Forum: Give more thought to building design to avoid maintenance issues

I appreciate recent efforts by town councils and government agencies to address estate maintenance issues. My experience at the Clementi Towers and Clementi Mall integrated development and the larger Clementi Town area highlights a larger concern. Residents are bearing the consequences of what seem to be building design flaws.

Several examples stand out. Water features accumulate grime, algae and litter despite assurances about flow rates and cleaning regularity. Planters fail because the effects of sun, wind and drainage were not properly considered, and dying greenery is left untended or replaced with pebbled concrete. Rainwater pools in these areas.

The common thread is that these are not solely maintenance lapses. They often stem from design decisions.

Rectifying these issues now requires coordination between HDB, town councils and other relevant agencies. However, the average citizen should not have to engage in prolonged correspondence with multiple bodies to fix problems that could be rooted in the design stage.

There is also a cost question. Should residents pay the cost indirectly, through service and conservancy charges or daily inconveniences?

HDB should take the lead in addressing mistakes made in the design of its buildings and share solutions transparently so that other estates can avoid these issues. Clear leadership and accountability will assure residents that liveability, which factors in the mental health of residents and the safety of the elderly, remains a priority as Singapore builds higher and denser.

Daphne Anne Rodrigues