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‘We're happy here’: How the elderly to young families are enjoying homes distinctly designed for them
With residents in mind, the Housing Board designs and builds flats and neighbourhoods to cater to different needs and lifestyles
Mr Heng Gee Choo and his wife, Madam Sie Gik Moi, often bring their granddaughter to the playground, one of the many amenities housed within the Kampung Admiralty complex. PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Natalya Molok and Terence Lim
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On Wednesdays, this sprightly 70-year-old heads “upstairs for classes”. By “upstairs”, Mr Heng Gee Choo is referring to the NTUC Health Active Ageing Centre on the sixth storey of his Housing Board (HDB) flat at Kampung Admiralty.
An integrated development in Woodlands, Kampung Admiralty features public housing for seniors with healthcare and wellness facilities as well as other amenities.At this centre, Mr Heng has been immersing himself in the world of robotics, something that he finds “very fun”. And the student is set to become a mentor.
“Once the course is over, I will then be one of the ‘instructors’ to teach the next batch of students,” he says.
Beyond learning, the centre is where Mr Heng meets friends and neighbours, and also volunteers to support the instructors in their sessions.
At Kampung Admiralty, there is also a community plaza for events, a community farm, medical facilities, and provisions for the young with a childcare centre.
Moreover, residents have plenty of dining options to choose from with a hawker centre and myriad eateries. There are also three major supermarkets in the area.
Mr Heng’s wife, Madam Sie Gik Moi, articulates her satisfaction towards the complex. “We’re happy here. This place is very convenient. It’s next to Admiralty MRT station, and it’s good to have so many food options,” says the 65-year-old.
When it comes to living spaces, the development offers about 100 studio apartments, sized either 36 sq m or 45 sq m. They are designed to create a safe and comfortable living environment for seniors.
All the apartments come fitted out with modern amenities and safety installations such as built-in wardrobes and cabinets, and a wheelchair-accessible bathroom with slip-resistant flooring and grab bars.
Mr Heng, who rightsized from a four-room flat in Marsiling with his wife after their children started their own families and moved out, notes the features in their home.
He says: “It was already in move-in condition. I only installed a few more cabinets for storage space. It even comes with a smoke detector and an alert alarm system – everything that can help and protect us senior citizens is there.”
Built for active living
The approach HDB has taken for Kampung Admiralty, to ensure the elderly are living in quality homes catering to their needs, is part of its goal to provide inclusive housing for residents. It also takes a holistic approach when designing towns and estates.
Opened in 2018, Kampung Admiralty – affectionately dubbed the “vertical kampung” – is designed to bridge generations. It encourages inter-generational bonding with the close proximity of facilities such as the childcare centre with the Active Ageing Centre, and three-generation fitness and play facilities.
The development is also designed to bring residents closer together, like how it was back in the kampung of yesteryear.
Following its success, HDB has started construction of Singapore’s second vertical kampung at Yew Tee.
Known as Heart of Yew Tee, the integrated development will mirror its predecessor and have a range of social and healthcare facilities for the elderly. The Build-To-Order (BTO) project will have 68 two-room flexi flats in a 10-storey residential block and will be ready around 2027.
With Singapore’s rapidly ageing population, HDB’s housing solutions will be part of the Government’s strategy to tackle the challenge.
In 2021, HDB piloted the Community Care Apartments (CCA) in Bukit Batok. Designed for seniors above 65, these flats incorporate customised care services.
Furthermore, to ensure that seniors remain active, various services and programmes have been planned to keep them engaged. The success of this initiative has led to plans for similar apartments in Queenstown and Bedok, with more locations to be announced soon.
Designed for convenience
The new HDB towns are designed from the onset to pack in ample facilities and amenities to cater to the daily needs of residents, minimising the need to spend time travelling out of their neighbourhoods.
Ms Sheril Aida Lin, 35, can attest to the balance between peace and accessibility at Northshore Edge in Punggol.
Having bought their five-room flat in the November 2017 BTO exercise, she and her family enjoy the serene environment complemented by a plethora of amenities in the vicinity, such as Northshore Plaza as well as childcare and enrichment centres.
Northshore Plaza, which has retail shops and services such as a supermarket and a food court, is a new-generation neighbourhood centre. Such centres integrate plazas, play zones and various communal spaces within residential areas. The Samudera LRT station is also a stone’s throw away.
“I love living so near the waterfront,” says the homemaker, as she points to the Straits of Johor that she can see from her service yard. “And with the amenities so close by, it’s really convenient for us.”
Weekends for Ms Lin and her family are spent having fun in the neighbourhood. Her children’s favourite haunts are the playground just next to her block and the pirate ship-themed playground at Northshore Plaza.
With her children learning to cycle, the family ventures out further for cycling practice along the Punggol Park Connector all the way to Punggol Beach.
“It’s a breath of fresh air living here, there are so many activities for the kids to do and great playgrounds, too,” adds Ms Lin. “I grew up in a very densely populated estate, so you can imagine my happiness moving to this neighbourhood where I can get a zen-like feeling every day.”
Refreshing flats and neighbourhoods alike
Residents living in older estates are also well taken care of. Beyond building new homes, HDB is equally concerned with ensuring that existing estates and flats remain vibrant through various upgrading programmes. Whether it is for public health, safety or to address common maintenance issues, there are initiatives and programmes by HDB to improve the living and surrounding conditions of these flats.
These include the Home Improvement Programme (HIP), rolled out in 2007, aimed at enhancing home safety and comfort, and tackle maintenance issues in ageing flats. The HIP has three components – essential improvements, optional improvements and Enhancement for Active Seniors (Ease).
One beneficiary of this programme, Hougang resident Thavamanni Devi, 70, experienced a transformative change in her four-room flat after the HIP. Both bathrooms in her flat have been revamped, her main door is now fire-rated, and grab bars reduce the probability of a fall.
With wear-and-tear and old age affecting her knee, and her husband having mobility issues, Madam Devi also opted to install a portable ramp at the multi-step main entrance of her flat.
“I rely on my walker, and the ramp provides a safer way to enter and exit my flat. It’s also wheelchair-friendly, making my husband’s trips to the polyclinic hassle-free. Even my 92-year-old mother enjoys visiting me here due to the convenience the ramp offers," she shares.
Such enhancements under the HIP are subsidised by the Government, with residents paying only for their share of the optional improvement works carried out in their flats.
“My flat never had any renovation since I moved in, so the improvements were most timely. With the subsidies, the cost was very affordable,” reveals Madam Devi, who paid about $800 with her Central Provident Fund savings for the improvements. “I think it’s worth it.”
Besides the HIP, there is also the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP), which focuses on block- and precinct-level enhancements.
Residents will see upgrades such as new letterboxes, improved void deck seating as well as drop-off porches and covered linkways, providing them with an improved living environment.
This resident-centric approach is deeply rooted in HDB’s design philosophy. Since 2006, all new HDB developments have championed universal design principles, an approach that ensures that every facet caters to all, from the elderly to those with mobility challenges.
Within neighbourhoods, barrier-free paths with ramps link up blocks to carparks and bus stops, while sheltered drop-off porches also make it easier for residents to access their homes in all weather conditions.
Inside, the modern flats now have wider corridors and doorways, specifically designed to accommodate wheelchair users.
At the heart of all these innovations, however, HDB’s mission remains steadfast. It is all about fostering a sense of community while ensuring that every generation finds comfort, security and a sense of belonging in their homes.
