Distinguished guests

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.

       This morning, I want to recognize the contributions of HDB’s industry partners in raising the standards of public housing in Singapore.  I will also be unveiling the winning scheme of the Punggol Waterfront Housing Design competition, thus bringing us one step closer towards realizing the exciting vision for Punggol New Town.

Quality, Cost-Effective Public Housing
2     Over the past 50 years, HDB has transformed Singapore into a nation of flat owners.  The quality of our public housing has also evolved, from basic low-cost units, to quality flats in vibrant housing estates today.

3     Today, eight in ten Singaporeans are homeowners. This is a major achievement, which no other country has been able to do.  It is the outcome of an unequivocal commitment this Government has made - that HDB flats will remain affordable to the vast majority of Singaporeans.  And it is a commitment that this Government will continue to make.  HDB flats are not merely roofs over one’s heads, but also comfortable homes that we can raise our families in as well as a valuable asset which can contribute to our retirement needs.

4     As industry partners of HDB, you have contributed to the public housing programme and can take pride in having played a part in its success.

5     But, success brings with it a new set of challenges, one of which is meeting the rising expectations of Singaporeans for quality public housing.

6     Over the past 50 years, HDB has worked hard to meet this rising expectation.  HDB’s relentless pursuit of quality in both design and construction has given Singaporeans public housing that is the envy of many countries. New HDB estates look like private condominiums but cost much less.  Innovative construction methods (eg. pre-fabrication) reduce cost and construction time. No wonder HDB hosts many foreign visitors keen to learn from us. There are many successes, but what is fundamental is the partnership between the public and private sector to embark on quality projects.

7     Beyond aesthetics and construction efficiency, HDB flats are built to last.  HDB introduced the ASSURE3 in 2005 giving its new flats a longer warranty of 5 and 10 years against ceiling leakage and external water seepage, and spalling concrete respectively.  HDB was the first in the industry to provide such an assurance.

8     However, quality is always a work-in-progress.  HDB and its partners should continue to keep abreast of technological improvements and innovation to make HDB flats and estates even better.

9     We must also be mindful to be cost-effective when designing and building our flats.  High building cost will ultimately feed into the market value of flats while high maintenance cost can affect the amount of Service & Conservancy Charge that homeowners will have to bear.  These are areas that HDB must continually work on with its industry partners.  Today, we honour those who have set new benchmarks in these aspects for HDB housing over the past year.

HDB Awards
10    This year, we recognise seven winners who will receive a total of 12 awards in the categories of Construction Safety, Quality and Design.

11    All our awards winners have displayed commitment and resourcefulness in meeting HDB’s safety, quality and design standards.  Two of them -- China Construction and Surbana International are recipients of multiple awards this morning.

Remaking Our Heartland - Realising Punggol’s Vision
12    HDB’s collaboration with the private sector has reaped much benefits.  They include more innovation and designs that result in savings in construction and maintenance costs.  Ultimately, HDB residents are the biggest beneficiaries.

13    With this in mind, HDB launched the Punggol Waterfront Housing Design Competition for the first public housing parcel along the Punggol Waterway.  Through a 2-stage competition, HDB tapped on the private sector’s expertise to generate exciting housing design forms to realise the theme of ‘Green Living by the Waters’.

14    This first public housing parcel along the Punggol Waterway will set the benchmark for the rest of the developments along the 4.2km Waterway.  The development, comprising 1,200 units, is scheduled for launch in mid-2010.  I am glad to note that the private sector has responded enthusiastically to the challenge of coming up with truly innovative design proposals for this highly-anticipated housing project.

15    When Stage 1 of the competition closed in April, we received 108 entries from both local and international firms.  These firms proposed a masterplan, urban design concepts and new architectural concepts for housing along the waterway.  5 firms were short-listed for Stage 2 where the designers worked further to translate their design concepts into an implementable design proposal.  Today, I am happy to announce that Group8asia Co., Ltd in partnership with Aedas Pte Ltd has emerged the winner of the Design Competition.  Let me congratulate all the award winners and thank them for their excellent efforts.

16    The winning design offers a new lifestyle option for Punggol residents.  Its distinctive sky terrace concept will create quality public spaces along the waterway for the community, keeping the 'kampung spirit' alive.  The design also takes into consideration its impact on the environment.  It offers residents an eco-friendly housing experience by the waterway.  Residents can look forward to resort-style housing, which leverage on the attractions of the waterway and the promenade.

17    Most importantly, the housing form is functional and feasible to implement as a public housing project.  The construction cost as well as its maintenance will be within the benchmarks set for public housing.  This is important to residents because maintenance costs will be borne by them in the form of Service and Conservancy Charges.

18    The Housing Design Competition has shown us the immense potential of waterfront living in Punggol.  With the completion of the Punggol waterway by end-2010, developments along the waterway will take shape as we work towards Punggol’s vision of a waterfront town.  Going forward, we can look forward to more exciting transformations for our HDB heartland, including estates in Yishun and Dawson.

Conclusion
19    HDB’s success in housing a nation did not happen overnight.  It is with hard work, commitment, and the support of its business partners, that HDB was able to transform Singapore’s physical and social landscape.  HDB must continue the close collaboration with its business partners to produce affordable and quality public housing that Singaporeans are proud to call home.

20    This has been HDB’s commitment for the past 50 years, and will remain so, going forward.

21    Thank you.

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