History of hdb

The  Housing and Development Board  (or HDB for short)  is the statuory board o f the MInistry of National Development.It is primarily  responsible for managing Singapore's public housing.To date,more than 4/5 of Singaporeans live in their apartments. Note:some info from this article comes from http://www.teoalida.com

SIT (Hdb's predesscor)
HDB's predesscor was the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT),found by the British Colonial Goverment in Singapore,in an attempt to solve the housing problems plauging Singapore at the time.Most people either lived in unsanitory slums (sometimes referred to as Squatter Settlements) located just outside the city,or in very cramped cubicles located inside shophouses,with an average of 200 people per shophouse.

The SIT's first deputy chairman was Captain Edwin Percy Richards.It hired several professional architects and contractors,and its aim was to build affordable public housing for Singapore citizens.

The pioneer batch of SIT flats were built in Lorong Limau in 1932.They were a series of single-storey flats coloured white,and nicknamed 'Artisan Dwellings",after the U.K's The artisans and Labourer's dwellings Improvement Act.And in 1936,SIT built 20 blocks of rounded walk-up blocks,with 700 units of 4-room/3-room blocks in Tiong Bahru .They were privatised in 1965,at $10000 for 3-rooms and $32000 for 4-rooms, and given conservation status in 2003.Also,these flats are very large,with long corridor and balconies.Due to the threat of World World II,these flats were designed with thick walls and underground shelters.Block 78 in Guan Chuan street is notable for containing a public air raid shelter.They are often confused as the first SIT flats in Singapore.

However,it was not until the end of World War II (1942-1945) that SIT began to build flats in earnest.Work continued for Tiong Bahru,with 54 blocks of four storey walk up blocks of 1 flight of stairs per 2 3-room units.Built between 1948-1953,and were sold to residents in 1973 as HDB flats;half of them were demolished under the SERS scheme in 2000.Some of these blocks were converted into hostels.They are equipped with distinctive large round staircases,which is an extremely distinctive feature.

SIT built 2,3 and 4-room apartments,all for rent at $20 per month or so,and were not for sale until HDB introuduced the Home Ownership scheme much later.It is unknown if any 1-room apartments were built by them.They also built 2-storey terrace houses to attract middle-class citizens,rent was $50 a month.

Other estates built include: ​The first and only new town SIT developed was Queenstown.Again named after Queen Elizabeth II,it was inspired by the British New Town movement. Initally a swampy valley with attap houses,it was chosen by the British in 1947 due to its proximity to the CBD.It was planned to have 5 neighbourhoods,Princess Magaret (named after Queen Elizabeth II's younger sister (1930-2002),),Duchess Estate,Queen's close estate,Commonwealth estate (named after the organisation for former U.K colonies)and Tanglin Halt.SIT only managed to complete Princess Magaret in 1959 before being dissolved the following year.More information in the Queenstown page.
 * Alexandria North Estate,which mostly compromised of terrace units.Demolished sometime during the 1990s.
 * Old Airport Estate,built sometime around 1958,with most blocks demolished during the 2000s.
 * Princess Elizabeth Parks Estate.Named after Queen Elizabeth II,it comprised of 22-24 low-rise blocks,6 3 storey,2 seven storey and the rest 1 storey,a total of 162 units,it was located near Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak.All units were demolished circa 1996.
 * Princess Elizabeth flats Estate.Also named after Queen Elizabeth II,it was built in the early 1950s at Race Course Road and Farrer Park.Details are vague,but it was probably demolished in 1978.
 * Redhill Estate,with 21 7-storey blocks,882 units in total.Located near HDB's previous HQ,they were refurbished during the early 90s,but are scheduled to be demolished in 2016 via SERS,likely because LUP is technically unfeastable for these blocks.48-storey HDB apartments were offered to these residents in compensation.
 * Silat Estate,located near the old SG-Malayan railway station.It contains 15 walk-up blocks,total of 262 unit.Was vacated in 2011 via SERS,now sits idle,awaiting for future residental development.
 * Whampoa.
 * A collection of flats at New Bridge Road,Trengganu Street and Banda street.Built from 1938,these flats were 4 stories tall and nicknamed 'the aeroplane building' due to their appearance resembling Kallang Airport's control tower.Demolished in 1975;Kerta Ayer Centre now sits at their site.
 * A collection of flats at Smith Street.They were notorious for being used as the sub-HQ of the Kempetai (Japanese military police)during World War II.Demolishment date unknown.
 * A collection of 4-storey flats in Bugis,located in Albert Street and Cheng Yan place.Built during the late 1940s,they were demolished in the 1980s.
 * A collection of flats at Kampong Java,along Kampong Java Road,Norfolk Road and Wintsedt Road.Built between 1948-1952.
 * A housing estate at Little India,between Gloucester Road and Race Course Road.All were 2-storey.
 * A collection of flats at Kolam Ayer.
 * A collection of terrace houses at Dorset Road,shaped liked traditional Dutch cottages.Built sometimes in the 1940s,they were nicknamed 'Dutch Corner',and were demolished in 1973.
 * A collection of flats in Guillemard Road ,built around 1955.
 * A collection of white-coloured 3-storey flats at Kim Keat (part of Toa Payoh).Were later joined by a bunch of 9-storey flats in 1958.Their fate after the construction of Toa payoh is unknown.
 * A collection of small one-storey flats at Bukit Panjang,built in 1957.Meant for resetlling Kampong dwellers,they look like chalets from afar.Probably demolished in the late 1980s,when development for Bukit Panjang New Town started.
 * A collection of 14 10-storied flats in Dakota Crescent.Still exists today.
 * A collection of HDB flats in Aljunied.Later completed by HDB.
 * Plus many small estates and individual blocks around the CBD,most already demolished as early as the 1960s.One of the most famous sorts of these blocks were the 4 nine-storey blocks at Upper Pickering Street,demolished in 2003.One of them was used by the SIT for offices,and inital plans included a curved block at their back that was cancelled,and became notorious as a hotspot for suicides.

A common feature of these flats are their shutter windows or glass grille windows,as well as their open balconies meant for hanging clothes.

Alongside these flats,SIT built rows of 4-storey Shophouses along New Bridge Road and Cross Street that are conserved till this day.(?)

After Singapore attained Self-goverment in 1959,SIT fell victim to the new PAP goverment,who were probably dissatisfied at the SIT's performance.They only managed to built 23000 apartments,housing just 8.8% of the population by 1959.Why?

​SIT's last apartments built before its dissolution were blocks 45,48 and 49 in Stirling Road.Still standing today,they are 7-storey rental blocks.Their construction was only halfway done once SIT was dissolved,HDB continued on with it.
 * Attention to non-essential details:Many SIT blocks were built in the Art-Deco style,and are known for being somewhat beautiful,thus explaining their very high  prices in the resale market.But this slowed down the construction rate somewhat.In contrast,many HDB blocks built during the 1960s and 1970s were rather dull but quick to build.Case in point:110,000 units were built by HDB by 1970.
 * Not forcing citizens to move into their flats:Unlike the HDB,SIT was rather passive when it came to 'marketing' its apartments.It did not force squatters to move out and go,unlike the HDB.

1960s:Lim Kim San and the five-year plan
Most staff working at SIT were transferred to the HDB.Led by the late Lim Kim San (1916-2006),who volunteered for the job without pay for three years,he soon earned a reputation for organising and planning to the highest standards.Rather than going for SIT's detailed planning,he chose a 'rough and ready' approach using rough estimates of materials.

His statergy led to criticisms,and even resulted in a committee formed by Lim Tay Boh to proof that HDB was doing the talk.In the end,Lim was right:he had already completed 2000 units by 1962.

Lim priortised quantity over quality;his five-year plan stated that it would build as many low-cost flats as possible for rent.High rise,high density flats were the standard.

Research showed that 147000 units had to be built by 1970;yet the private sector could only provide a maximum of 2500 units per year,so the HDB had to build the apartments needed themselves.

Not only that,the HDB was faced with  complains by squatter settlers,who did not like HDB's heavy-handed approach towards them.Sometimes,they went as far as to attack HDB workers with parangs (Knifes),and would return to their old homes in secret.Even so,many of them preferred low-storied apartments,the lower,the better.

The May 1961 Bukit Ho Swee fire marked an important turning point in HDB's history,as it exposed the shortcomings of squatter settlements and gave a reason for citizens to jump on the HDB bandwagon.Though some belived that HDB delibrately set the fire;they were proved wrong when the first five blocks of 768 units were ready for occupation by Feburary 1962.

Throughout the 1960s,HDB was involved in constructing the following New Towns/Estates: All HDB blocks during that era were concrete slab blocks with a long row of corridor units of 2,3,4 room Improved/Standard units.On average,these blocks have 10 stories and 12 units per floor,but some are extremely long.These blocks are typically classified as Brutalist for their simple shapes and exposed concrete.
 * Queenstown.Though it began construction under SIT in 1952,HDB continued its construction,and added two other neighbourhoods;Mei Ling Estate and Buona Vista.Also,most of the terrace houses that were in the original SIT plan were dropped in favour of high-rise blocks.
 * Bukit Ho Swee,mentioned above.
 * Brickworks and Henderson (in Bukit Merah)
 * Bendemeer,Boon Keng,Kallang Bahru and Tanjong Rhu (in Kallang)
 * Chai Chee (in Bedok)
 * MacPherson (in Geylang)
 * Upper Aljunied (In Toa-Payoh)
 * Whampoa and Old Airport (from SIT)
 * Toa Payoh new town.The first HDB new town,construction started in 1965.

Life in these blocks was spartan.No privacy was present with corridor windows (though this could be an attempt to foster racial harmony),lifts stopped on every four or so floors and were snail-like.Average flat size was 45sqm,with only one WC (Standard)or WC and Bath (Improved).In fact some early HDB blocks had common toilets and kitchens (similar to old Hong Kong estates);these blocks were discontinued and demolished when residents complained.

Still life was much better in these flats than the smelly and unsightly cubicles and squatters.And the HDB was far more sucessful in housing the public then SIT.By the end of the decade,the overcrowding problems were mostly eradicated.Life in HDB flats was the norm.

A little known fact is that JTC company also was responsible for building some HDB flats,mostly near Industrial estates where they were in charge of.The estates JTC built were Taman Jurong,Boon Lay (built 1969-1978),now part of Jurong New Town,),Sembawang (7 flats demolished in 2004),Pandan and Teban gardens,plus a small batch in Jalan Bahar (Now student hostels).

The list of flats HDB built in the 1960s were:
 * 1960-196? 1-room Emergency (23sqm),2-room Emergency (37sqm),Most demolished between late 1980s and early 2000s except for Blocks 1 and 2 at Maude Road (?)They future double-loaded corridors.
 * 196?-1970 2-Room standard (45sqm),3-room Standard (50-55sqm),4-room standard (70-75sqm,very rare!),Most blocks of this type were upgraded with utility rooms/Kitchen extensions,sometimes with bedroom extensions with en-suite toilet/bath.
 * 1967-1978 (?)double-loaded-corridors 1-room Improved (33sqm),all but one (Telok Blangah block 7) are meant for rental.A variant that is 3-metres wider,0.5m longer,larger facade silts and extra windows behind toilet should exist.
 * 1967-1978 3-room Improved (60sqm),later versions have a slightly larger 69sqm one at the corners.Most flats of these type were upgraded with 5sqm utility rooms.It is believed that these blocks were built in small quantities during 1982-1988,but no further evidence has been found.
 * 1970-1978 4-room Improved (82-84sqm),stairs for every two units,with corridor units on every 4-6 floors or so.Very rare,one example is block 168,Queenstown,also nicknamed 'the butterfly block;'.
 * 1969-1970 zig-zag block 3-room Improved (72sqm).Looks like a point block,with all units being corner units.Very rare,found only in Queenstown.

All HDB flats were meant for rental until 1964,when the Home Ownership Scheme was introduced,to act as a hedge against inflation and to provide financial security and a sense of pride and ownership.Later,CPF funds could be used for downpayment.However,HDB flats were not meant for citizen-to-citizen sales until 1973,this was to prevent HDB owners from depleting the precious supply of flats at that time.They had to sell their flat back to the HDB instead.All HDB prices were based on construction prices.

Significant HDB flats built during the 60s:

 * The 10-storey flats in Tanglin Halt,nicknamed Chup Lau (Cantonese for 10 stories).Built between 1960-1967.
 * 4 blocks of walk-up blocks at East Coast Road,built in 1962,Scheduled to be demolished in 2015.
 * Three 16-storey flats in Commonwealth (81-83),nicknamed Chup Lark Kau (Cantonese for 16 stories).Block 81 was famous for hosting VIPs throughout the 1960s.
 * Y-shaped,19storey slab block in Toa Payoh.

1970s:Welcome to the New Generation
Circa 1971-1973,Construction began for 4 new towns,this time located further away from the city centre:Bedok,Marine Parade (completed in 1976,)Marsiling and Telok Blangah (near Pasir Panjang).Other estates were also constructed,including Geylang Bahru and Sims (in Kallang),Aljunied,Haig,Eunos,Farrer Road (in Bukit Timah),Lorong Lew Lian (in Serangoon),and Sin Ming (now part of Bishan).Construction continued for a small part of Toa Payoh (blocks 210-235),as well as Queenstown (Holland,Ghim Moh and Dover).

Meanwhile,the JTC continued construction of Taman Jurong and Boon Lay,and commenced Construction of Pandan and Teban Gardens.

Sometime in 1976,HDB also began construction for Ang Mo Kio,Clementi,West Coast and Hougang.Several small esates were also built,namely Hillview (An extension to Princess Elizabeth Park Estate,demolished 2005 via SERS),Nee Soon (later intergrated into Yishun),Teck Whye Estate (part of Choa Chu Kang),as well as a series of Rural Centres,comprising of low-rise blocks.They are Changi Village (now part of Pasir Ris),Lim Chu Kang (3 blocks of 4-storey New Generation blocks built circa 1977,abandoned in 2002 via SERS,later refurbished to serve as a military training site),Punggol Road End (Now a hostel for Foreign Workers),and Sembawang Road End (JTC built,7 blocks demolished in 2004).

HDB blocks built during this period comprised of big slab blocks of 12,13 or 16 stores,with 16 units per floor on average.They are no longer all-corridor (execpt rental blocks),with some intermidate corner units or stairs per 2 units with corridor/lift landing every 4-6 floors.More low-rise blocks were introduced;along with double-storey shophouses and point blocks,with four units of 4-room-improved/5-room per floor,most having 25 floors.

Most blocks built during this period onwards have the 1st floor intentionally blank (no units).This is commonly referred to as a void deck.Facilites aimed at fostering bonds and friendship,as well as small shops are typically found there.

The late 1970s marked an increase in the quality of HDB flats.The size of HDB flats were increased,and even corridor units had the units built slightly off-ground for privacy.All HDB flats from 3-room onwards have 2 bathrooms,one attached to Master Bedroom,as well as a small 2sqm storeroom.These type of flats are called New Generation (NG for short.)

Here is a list of HDB flats built during the seventies: Take note that 2/3-room Improved were still offered until 1978 as cheaper alternatives.
 * 1976-1985 slab block with 67sqm 3-room NG,with 82sqm 3.5 room NG at intermidate corners,with 4-room corner NG at end corners (92sqm)
 * 1976-1985 slab block with 91sqm 4-room NG,stairs per 2 units,with corridor units every 4-6 floors.
 * 1976-1980 slab block with 5-room standard (117sqm),stairs per 2 units,with 4-room NG (89sqm) at lift level corridor units.
 * 1980-1985 slab block with 5-room Improved (121sqm),stairs per 2 units,with 4-room NG (98sqm)at lift level corridor units.
 * 1970-1974 Point block with 4-room improved (91sqm)
 * 1974-1979 Point block with 5-room standard (117sqm)
 * 1977-1987 Point block with 5-room Improved (121sqm)

1980s:Model A-Z...
Circa 1981-1983,HDB began construction for 7 New Towns,namely Bukit Batok/Gombak (Integrating Hillview),Jurong East and West (Series 100-500,Intergrating Boon Lay,Taman Jurong,Pandan and Teban Gardens),Serangoon,Tampines,Woodlands (intergrating Marsiling).Construction continued for Hougang,and the HDB also built some small estates:Bukit Purmei (in Bukit Merah),Ubi (in Geylang),Kaki Bukit (in Bedok),Joo Seng and Potong Pasir (near Bishan),Sunset Way (Between Clementi and Bukit Timah),and an extension to Toa Payoh.

The HDB was given the rights to manage HUDC (Which it absorbed) and JTC estates in 1982,becoming the sole public housing authority.Today JTC blocks are also considered HDB blocks,whereas HUDC blocks were still sold until 1987,due to falling demand.

Circa 1985-1987,Four more new towns were built:Bishan,Bukit Panjang,Choa Chu Kang and Pasir Ris New Towns.Jurong West was extended with the Nanyang Precint (series 700-900),as well as Kembangan (in Bedok),and Toh Yi (19 blocks built in Bukit Panjang circa 1988) estates.

1980s generation estates are composed of Slab Blocks of 10,12 or 16 stories ,usually with 11 units per floor on average,plus the 25-storey 5-room point blocks (built until 1987).For some reason,very few blocks built during the late 1980s are 13 stories or higher.Typically,these blocks are arranged in a rigid pattern and block corners may be bent to give a sense of enclousure,thus giving rise to variants of units.These blocks are typically faced west-east to avoid sun,low-rise face North-south.Corridor units now are raised even higher,with bigger recess areas,and entrances shifted to the right side.Flats also became even bigger.Efforts were also made to give each estate its own unique block identity, through the useage of different colour schemes, elevational treatment and types of building materials used.For example,Potong Pasir estate is well-known for its sloped blocks.

In the late 1980s HDB also built some cheaper pre-fabricated blocks with load-bearing walls.Commonly found in Bukit Gombak and Nanyang,they are typically flat and have a simple,brutualist facade harkening to the 1960s.They are also plauged with ceiling leaks most of the time,and most walls must not be hacked.Resale value of these flats is thus fairly low.

The HDB introduced bigger Model A flats;3-room 75sqm,4-room 105 sqm and 5-room 135 sqm.In 1984 simplified flats were introduced as a cheaper alternative;as well as to replace NG flats;3-room 64sqm,4-room 84sqm.Executive Apartments and Maisonettes were introduced (145sqm).

1 and 2-room flats were phased out,last batch built during this period was Tampines 441,442,466 and 471.

In  1987 the line was refreshed with new designs and smaller facades,plus greater flat variations;4-room 105sqm and 5-room 125sqm.The Executive Apartments and Maisonettes were redesigned to have 4 bedrooms rather than 3 bedrooms plus utility rooms.3-room units,5-room model A,simplified blocks and point blocks were phased out.

Also 7 blocks of multi-generation flats were also built;pairing 1 3-room simplified and 1 4-room simplified into a 160sqm apartment.The blocks are Bishan 137,Tampines 454,460,Yishun 605,632,633 and 666.

Sometime in the late 80s a small batch of 3-room improved were built.It remains to be verified,however.

Typical 1980s blocks:
 * 1983-1989 slab block with 3-room model A,3.5 room model A (88-90sqm,very rare),and 4-room model A.Early variants of this block type have the corner units resembling 4-room NGs,later ones have a long living room and a deep facade 'U' shape between the living room and Bedroom.
 * 1983-1985 slab block with 5 room model A,2 units per staircase.
 * 1984-1989 slab block with 3 & 4-room simplified,plus 5-room improved at the corners.
 * Unconfirmed;5-room improved,stairs for 2 units,with corridor 4-room units at lift level.
 * 1987-1988 slab block with 4-room simplified,4-room Model A at corner.
 * 1983-1984 slab block with 5-room Model A maisonette (early Executive maisonette variant,140sqm),some may have 2 units of 5-room model A at corners.
 * 1984-1988 slab block with Executive Maisonette,some may have 2 units of executive apartments at corners.
 * Very rare,slab block with executive apartment  at corridor,with 5-room improved at corners.
 * 1988-1991?slab block  with  new -style 4-room model A,5-room improved at corners.Some variants may have different corners,with 4-room model A and 5-room improved.
 * 1988-1992 slab block with new style Executive Maisonette;many variants have 2 units of Executive Apartments for every corner.
 * 1992 slab block;commonly found in Bishan,with 4-room model A and 5-room improved.Stairs for every 2 units,2 lift wells located in the center ,one lift per well.corridors located at every 3 floors or so.Support beams support the slightly protruded corridor to the ground,and many of these blocks have lifts that stop on every floor.Units at non-lift level have a 2sqm balcony facing staircase void,with units above-lift level having bigger balconies(?)May contain alternate corner designs.Sometimes may have a huge grille facade fronting the lift wells,which are joined together.More information needed!

1990s:What comes up must go down...
Throughout the early and mid 1990s,HDB continued completing Choa Chu Kang (Yew Tee preinct and Keat Hong),Hougang,Pasir Ris (until 1996),Tampines (until 1997),plus many small esates and individual blocks around completed new towns.as well as the central area,particually when many old HDB and SIT blocks were demolished.No new estate or New Town was started.

Circa 1997 3 new towns commenced construction:Sembawang,Pungool and Senkang.Construction continued as usual for Choa Chu Kang (until 2002),Hougang and Woodlands (until circa.2003).HDB also resumed major construction for Bukit Panjang (until circa.2003)and Jurong West (Pioneer precint,600 series).

Demand of flats was particually strong during that period,with resale flat prices rising tremendously until the Asian Financial Crisis in 1998.All new apartments were now based on median sale prices.

New estates built during this period now had lifts that stopped at every floor (some 1992 slab blocks do have lifts that stop at every floor,but do not serve every unit),and external refuse chutes  every floor,rather than the previous internal chutes.Multi-Storey Carparks were now standard (though there are still a few stand-alone lots for purposes like unloading goods,ambulance etc)in order to save space.All blocks are linked with sheltered walkways for convience.Also,some blocks during this period contained public household shelters at the void deck.

Blocks now have thicker walls,and are of an average of  15 stories.Walk-up blocks were discontinued.

The HDB also launched two upgrading programs targeted at older flats during this period as well;namely the Main Upgrading Programee (MUP) and Interim Upgrading Program (IUP).The MUP was targeted at 1960s-1970s flats and gave them multi-storey car parks,green space and newer facilities such as gardens and playgrounds.Units were also upgraded to a new door and windows,as well as renovated bathrooms and house extensions.The IUP scheme did not include the unit changes,however,and was targeted towards 1980s flats.

Sometime in the mid 1990s Premium Apartments were introduced.These slightly more expensive units are pre-decorated,unlike standard units which are more sparse and can be renovated if so desired.

The majority of 1960s era rental flats were demolished during that period as demand for them stagnated;they were replaced by the small estates and individual blocks mentioned earlier.Some 1960s/70s era blocks were also converted by HDB to become Jumbo Units,adjoining 2 flats together for a bigger unit.Owners were also given the liberty to adjoin two flats on their own,but with certain conditions.

The SERS scheme was announced during this period ,where 1960s/1970s blocks are demolished and residents move to new units.

Here is a list of HDB flats built during that period: