COUNTRY | Singapore
REGION| Asia
SECTOR | other (housing)
QII Principles | Principle 1: Sustainable Growth & Development, Principle 2: Economic Efficiency, Principle 3: Environmental Considerations, Principle 4: Building Resilience, Principle 5: Social Considerations, Principle 6: Infrastructure Governance
QII Sub-Principles | 1: SDGs, 1: Wider economic benefits, 2: Value for money analysis, 2: Life-cycle costing, 2: Operation and maintenance, 2: Technological innovation, 3: Environmental Impact Mitigation, 3: Ecosystems, 3: Biodiversity, 3: Climate, 3: Emissions, 4: Resilience, 5: Job creation, 5: Capacity and institutional building, 5: Universal access to services, 5: Social inclusiveness, 5: Disability, 5: Low-income groups, 5: Children, 5: Elderly, 6: Growth & development strategies, 6: Procurement transparency, 6: Financial & debt sustainability, 6: Anti-corruption, 6: Access to information and data
Overview
Cost: S$4.1B
Size: 844 Ha Site Area
Parties involved (public and private): Public and Private
Relevant contractual details (type, length etc.): Planning and Design Consultancy / Building Construction
Context: The Housing & Development Board (HDB) is Singapore’s public housing authority. Established on 1 Feb 1960, HDB provides affordable housing for majority of Singaporeans. As the master planner and developer of our towns and estates, HDB plans, designs and develops vibrant and sustainable towns with quality homes and living environments for all. HDB towns are comprehensively planned to ensure that the different infrastructural needs and land uses are planned holistically and safeguarded upfront. Today, more than 1 million flats have been completed in 23 towns and 3 estates across the island, housing over 80% of Singapore’s resident population.
Aim(s) of the project: Guided by its Roadmap to Better Living that aims to create well designed, community centric, and sustainable towns, HDB aspires to develop Punggol as an Eco-Town- The Sustainable Waterfront Town in the Tropics
Timeline
Key dates including procurement construction, operations:
From 1996 (on-going)
Relevance to QII
The project serves to enhance environmental sustainability and resilience by tapping on urban technologies.
Benefits
Punggol is a sustainable town guided by a Sustainable Development (SD) Framework which sets out 10 broad strategies with 31 strategic indicators to track the various initiatives to achieve the desired outcomes in the area of environmental, economic and social sustainability. Punggol is also a living lab and testbed ground for new technologies for better energy, water and waste management and where biophilic principles are applied to encourage greater biodiversity and residents’ well-being.
This project enhances environmental sustainability through the implementation of smart initiatives that create a more liveable, efficient, sustainable and safe living environment for residents.
- Punggol is a “living laboratory” as it is a testbed ground for on-going Research and Innovation for new building technology, sustainability initiatives and digital technology, integrating urban solutions to create a green and comfortable living environment.
- Sustainable initiatives were launched since 2014 and include greenery that reduces urban heat island effects; solar panels to harness energy from the sun; LED lightings and regenerative lifts; centralised chutes that increases recyclable waste collection; rainwater harvesting system; and Water Sensitive Urban Design features to manage stormwater runoffs. Several Smart initiatives are progressively being implemented in the housing estates to further stretch the sustainability targets.
- Punggol’s comprehensive master planning approach has enabled its residents to enjoy a good living environment, with their needs met in a very holistic way. A 4.2km long man-made waterway that meanders through the residential estates was also built as part of Singapore’s water sufficiency needs, and at the same time bringing waterfront living closer to residents’ doorstep. Its good urban planning and urban design can be a model for large-scale high-density townships.
- Guided by HDB’s SD Framework, Punggol has implemented a suite of initiatives with 31 strategic indicators (19 – Environment, 6 – Social, 6 – Economic) to achieve the desired sustainability outcomes.
This project is well-aligned with existing initiatives. Formulated as part of the Smart HDB Town Framework, the project is broadly aligned with Singapore’s Smart Nation Vision and contributes to meeting Singapore’s national Sustainability Blueprint targets. Guided by HDB’s SD Framework which sets out clear strategies to meet specific sustainability outcomes, this project has not only achieved high environmental quality for its residents, but it is a model for the development of large-scale sustainable towns.
This project also enhances social inclusiveness.
- Punggol is a Community Centric Town that has helped to strengthen community bonds in Singapore’s multi-racial society. In Punggol, HDB has significantly stepped up community building efforts with various community participatory projects, volunteer network and community programming and engagement, which help to create a sense of place and foster social interactions.
Metrics
Through the many sustainable and smart features that were being introduced progressively throughout the housing estates in Punggol, it is estimated to achieve savings yield for the following key indicators when the town is fully built up:
- 39.5 GWh/yr of energy savings (equivalent power for 8,147 4-room flats/yr) + additional 18% savings through smart initiatives
- 39 GWh/yr generated by solar PV (equivalent power for 8,125 4-room flats/yr) + additional 3% savings through smart initiatives
- 934,000m3/yr of water savings (equivalent of 370 Olympic swimming pools/yr) + additional 25% savings through smart initiatives
- 2,400 tonnes/yr of recycled waste (equivalent weight of 480 elephants/yr) + additional 10% through smart initiatives
All public housing projects in Punggol have also received the Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark Gold and Gold+ award, with signature projects achieving the Platinum award.
A baseline survey was conducted in 2010 with residents living in Punggol. Subsequently in 2018, another survey was conducted to find out the changes in residents’ eco behaviours and level of engagement. Through the survey, HDB found an increase in the level of eco-living over the years, with more residents who are aware of Punggol’s status as an Eco-Town and were inspired to lead an eco-friendlier lifestyle thereafter.
Name of Institute
Housing & Development Board (HDB) Singapore
Website URL