SINGAPORE - The Republic's first integrated community and lifestyle centre Our Tampines Hub was conferred the highest accolade for a Building and Construction Authority (BCA) award that recognises building designs that emphasise people's needs.
The development won the only Platinum Award at this year's BCA Universal Design Mark Award on Monday (April 22), which also honoured 36 other building projects.
Seven public sector projects, including Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic and Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre, won the Gold Plus Award.
BCA said in a statement that all 37 winners were exemplary in demonstrating how buildings can be designed to not only put the needs of communities and people first, but also foster inclusiveness and engagement.
The authority added that Our Tampines Hub bagged the Platinum Award as it offers a comprehensive and diverse range of services and programmes for people of different generations and abilities to interact and bond, while engaging in a variety of activities.
BCA said that the centre, which was designed by home-grown firm DP Architects and opened in 2017, also has a wide range of facilities that cater to people of all generations and needs.
These facilities are spread out across the centre in clusters, which promotes more interaction among different groups of people and allows the centre's many service providers to explore fresh ways to collaborate.
For instance, an indoor playground is located next to the children's book section of the Tampines Regional Library.
BCA called the library a "microcosm of the development" as there are not only separate areas that cater to the reading needs of different age groups, but also features that cater to special interest groups among residents, such as culinary studios and a laboratory with tools, equipment and hardware kits.
Our Tampines Hub is "seamlessly connected" to the surrounding residential developments with covered, accessible foot paths, and bicycle parking provisions, said the authority.
It also has a one-stop public service centre where residents can engage the services of various government agencies, including the Housing Board and the Ministry of Social and Family Development.
When the centre was first launched, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that it was born out of the ideas of thousands of residents, who were all consulted in the process of its development.
He also called the centre's development a case of the Government trying out new things and improving as it went along.
Prior to the centre's launch, community activities were held at temporary spaces like a plot of state land adjacent to Tampines MRT station.
