Users with physical disabilities will find the Anchorvale Community Club a welcome facility. Part of a recently opened integrated lifestyle hub, which also comprises the Sengkang Sports and Recreation Centre, the CC is unlike the average activity venue. Instead, it has incorporated accessible features and fixtures, such that it is highly suitable for use by people of different ages and abilities.
For its optimal use of the various principles of universal design in championing barrier-free accessibility, the lifestyle hub clinched the only Gold award in the ten Universal Design Awards given out by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) this year.
Other winning projects include shopping centre VivoCity, which secured a silver under the commercial building category; and KK Women's and Children's Hospital, which won a bronze award under the refurbished building category. There are a total of 151 award winners this year, spanning the areas of safety, sustainability, quality and user-friendliness, up from 97 in the last.
The Universal Design Award for the Built Environment, jointly organised by BCA, the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) and the Handicaps Welfare Association, rates buildings on seven criteria:
- Connectivity
- Accessibility
- User-friendliness
- Safety
- Integrated design
- Operations and maintenance
- Bonus for innovation and enhancement
User-Friendliness and Safety
Here, wheelchair-bound users can easily take a dip in the swimming pools, as there are ramps into both the lap and children’s play pools. In addition, wheelchair-bound users can also access facilities like the gymnasium, sports hall and other activity rooms without difficulty.
This lifestyle hub is one of the first sports and recreation centres in Singapore to have ramps that lead into the pools
Besides that, families with young children can have fuss-free fun in this integrated hub. The material chosen for the flooring are of non-slip textures, so that it is safer for children running about and also for the elderly. Furthermore, pro-family facilities such as diaper-changing stations, nursing rooms and children’s toilets are provided at the swimming pool, and marked with bright colours that catch parents’ attention readily.
