When it is completed in 2018, residents of Oasis Terraces will be moving into an estate that boasts multicoloured gardens with plant species selected to attract birds and butterflies.

The Housing Board estate, overlooking Punggol Waterway, is one of three public housing projects to have been awarded certifications for excellence in landscaping and greenery.

The others are SkyResidence @ Dawson and SkyOasis @ Dawson, both to be ready in 2020.

The certifications are under the National Parks Board's Landscape Excellence Assessment Framework (Leaf), which recognises housing projects that bring nature to residents' doorsteps, and have greening initiatives for environmental conservation and biodiversity.

SkyResidence @ Dawson and Oasis Terraces received the Leaf outstanding award.

This is the fourth year HDB has been awarded Leaf certification for its projects.

HDB chief executive Cheong Koon Hean said the board consciously adds greenery to its designs. "These green spaces also serve as recreational spaces for residents to enjoy and community spaces where the kampung spirit can ignite and grow," said Dr Cheong.

Both projects in Dawson are billed as "housing in the park" by HDB.

SkyResidence @ Dawson, along Margaret Drive and Commonwealth Avenue, will have six mature Angsana trees in the central plaza and the eight residential blocks will have landscaping at various levels.

A 500m long garden will also connect the blocks on the second and eighth storeys, creating community spaces fitted with adult and elderly fitness stations.

The six blocks at SkyOasis @ Dawson, along the Alexandra Canal Linear Park, will have sky gardens on the 14th and 35th storeys, as well as a roof garden on the second storey. There is also a landscaped "eco deck" that will have a playground catering to the young and the elderly.