SkyVille @ Dawson (pictured) and SkyTerrace @ Dawson are two new BTO projects completed in 2015. (Photo: designapplause.com)
In light of the government’s Remaking Our Heartland (ROH) scheme, Dawson estate in Queenstown saw the rise of two swanky Build-To-Order (BTO) projects – SkyVille @ Dawson and SkyTerrace @ Dawson.
Taking on the “housing-in-a-park” concept, greenery hugs every corner of the two Dawson projects, while bits of history are scattered across the first satellite town by the HDB, reported The New Paper.
The two projects were completed in 2015 and comprise a total of 40 studio apartments, 270 three-room units, 1,102 four-room units, 176 five-room flats and 65 paired units.
While the flats cost more than two other projects launched during the same period – Segar Grove at Bukit Panjang and Montreal Dale at Sembawang – the Dawson projects have received overwhelming response from buyers.
Prices for a three-room flat in Dawson start from $280,000, while similar units at Segar Grove or Monthreal Dale have a starting price of $125,000.
Eugene Lim, Key Executive Officer at ERA Realty, attributed the higher price to a combination of design and location.
Describing the Dawson flats as a “landmark HDB project” since they are within the first phase of the ROH scheme, Lim noted that Dawson is centrally located. As such, buyers enjoy a location premium on the flat.
“Then, they throw in a premium design. This adds to the purchase price,” he added.
Meanwhile, HDB’s Director for Landscape and Design, Brian Low, revealed that architects took great pains to conserve Dawson’s heritage.
One example is the iconic blue glass panels seen at SkyVille @ Dawson’s sky gardens.
Dawson was commonly known as the “Blue Windows” due to the unique blue glass louvred windows found at the former Forfar House in Strathmore Avenue.
Artist-commissioned panels depicting the estate’s fishing village life back in the 1950s and 1960s can also be seen at the projects.
Launched in 2007, the ROH initiative aims to spruce up public housing estates by adding new facilities such as integrated complexes which combine recreation, transport and other uses, while retaining the heritage of the area.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced plans to rejuvenate Dawson, one of the three estates to receive a facelift under the programme, during his National Day Rally speech in 2007. The other estates were Yishun and Punggol.
“The old estates also have great potential. We are redeveloping selected sites within these estates, one by one, but where we can clear a big piece of land, then we can transform the whole area and make it like a new estate,” he said at the time.
Hougang, Jurong Lake and East Coast were selected as the second batch of estates, while Woodlands, Pasir Ris and Toa Payoh make up the third batch.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
