Woodlands to get 'vertical kampung'

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http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/...mpung-20130804

Woodlands to get 'vertical kampung'

Multi-agency project brings together public facilities, housing under one roof

Published on Aug 04, 2013

By Salma Khalik, Senior Health Correspondent


Residents in Woodlands will be the first in Singapore to experience the community feel of an integrated building with public facilities such as housing, health care and hawker centres all under one roof.

Planned, built and run by multiple government agencies - a first - this vertical "urban kampung", as National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan calls it, will bring together the young and old to live, eat and play together.

At the bottom of the building will be a massive "town square" or community plaza, and at the top, 100 studio apartments for elderly singles or couples.

In between will be a medical centre with about 35 consultation rooms and options for day surgery, senior activity and childcare facilities, shops and watering holes, as well as roof-top decks that residents can turn into community gardens.

Next door is the Admiralty MRT station, plus a basement carpark for 300 cars, and bicycle racks.

In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Khaw said more integrated buildings will be built if this one is successful.

Work will start next year, with the building ready by 2017. It is being developed by HDB and the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Ministry of Social and Family Development, National Environment Agency, Alexandra Health System and the Early Childhood Development Agency.

Leading them are HDB's deputy chief executive officer Yap Chin Beng, and Alexandra Health chief executive officer Liak Teng Lit.

The groundbreaking concept will hinge on how well the agencies work together. Said Mr Khaw: "A traditional approach is for each agency to carve out a plot, and make plans based on its needs. We will end up with several standalone buildings - workable but not outstanding."

An integrated complex, on the other hand, maximises land use and has been shown to work in other countries, such as Japan.

It all started "quite fortuitously", he told The Sunday Times, when a piece of prime land next to the MRT station became available and was sought by various agencies for their own purposes.

Mr Khaw said he decided to try "a holistic planning approach" instead, focusing on residents' needs.

"We're breaking some new ground," he said. "It is an experiment to create a modern urban kampung within a busy city - one that can pull people together and create a sense of community."

On his blog, he said he was "struck by the level of like-mindedness among the inter-agency stakeholders".

"The design has reflected the tireless effort to develop not a disparate but an integrated development that gels together," he said.

The project created a buzz among architects, with 22 firms submitting concepts.

Home-grown award-winning firm Woha, whose projects include School of the Arts and Stadium MRT station, won with its submission depicting a large "town square" on the ground floor for community activities and for residents to mingle.

Dr Mary Anne Tsao, chairman of the Tsao Foundation which provides a host of services for the elderly, applauded the initiative. She called it "truly a city of all ages where people, young and old, across the generations can work, play, learn, grow and be cared for in an integrated manner".

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[Sandiwara]

http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/...mpung-20130804

Woodlands to get 'vertical kampung'

Multi-agency project brings together public facilities, housing under one roof

Published on Aug 04, 2013

By Salma Khalik, Senior Health Correspondent


Residents in Woodlands will be the first in Singapore to experience the community feel of an integrated building with public facilities such as housing, health care and hawker centres all under one roof.

Planned, built and run by multiple government agencies - a first - this vertical "urban kampung", as National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan calls it, will bring together the young and old to live, eat and play together.

At the bottom of the building will be a massive "town square" or community plaza, and at the top, 100 studio apartments for elderly singles or couples.

In between will be a medical centre with about 35 consultation rooms and options for day surgery, senior activity and childcare facilities, shops and watering holes, as well as roof-top decks that residents can turn into community gardens.

Next door is the Admiralty MRT station, plus a basement carpark for 300 cars, and bicycle racks.

In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Khaw said more integrated buildings will be built if this one is successful.

Work will start next year, with the building ready by 2017. It is being developed by HDB and the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Ministry of Social and Family Development, National Environment Agency, Alexandra Health System and the Early Childhood Development Agency.

Leading them are HDB's deputy chief executive officer Yap Chin Beng, and Alexandra Health chief executive officer Liak Teng Lit.

The groundbreaking concept will hinge on how well the agencies work together. Said Mr Khaw: "A traditional approach is for each agency to carve out a plot, and make plans based on its needs. We will end up with several standalone buildings - workable but not outstanding."

An integrated complex, on the other hand, maximises land use and has been shown to work in other countries, such as Japan.

It all started "quite fortuitously", he told The Sunday Times, when a piece of prime land next to the MRT station became available and was sought by various agencies for their own purposes.

Mr Khaw said he decided to try "a holistic planning approach" instead, focusing on residents' needs.

"We're breaking some new ground," he said. "It is an experiment to create a modern urban kampung within a busy city - one that can pull people together and create a sense of community."

On his blog, he said he was "struck by the level of like-mindedness among the inter-agency stakeholders".

"The design has reflected the tireless effort to develop not a disparate but an integrated development that gels together," he said.

The project created a buzz among architects, with 22 firms submitting concepts.

Home-grown award-winning firm Woha, whose projects include School of the Arts and Stadium MRT station, won with its submission depicting a large "town square" on the ground floor for community activities and for residents to mingle.

Dr Mary Anne Tsao, chairman of the Tsao Foundation which provides a host of services for the elderly, applauded the initiative. She called it "truly a city of all ages where people, young and old, across the generations can work, play, learn, grow and be cared for in an integrated manner".

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I like the idea very much. I hope they have good plan for more human traffic at Admiralty MRT Station.

[reporter2]

http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/...zz-mp-20130805

Woodlands 'vertical kampung' to add buzz: MP

New complex 'will liven area, raise flat prices, but not rival main hub'

Published on Aug 05, 2013

By Janice Tai


WOODLANDS' new "vertical kampung" is likely to add buzz to the residential estate, its MP Ellen Lee said.

The integrated building - which will feature housing, health care and hawker centres under one roof - is not expected to rival the town's main hub, she added yesterday.

Instead, it will complement the upcoming Woodlands Regional Centre, a major commercial development in the north.

Ms Lee, who represents the Woodlands ward in Sembawang GRC, said the changes are likely to liven up the relatively quiet area, which has schools and industrial parks.

And although the new complex may hurt surrounding suburban shops, she is hopeful that it will be offset by the greater variety of facilities and bring more business to the area.

In fact, she is optimistic that prices of nearby flats will rise once the project is completed by 2017.

The "kampung style" integrated building, with all public facilities and services in one place, is the first in Singapore. It aims to bring together young and old to live, eat and play.

It involves multiple government agencies pitching in to help plan, build and run it, and Ms Lee paid tribute to National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan for bringing it about.

He has been "listening and has taken into consideration all the views and suggestions to come up with this holistic planning approach that focuses on residents' needs," she said at the constituency's National Day dinner.

She added that future Housing Board blocks may follow this model because of the convenience and community space that it gives residents.

"The facilities are all at their doorstep and there will be more spaces for different generations to interact," she said.

For example, healthy lifestyle or family events can be held at the plaza at the bottom of the building. The garden on the rooftop will also be big enough for people to jog around.

But before the future arrives, Woodlands residents have a new way to connect in the present.

Yesterday, Mr Khaw, who is also an MP for Sembawang GRC, launched a mobile application for residents to upload photos of their treasured moments and places.

Called Eco iCommunity!, the app also enables users to add their fellow neighbours as "friends", allowing them to chat with one another.

The app is developed by a group of youth volunteers who hope to roll it out to other estates too. Braddell Heights will launch theirs on National Day.

Woodlands resident, Madam Naisah Jamil, 45, found it useful.

"It's a good tool for community bonding," she said.

"Now we can get to know familiar faces in our neighbourhood with just the swipe of our fingers."

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