In the past, HDB units located at lift level commanded a fair premium over the rest, particularly among the elderly and disabled. This was because the HDB equipped all high-rise blocks with 2 lifts (like the one below) that stopped only every 4-6 floors, while walk-up blocks did not have them originally. This practise continued until 1993, when all HDB flats were equipped with every-floor-stop lifts.
However, most of these elevators have since been wiped out by the MUP, IUP Plus and LUP schemes, with additional lifts installed when needed. All HDB flats are expected to have lifts that serve every unit by 2015. Needless to say, this has resulted in previously lift-level units losing their edge.
Advantage[]
- Convenient
- Accessible, particularly among the elderly and disabled.
Disadvantage[]
- Pricier
Old Lifts[]
Kent Road Blk 54 Residental HDB - Fujitec Elevator
Prior to 1993,this was the "standard” lift model that was used for HDB flats. Mostly supplied by Fujitec (such as this example from the mid-80s), these lifts only stopped every 4-6 floors, were particularly slow by today’s standard and lack visibility. Henceforth, they have a tendency to attract robberies and anti-social acts. Initially painted yellow with plastic buttons, many of these old lifts were given a blue coat of paint and more durable metal buttons in the mid 1990s, such as this example. Most of them have since been wiped out by the LUP, IUP Plus and MUP upgrading schemes, but some received another aesthetic facelift in the late 90s via IUP, with aesthetic changes, new LED indicator and a visible see-through window to tackle crime and anti-social acts. That however did not save them from LUP later on, although it did prolong their lifespan somewhat, as they were often given less priority for LUP.
New Lifts[]
New lifts have many major differences than the older lifts, for example, as mentioned above, they have small glass windows on the doors which comes in different designs depending of the brand of the lift. Most of it stops in every floor and have a new LED floor counter.