Landscaping in newer public housing developments has reached a new level as gardens and shared amenities are now designed to be above ground.
The evolution of these green spaces was seen among the various projects taking home prizes at the Housing and Development Board Awards which were given out on Tuesday. They were given to contractors and developers of HDB projects for good design and constructing homes well.
Take, for example, Casa Clementi in Clementi Avenue 1. The one-year-old estate boasts a 15,000 sq m landscaped deck that links the third storeys of the development’s 10 blocks. Residents of the 2,234-unit estate enjoy amenities such as children’s playgrounds, senior citizens’ exercise corners and pavilions spread across this landscaped deck.
Well-manicured bushes and tall trees line the expansive space and cover up airwells so that carparks on the first and second storeys are out of sight.
At the awards ceremony, Casa Clementi’s contractor Straits Construction won the Distinguished Construction Award for its quality work, innovative building methods, project management and efforts to engage the community, while its designer Surbana International Consultants won the top award for the design.
Other projects with well-thought-out raised green spaces include Punggol Breeze, a 12-block HDB project with 964flats; Punggol Spectra, which has 1,142 units; and Senja Green in Bukit Panjang, which has 474 units.
Bounded by Punggol Drive and Edgefield Plains, the Punggol Breeze estate, which was completed in December last year, has a 270m linear roof garden atop the multi-storey carpark, and is the longest roof garden in Punggol.
The 7,000 sq m common green is planted with palm trees and willows, which will help reduce heat from the atmosphere and glare from the windows of the flats.
Ms Hoo Xin Yu, executive landscape architect from the development and procurement group at HDB, says that where possible, designers will “try to maximise areas for greenery and landscaping”.
Indeed, since HDB started building flats 52 years ago, the landscape surrounding public housing has gone from basic trees and children’s playgrounds to precincts that incorporate plants and trees, lawn areas and play stations for multi-generational use.
Plants and flowering shrubs are carefully chosen for their durability, ability to provide shade and easy maintenance.
Since 2009, all new multi-storey carpark roofs have been designed as accessible roof gardens, and planter systems were put in for large plants. Spaces have also been set aside for residents to start community gardens in the future.
Compared to the days when carparks were situated in front of flats, Ms Hoo, 26, says: “Instead of looking out at cars, the playground and gardens are a much nicer view. Also, this design makes the communal areas safer as they are free from traffic flow.”
On Wednesday, HDB launched a landscape guide to help developers plan better public housing areas and showcase current good designs.
The move is timely as newer neighbourhoods such as the upcoming Bidadari estate in Woodleigh, and potential public housing sites at the soon-to-be- demolished Paya Lebar airbase and Southern Waterfront City in Tanjong Pagar will be going into the design phase.
Ms Hoo says while HDB blocks may look similar, no two gardens are alike because designing landscapes depends on the size of the land.
For example, Punggol Breeze has a “meandering garden” while Casa Clementi’s is more linear.
But do not expect sky gardens, such as those in The Pinnacle@Duxton in Outram and the upcoming SkyVille@Dawson in Queenstown, in most of HDB’s new projects.
In those developments, residents have access to gardens that can be found every 11 storeys in the 40-storey-tall Woha- designed SkyVille@Dawson, and on the 50th storey at The Pinnacle@Duxton.
This is because the pool of plants which can survive at such heights are small, and the garden can be difficult and costly to maintain. For example, trees, which can provide shade but have huge roots, cannot be planted too high up as there is no space for their roots to grow.
Ms Hoo says: “We’ve had to change the way we design, so that we can maximise every site, and still have space for playgrounds and parks, even if it’s above ground level.
“These common areas and the greenery help make the neighbourhood look nicer than just having flats alone, and encourage residents to spend time outside and meet their neighbours too.”
Casa Clementi resident Thomas Tey, who lives in a four-room flat, loves how the gardenscape has the feel of private condominiums.
The 37-year-old real estate valuer, who often walks his dog there, says: “My friends even expect there to be a pool, just like in a condo. It’s a one-of-a-kind design where you get the garden this big, so I’m really impressed.”
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