to go, we should turn our attention towards making super-tall residential developments livable, sustainable and inclusive.
Concerns about fire safety mean that extremely high-rise projects will need even tighter fire safety regulations and stringent building codes. Firefighters will also need to be equipped with the skills and equipment for fighting fires in taller-than-usual buildings.
The technical issue of lift availability can be resolved by mandating more lifts as well as more frequent lift maintenance in super-tall housing developments. For instance, the Pinnacle@Duxton has 35 lifts across its seven connected towers. Many of these lifts are also high-speed elevators.
For the broader community, extremely high-rise residential projects do not have to come at the expense of social ties. Such developments can be designed to bring street life up to the residents.
For instance, at the Pinnacle@Duxton, a skybridge on the 26th floor comprises a jogging track, fitness corners, a children’s playground and a community plaza, which allow residents to meet and interact with each other, and in the process foster community ties.
These features – skybridges and community facilities on higher floors – have since been replicated in other developments, both public and private.
As I mentioned in an earlier commentary, even as Singapore continues to develop high-rise and high-density housing to accommodate a growing population, it can reduce feelings of crowdedness by designing estates that incorporate green spaces both on the ground and in the air. Such pockets of green and community spaces help reduce perceptions of crowdedness by providing visual relief, thermal comfort and ample recreational spaces.
In land-scarce Singapore, there will be a need to consider more super-tall residential projects and through intentional urban and architectural design, such developments can be both resilient and livable.
Woo Jun Jie is Senior Lecturer at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.
Source: CNA/sk
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FAST
SINGAPORE: Singapore will see its tallest public housing project in a few years. Located at Pearl’s Hill, the new Build-to-Order (BTO) development is set to have some blocks rising over 60 storeys.
This exceeds the 50-storey record set by the Pinnacle@Duxton, which was completed in 2009. While no official statistic exists for the average height of HDB blocks, most blocks in Singapore fall within the 10- to 40-storey range, with early public housing averaging around 12 storeys.
Announcing the new BTO project in Pearl’s Hill on Mar 4, National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said the Housing and Development Board (HDB) will find more opportunities to build taller flats across Singapore.
The rationale for such housing projects is clear: in land-scarce Singapore, the increasing demand for homes and other needs means that urban planners will need to intensify land usage by building upwards.
CNA Games
Show More Show Less
The Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Master Plan 2025 already shows a strong focus on “vertical zoning” and mixed-use developments, with different land uses stacked on top of each other rather than across different plots of land.
A mixed-use development that has been vertically zoned should therefore ideally have light industrial uses on lower floors, followed by commercial spaces on mid-floors and residential units on higher floors.
Urban intensification is not unique to Singapore. In most thriving cities, the tendency has been for planners and architects to build upwards in order to accommodate their growing populations. These range from New York’s 432 Park Avenue, a 96-storey ultra-luxury apartment complex, to the 65- and 70-storey Astaka twin residential towers in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
THE DOWNSIDES OF BUILDING HIGHER?
However, super-tall residential buildings can come with risks and challenges.
For instance, the devastating blaze that tore through Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court last November. While the fire was exacerbated by construction scaffolding mesh which did not meet flame retardant standards, the height and density of the buildings likely made it difficult for fire fighters to contain the fire. The tragedy also showed how difficult it is to evacuate high-rise buildings in an emergency.
In the case of the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London, which killed 72 people, the local fire brigade did not have sufficiently tall aerial appliances that could allow firefighters to reach the higher floors of the 24-storey building.
Another area of concern is the feeling of crowdedness, with more people packed into a building, and possible logistical challenges for residents such as longer wait times for lifts. Should there be a breakdown, residents living on higher floors may find themselves faced with an unplanned workout.
Related:
Urban scholars have long pointed out that building upwards could result in a decline in street life and community ties. American-Canadian journalist and author Jane Jacobs, for one, often described the high-rise modernist apartments that were increasingly in vogue in the 1960s as “towers in the park” that reduce street-level activity and isolate residents in higher floors.
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Riken Yamamoto also recently pointed out that large scale urban developments can erode the social fabric of smaller neighbourhoods. In contrast to rural neighbourhoods, Yamamoto argued that most modern apartment buildings lack the civic and communal spaces necessary for fostering community ties among people.
It is a paradox that closer physical proximity in a high-rise, high-density city can also equate to social isolation and weak community ties.
INTENTIONAL DESIGN IS KEY
That said, the reality is that Singapore’s land constraints will make it hard to provide for all without building upwards. If building and living even higher is the way to go, we should turn our attention towards making super-tall residential developments livable, sustainable and inclusive.
Concerns about fire safety mean that extremely high-rise projects will need even tighter fire safety regulations and stringent building codes. Firefighters will also need to be equipped with the skills and equipment for fighting fires in taller-than-usual buildings.
The technical issue of lift availability can be resolved by mandating more lifts as well as more frequent lift maintenance in super-tall housing developments. For instance, the Pinnacle@Duxton has 35 lifts across its seven connected towers. Many of these lifts are also high-speed elevators.
For the broader community, extremely high-rise residential projects do not have to come at the expense of social ties. Such developments can be designed to bring street life up to the residents.
For instance, at the Pinnacle@Duxton, a skybridge on the 26th floor comprises a jogging track, fitness corners, a children’s playground and a community plaza, which allow residents to meet and interact with each other, and in the process foster community ties.
These features – skybridges and community facilities on higher floors – have since been replicated in other developments, both public and private.
Related:
As I mentioned in an earlier commentary, even as Singapore continues to develop high-rise and high-density housing to accommodate a growing population, it can reduce feelings of crowdedness by designing estates that incorporate green spaces both on the ground and in the air. Such pockets of green and community spaces help reduce perceptions of crowdedness by providing visual relief, thermal comfort and ample recreational spaces.
In land-scarce Singapore, there will be a need to consider more super-tall residential projects and through intentional urban and architectural design, such developments can be both resilient and livable.
Woo Jun Jie is Senior Lecturer at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.
Source: CNA/sk
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