Building taller: The rise of HDB blocks above 40 storeys in land-scarce Singapore

SINGAPORE – For Ms Yeeyan Chin, the $1.2 million price tag for her four-room flat on the 46th storey at Pinnacle@Duxton was well worth it.

With a view of the Central Business District, the 42-year-old executive can enjoy fireworks on special occasions – such as National Day – from the comfort of her home.

“The main factors for me were really the view and the sense that a higher-floor unit may have stronger resale appeal over time,” added Ms Chin, who bought the unit in 2021.

Her Pinnacle@Duxton home, completed in 2009, is at present the tallest HDB development in Singapore, soaring 50 storeys high.

But this record will be surpassed by a project at the foot of Pearl’s Hill by the Housing Board that is set to rise above 60 storeys.

The 1,700-unit Build-To-Order (BTO) project next to Outram Park MRT station, which will be launched in the next few years, was announced by National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat on March 4.

And Singapore’s skyline could see more of such super-tall public housing projects, as HDB looks for more opportunities to intensify land use and build taller blocks of flats to meet housing needs.

Driven by a healthy demand for public housing in land-scarce Singapore, the number of HDB buildings that rise 40 storeys and above has increased over the past 15 years.

There are now 119 HDB blocks across 35 projects that are at least 40 storeys high, up from 46 blocks in seven projects in 2011.

And 31 such BTO projects are currently being built, said Ms Wong Siew Ying, head of research and content at property agency PropNex Realty. These include the 50-storey Alexandra Vale and 49-storey Redhill Peaks in Bukit Merah, both of which fall under the Prime flat classification and come with a subsidy clawback upon resale.

Most of the existing high-rise flats in such taller projects are in the central area, Queenstown and Bukit Merah.

Spike in transactions

Ms Christine Sun, chief researcher and strategist at property firm Realion (OrangeTee & ETC) Group, noted that there was a spike in transactions for such flats in 2015, when the first Pinnacle@Duxton flats hit the resale market.

“Prior to 2015, the transaction volume of flats situated on the 40th storey and above was in the single digits,” she said. There were 26 such transactions in 2015, up from seven in 2014.

There was a second such peak in 2020 and 2021, when flats at the 43-storey SkyTerrace @ Dawson and 47-storey SkyVille @ Dawson started being resold, noted Ms Wong.

There were 44 transactions for flats above 40 storeys in 2020 and 75 in 2021.

Ms Wong noted that of the 35 HDB projects at least 40 storeys high, more than half were offered as replacement flats for owners affected by the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS), adding that many SERS flats in the city fringe would have been located on larger plots of land, and their replacements – typically on smaller plots as land is limited – are taller in order to accommodate all households.

One such project is City Vue @ Henderson, which counts among its residents those from 21 blocks in Redhill Close that were selected for SERS in 2011.

One resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Fuad, said he enjoys the windy environment on the 48th storey – the top floor – where he is living with his in-laws.

But at times, strong winds can send empty containers flying off the table, and the water pressure can be noticeably weaker, added the 40-year-old, who works in financial services. Water supply to higher floors is typically indirect via water storage tanks, which could account for differences in water pressure.

Another gripe that many have about living so high up is waiting for the lift.

Ms Chin said she normally waits five minutes for the lift, but this can go up to 10 when one of the three lifts serving her floor is out of service.

Lift maintenance happens every three to four months and can take up to several days, she added.

Some residents in taller developments have also been paying more in service and conservancy charges.

For instance, according to Tanjong Pagar Town Council’s website, the owner of a four-room Pinnacle@Duxton flat would pay a normal rate of $132.10 a month. This is compared with $81.70 a month for most other four-room flats under the town council. The website does not state the reason for this difference.

Appeal of high-rise living

Singaporeans have increasingly embraced living on higher floors. In HDB’s Sample Household Surveys, the proportion of those who said they would live on the 12th storey or higher rose from 13.9 per cent in 1973 to 57.9 per cent in 2003. And in 2013, 31.9 per cent said they were prepared to live in blocks of 40 storeys to 50 storeys and higher.

Sociologist Chua Beng Huat recalled that when 50-storey blocks were being considered several decades back, the authorities were concerned about how they would be received.

“But interviews with some HDB residents showed they not only did not object to living on higher floors, but instead welcomed it for cleaner and fresher air – as long as the lifts are functional,” said Professor Chua, emeritus professor at the NUS Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

Referring to the upcoming Pearl’s Hill project, he added: “Unlike Hong Kong, where all buildings of the same height in a single estate form a solid wall, the proposed high buildings are landmark icons amid lower blocks and should not have an overwhelming effect on the landscape.”

Mr Eugene Lim, key executive officer of property agency ERA Singapore, said living so high up can be a point of prestige for some home owners.

“While high-rise living is common in Singapore, not all residents have the opportunity to live on very high floors,” he noted.

Asked about concerns over social inequality, sociologist Tan Ern Ser noted that the Pearl’s Hill project, for example, will have 140 public rental flats.

This could encourage social mixing and interaction between the rental residents and those who own their flats, said the adjunct principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies. He added that ground-up efforts will be important to help build the community.

Ms Sun also said some buyers may be hoping that the panoramic views from such flats could command a price premium in the long run, or help retain investment value even as leases depreciate.

But this is not a concern for Pinnacle@Duxton resident Sheryn Sethoe, who bought her four-room flat for less than $400,000 two decades ago.

The 49-year-old, who works in meetings and events, enjoys a view of both the sea and Sentosa, and said the best part of her place is its central location.

“I am very happy with my place and have no plans to move,” she said.