Dr Teo Ho Pin, Mayor of North West District

Mdm Cynthia Phua, Member of Parliament

Dr John Keung, CEO BCA

Ladies & Gentlemen,

Good morning.

1 I am heartened to see so many of you today at this “Accessibility in the Built Environment” seminar. This reflects the interest in making Singapore’s built environment more user-friendly for all sectors of our society – be it the young, the old or the physically disabled.
In our journey to make Singapore an inclusive and endearing home, all of us gathered here have an important part to play.

Journey Towards a Barrier-Free Built Environment

2 The journey towards providing a comprehensive barrier-free built environment in Singapore has gathered pace. This would not be possible without the collective effort and support of the people, private and public sectors.

3 The Government has been stepping up efforts to improve our physical built environment, not only to enhance the mobility and accessibility for the physically challenged, but also to prepare for an ageing population. This has led to programmes to extend lift access to every floor of all eligible HDB blocks by 2014, and to make all HDB Precincts barrier-free by 2011.

4 Earlier this year, we established a $40m Accessibility Fund to incentivise private building owners to carry out barrier-free upgrading works for their existing buildings. In May this year, BCA had also collaborated with the Singapore Institute of Architects and the Handicaps Welfare Association to roll out the inaugural Universal Design Awards. We were very pleased to see the award winners duly recognized for their efforts to make their buildings more user-friendly, over and beyond the minimum requirements of the Code on Barrier-Free Accessibility.

IMPROVEMENTS TO THE BFA CODE

5 Today, we have reached another milestone. The third revision of the Code on Barrier-Free Accessibility in Buildings (or BFA Code for short) has been completed.

6 Allow me to touch on the more significant enhancements to the Code.

Expanded Scope, Enhanced Connectivity
7 Currently, the BFA Code only regulates accessibility from the main entrance to a building and the common spaces within the building. I am pleased to announce that the scope of the revised Code will be expanded to cover not just the buildings, but also the other facilities such as parks, open spaces, transport stations and bus shelters.

8 The revised Code will incorporate new requirements to improve the inter-connectivity between buildings, and from buildings to key surrounding facilities such as parks and transport nodes. This will minimize the obstructions posed to the elderly, young parents with pram and wheelchair users as they travel.

9 To reflect our new attitude towards the provision of accessibility, the name of the revised code has been aptly changed from “Code on Barrier Free Accessibility in Buildings” to “Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment”. The revised Code will take effect on 1st April 2008.

Code Review Committee
10 The revised Code is the result of extensive consultation with key players in all sectors. I would like to take this opportunity to place on record our appreciation to the members of the code review committee for their efforts, as well as to the members of public who had contributed their feedback during the public consultation.

ROLE OF BUILDING OWNERS, DESIGNERS

11 While we have revised the Code, we also need building owners and designers to play their part to make our built environment more friendly and accessible.

Owners of buildings built before 1990
12 Currently, buildings that were built before the introduction of the Code in 1990 need to comply with the Code only if they are undergoing major renovation works. This means that unless these pre-1990 buildings undergo major renovation, those that are inaccessible will continue to remain so. Many of these include private commercial and institutional buildings along Orchard Road, Shenton Way and Bras Basah Road.

13 I strongly urge the owners of such buildings, especially those highly frequented by the public, to voluntarily make them accessible.
The BCA’s Barrier-Free Accessibility Fund which co-funds the provision of basic accessibility features in your buildings is here for you to tap.

Owners of buildings built after 1990
14 For buildings constructed after the introduction of the Code in 1990, I urge the building owners to take an active role to seek continual improvements and to ensure that the barrier free features remain well maintained.

NEW COMPREHENSIVE UNIVERSAL DESIGN GUIDE

15 I am pleased to inform you that, after the successful publication of the universal design guide for commercial buildings last year, BCA will be publishing a new comprehensive universal design guide (or UD guide in short).

16 The primary aim of the new UD guide is to provide the industry with a set of recommendations which is applicable to all building types. It also contains design guidelines on residential units and communal facilities like parks, sports courts and stadiums, cinemas and theatres, children-play areas and gymnasiums.

17 I encourage all building owners to make use of this guide and go beyond the minimum requirements of the Code. Enhance the user-friendliness of your buildings with simple yet thoughtful universal design features to cater to the diverse needs of our people. Make Singapore truly a highly liveable city.

CLOSING REMARKS

18 We have made good progress in the last several years, but more remains to be done.
While we have embraced the concept of providing barrier-free access, it is also equally important for us to ensure that the features and measures are well implemented and well-maintained.

19 Going forward, with the collective effort of the people, private and public sectors, I am confident that we can make our nation a truly inclusive society and an endearing home for all. I look forward to a friendlier built environment where more people with different abilities can move around without hindrances.

20 With this, I wish all of you a fruitful seminar.

21 Thank you.

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