Amid a bustling estate featuring the traditional 10 to 11-storey slab Housing Board (HDB) blocks with meandering corridors, two novel structures stand out with their slender vertical proportions.
These high-rise blocks make up Sky Vista @ Bukit Batok, a Build-To-Order public housing endeavour designed by architectural firm P&T Consultants.
Sky Vista @ Bukit Batok focuses on communal spaces and connectivity that will encourage social interaction among its residents. However, the journey to get to this point was not easy.
Bringing neighbours closer together
In bringing the project to fruition, P&T’s design team had to overcome multiple site limitations since the small and irregularly-shaped land parcel was in a very densely populated neighbourhood, and close to structures like a bin centre and Electrical Substation (ESS).
So, the team strategically added a multi-storey carpark between the bin centre and ESS to buffer these structures. The team then carved out a second layer of public space on the carpark’s rooftop to maximise usable space as a workaround for the site’s limited land area.
Mr Mark Denis Ong, P&T’s director, says: “In its design brief, HDB gave us a mix of units to work with. Following this brief, we ended up with parts of the blocks capping off at the 23rd storey, while others reached the maximum height at 28 storeys. This gave us a distinctive look to the project as you get a layered, 3D skyline effect when looking at the buildings.”
While the new blocks add a touch of novelty to the area, they adopt the blue hues used by the surrounding buildings as a nod to the neighbourhood’s aesthetics. The team used a mix of materials instead of just concrete for structures like the drop-off pavilion, carpark screens, and privacy screens for sky bridges and corridors to give the development a modern look.
To encourage resident interaction, a space for socio-communal facilities was safeguarded and placed along the front of the development, facing the existing shops and eateries in the surrounding neighbourhood.
Its second layer of public space on top of the carpark is fitted with a lush rooftop garden with seating areas and other recreational facilities like playgrounds and fitness areas.
“We wanted the project to act as a connective tissue for the neighbourhood and offer convenience to the existing residents. So, we incorporated elements like a sheltered footpath and a communal drop-off into our design to foster this integration,” explains Mr Ong.
“For those who live at Sky Vista, we tried to encourage social encounters by linking all residential blocks to the carpark’s rooftop garden through a network of sky bridges.”
P&T received the Design Award, which recognises architectural consultants for well-designed HDB projects, including public housing, parks and mixed developments, at the HDB Awards 2023.
Innovations for better productivity
Besides Sky Vista @ Bukit Batok, P&T was also recognised with the HDB Innovative Engineering Award (Design) for its Garden Waterfront I and II @ Tengah project, slated for completion in 2027.
This award recognises projects with cost-effective, innovative engineering designs that improve productivity and promote environmental sustainability.
Garden Waterfront I and II @ Tengah are part of HDB’s new Construction Transformation Project (CTP), which will pilot various innovations and technologies to push for higher construction productivity in public housing projects.
Introduced last year, CTP is a key initiative in meeting HDB’s new target of 40 per cent site improvement by 2030, enabling the construction of safer and higher-quality homes at an accelerated pace.
One of the ways P&T will do this for Garden Waterfront I and II @ Tengah includes using a precast flat plate system – an HDB first for a residential building – to improve productivity targets by 25 per cent compared to the prevailing industry standard.
“Complex components like kitchens and bathrooms are designed as 3D structural modules; then the 2D precast floor slabs will connect these modules to complete the entire unit. With this precast technology and dry finishes throughout the unit, on-site labour will be significantly reduced,” says fellow P&T director, Mr Yiong Hoi Liong.
Units are also designed with only peripheral beams and no internal ceiling beams, giving residents more headroom and greater flexibility when reconfiguring their unit’s layout.
The team will incorporate other construction innovations to reduce wastage, such as adopting 3D printing, which reduces unnecessary timber formwork.
“We are humbled by our wins this year, but they also give us confidence,” says Mr Ong. “P&T wants to keep producing works with HDB where we find that sweet spot such that the creative application of our ideas in architecture and engineering can become a tool to achieve HDB’s objectives."
Mr Yiong adds: “We are deeply honoured to be recognised for our efforts. Our unwavering commitment to safety, sustainability and meeting the buyer's requirements remains at the forefront of our priorities.”
Find out more about P&T Consultants and the variety of services it offers. Also, find out more on how HDB homes are being built to serve different needs and lifestyles here.
