They share their principles behind the groundbreaking design and their favourite features.
Synopsis: The Straits Times speaks with experts to discuss how public housing design has evolved in Singapore.
Public housing is all around us. They are in older towns such as Queenstown and Toa Payoh, and in newer ones like Punggol and Bidadari. Eight in ten Singaporeans live in HDB flats.
How has the design of HDB blocks evolved over the decades? What has worked out and what hasn't?
ST's housing correspondent Michelle Ng speaks with Dr Liu Thai Ker, widely known as the architect of modern Singapore. This is because he helped to plan 20 out of the 24 HDB towns in Singapore during his time from 1969 to 1989.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:33 Essence of early public housing: "Low-cost" evolving to "public" housing, home ownership and affordability a challenge back then
5:27 What did liveable public housing look like back then?
8:13 The design principles behind the early HDB flats
13:56 Slab blocks versus point blocks; Dr Liu on not allowing himself to compromise on floor area
20:08 Dr Liu explains the "courtyard in the sky" principle
26:45 Key principles he left behind to bear in mind when planning for the long term in Singapore
Listen to the the design duo behind HDB's gamechanging Pinnacle@Duxton: https://str.sg/iYZy
Discover ST's interactive graphic article of this topic: https://str.sg/JXMGj
Produced by: Michelle Ng (ngmich@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Teo Tong Kai and Fa'izah Sani
Edited by: Teo Tong Kai
Follow ST Podcasts:
Channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukK
Spotify: https://str.sg/wukH
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/
Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
---
Discover more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u
In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt
COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE
Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7
Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN
Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf
Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m
Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE
#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad
Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX
---
ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa
---
Special edition series:
True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T
The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2
Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn
Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB
Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa
---
Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX