At SkyVille @ Dawson, “sky villages” were introduced to encourage community bonding and a greener environment. (Photo: designapplause.com)
Housing projects SkyVille @ Dawson and Waterway Ridges have emerged as two of the winners at this year’s Housing and Development Board (HDB) Design Awards.
A total of 11 HDB Design Awards and 12 HDB Construction Awards will be given out during the Awards ceremony on Thursday (8 September), which will be graced by National Development Minister Lawrence Wong. The other winners include Waterway Terraces I and II, Keat Hong Axis, Rivervale Delta, and upcoming projects Alkaff CourtView and Alkaff LakeView.
The Awards aim to recognise industry partners for their contributions to developing quality homes in Singapore, said the HDB.
Designed by WOHA Architects, SkyVille @ Dawson introduced the concept of sky villages to encourage community bonding and a greener environment. The project features a total of 12 sky villages, each comprising a cluster of 80 homes that share a naturally-ventilated sky garden. Residents can also mingle at the project’s 47th floor roof garden, which comes equipped with seating areas and a 400m jogging track.
Waterway Ridges by Surbana Jurong Consultants, on the other hand, leverages on its proximity to My Waterway @ Punggol for its design. It is the first public housing development with a large-scale integration of the PUB’s Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme or water-sensitive design elements, with features including an environmentally sustainable network of vegetated swales and bio-retention basins.
Beyond housing projects, the HDB Design Award also recognises design excellence in the rejuvenation of older estates. In fact, a new category was introduced this year to recognise projects under the Remaking Our Heartland (ROH) programme.
These include two Neighbourhood Centres that were upgraded under the ROH programme for East Coast area, as well as the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme in Simei Street 1.
Yip Yuen Hong, Designer of the Year for the President’s Design Awards 2013 and jury panellist of the HDB Design Awards 2016, said: “The Awards are important for the public to understand what good design constitutes and to ensure high standards are kept, year after year.”
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
