Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

1. Good morning. It is my pleasure to join you here at HDB’s Public Housing Seminar and Awards Presentation Ceremony.

2. This is an annual event for HDB to recognise its outstanding business partners as well as for them to showcase and share their best practices.

Public housing in Singapore

3. We have many reasons to be proud of our public housing programme. Today, more than 80% of Singaporeans live in HDB flats. HDB flats are not only affordable, but also of a high standard. The flats we built have quality finishes and there is a variety of designs to cater to the different needs and budgets of different flat buyers. The HDB estate itself has a wide range of amenities to cater to residents’ needs such as public transport infrastructure, schools, retail malls etc.

4. To prepare for an ageing population, we have been investing heavily to make our estates elder-friendly, so that all residents, whether young or old, can live active, healthy lives. Many of you are familiar with our Lift Upgrading Programme, the Barrier-Free Accessibility works and the introduction of Universal Design in new flats. Indeed, some of you may recall that last year, the theme of the Public Housing Seminar was “Universal Design.”

5. For many Singaporeans, their HDB flat is a home to be proud of and their HDB neighbourhood a place where fond memories and close friendships are formed.

Remaking our heartlands

6. We should not rest on our laurels. We must continue to raise the quality of public housing to meet the rising aspirations of Singaporeans while ensuring that they remain affordable. This is a challenge that HDB and its partners must work together to tackle.

7. I believe that many of you have visited or heard of HDB’s Remaking Our Heartlands Exhibition that was launched on 31 Aug 07. The exhibition showcased the Government’s plans to build up new estates like Punggol, rejuvenate middle-aged estates such as Yishun, and regenerate old estates like Dawson in Queenstown. The plans include innovative housing forms and exciting design concepts, such as “Housing in a Park” or sky gardens. The aim is not just to make physical improvements, but also enhance the lifestyle of HDB residents and inject greater vibrancy to the estate.

8. The private sector will have a key role to play in our efforts to remake our heartlands. The Government does not have a monopoly on good designs and ideas, and HDB must therefore leverage on the expertise and creativity of our industry partners. For Dawson, HDB has commissioned three award-winning architects to design three different precincts. They were challenged to design a new generation of public housing while bearing in mind the need to maintain their affordability. Many who have seen their works at the exhibition were pleasantly surprised at what they have managed to come up with. This is a positive outcome and HDB will continue to actively engage industry partners to tap on their ideas and experience.

9. Besides industry partners, HDB will also actively engage residents themselves, to hear their views and suggestions on how they want their living environment to be shaped. In this regard, the exhibition itself has been a very good start, and I am happy to report that HDB has received much positive public feedback. There is much excitement among the public about the various ideas and possibilities, and HDB has received many good suggestions for its further study.

Sustainable development for public housing

10. It is appropriate that the theme of the Seminar today is “Sustainable Construction and Technologies”. Scarcity of land and other resources is a reality in Singapore. As public housing is where the majority of our population lives, we need to be judicious and creative to make the best use of our limited resources. This is necessary to safeguard our quality of life and our potential for future growth even as we make provision for a larger population.

11. A holistic approach, with close collaboration among industry partners, is needed for sustainable development of public housing to succeed. There has to be commitment at every stage of the process to reduce wastage and optimise resources. For example, at the town planning stage, the planner needs to develop an intelligent town layout that minimises the load on the transportation network. In designing the building, architects and engineers need to consider how to incorporate features that allow greater energy efficiency. At the construction stage, there has to be conscious use of techniques and innovations that save on construction material and reduces wastages. Finally, in the area of estate management, we should try to optimize energy usage and keep maintenance costs low. In this regard, I am happy to note that Dr Teo Ho Pin, mayor of Northwest CDC, will be sharing with us the initiatives undertaken by our Town Councils to optimise energy usage and save maintenance costs.

12. We reached a new milestone in sustainable development for public housing in March this year, when we launched Treelodge@Punggol, Singapore’s first HDB Eco-Precinct. This project consolidates the eco-friendly innovations that HDB has been researching over the years, and provides an example of what public housing can offer in terms of environmental sustainability. Since its launch, close to 80% of the units have already been taken up. The strong public interest for this project demonstrates the support from Singaporeans for a greener lifestyle.

13. HDB will continue to invest in R&D to develop sustainable technologies for the future, in areas such as prefabrication, water and energy conservation as well as innovative lift solutions. HDB welcomes industry to participate in these R&D efforts.

14. HDB is also keen to share experiences and best practices with its partners. In this spirit of knowledge sharing, HDB will be launching The Green Housing Book today. It will provide an insight into the various HDB initiatives introduced over the years to create sustainable homes and estates. The Green Housing Book aims to share the best practices in sustainable public housing development so that together, HDB and its partners can further push the frontiers of sustainable construction and technologies in Singapore.

Conclusion

15. It is fitting that today we recognise the contributions of our partners, and honour those among you who have set the highest standards in your work. It is a tribute to your commitment to public housing. Let me congratulate the winners of the various awards who have partnered HDB in their roles as consultants, contractors, suppliers and service providers.

16. As we embark on a new journey to regenerate our heartlands, HDB will need to work closely with its industry partners. We look forward to the continued support and commitment of our partners in this journey. On this note, I wish you all a fruitful session ahead.

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