28th March 2011
ES2007S
ROOFTOP RECREATION
ES2007 Project Proposal
Liu Hao(A0073253L)
Tan Zheng Kuang (U076912A)
Goh Eng Wei (U090290)
Lin Yongping Watson (U084703H)
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i.
Personal Statement
The project proposal was conceptualized and formulated by Team RoofTech. Their project
proposal is in collaboration with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore.
The Members
Name: Goh Eng Wei
Eng Wei is currently an undergraduate at the National University of
Singapore (NUS) undertaking a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer
Engineering. Being heavily involved in mountain climbing, Eng Wei
has a high appreciation of the environment and encourages the
development of green rooftops.
Name: Tan Zheng Kuang
Zheng Kuang is a final year student at NUS completing his
Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Having a great interest
in the ingenuity of the design of rooftop space into places for recreation,
Zheng Kuang wishes that Singapore’s rooftops can be utilized to the
maximum.
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Name: Liu Hao
Liu Hao is into his first year Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical
Engineering. As an international view, he expects to see Singapore to
pioneer more global changes in space utilization.
Name: Watson Lin
Watson is a third year undergraduate of Engineering at NUS
studying Mechanical Engineering. Believing strongly that the lack of
green space in Singapore is a barrier to Singaporeans attaining the
highest level of the quality of life, Watson strongly believes in having
more recreational land space for Singaporeans. Having the rooftops
available for recreational use will eventually lead to the increase in
green space of Singapore.
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Contents
i.
Personal Statement ................................................................................................................1
The Members .............................................................................................................................1
1. Abstract ......................................................................................................................................5
2. Background ................................................................................................................................ 5
3. Description of main issue...........................................................................................................6
Land Scarcity .............................................................................................................................6
Accessibility............................................................................................................................... 6
The Rooftop Solution.................................................................................................................6
4. Problem Statement .....................................................................................................................7
5. Purpose Statement ......................................................................................................................8
6. Proposed Solution ......................................................................................................................8
7. Concerns ....................................................................................................................................8
Fencing .......................................................................................................................................9
Lightning Risk ...........................................................................................................................9
Security ......................................................................................................................................9
8. Plan of Action ..........................................................................................................................10
Preliminary Planning ...............................................................................................................10
Negotiations with HDB and Contractors/Vendors ..................................................................10
Feedback and approval from residents ....................................................................................10
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Actual Construction or flat upgrading .....................................................................................11
Promoting of Facilities .............................................................................................................11
9. Benefits ....................................................................................................................................11
10. Methodology ..........................................................................................................................13
11. Bibliography ..........................................................................................................................14
Appendix A – Survey Results ......................................................................................................16
Appendix B – Interview with A/P Chew Soon Hoe ....................................................................20
Appendix C – Email Interview with Mayor CDC .......................................................................21
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1. Abstract
This proposal intends increase the quality of life of Singaporeans. This is targeted as our problem of
interest. A solution to this problem identified is to create more land space for use of recreational
facilities. However, the approach identified is with two main problems of land scarcity and
inaccessibility issues. Singapore being a small country has little land space to offer, hence it is
difficult to offer any increase in space for recreational purposes. To fulfill our ultimate aim of
increasing the quality of life of Singaporeans, recreational facilities built must also be accessible
and convenient. Our proposed method is to use the existing rooftops on top of HDB flats. This
approach looks to utilize space which is untapped. This is a much better alternative as compared to
land reclamation as it also enables us to offer to Singaporeans convenience due to its easy
accessibility. The space available could be used for many possibilities; however, after taking into
consideration of the current design of our rooftops, our group has proposed that only barbeque
(BBQ) pits and gardens be placed.
2. Background
Singapore is a small nation with a limited amount of space for development to house its ever
growing population. To deal with this problem, Singapore has been trying to reclaim land as well as
made many innovative constructions like the Housing Development Board (HDB) flats. The HDB
flats in particular have allowed Singapore to house its huge population with a relatively small
amount of land space used. Despite this, as we look to improve the quality of life of Singaporeans,
there is a need for greater land space for recreational use. More so, the land space must be readily
accessible to the residents from the various communities of Singapore.
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3. Description of main issue
Despite the need to have land space readily available and accessible to Singaporeans, it is also
difficult to have it. The reasons for such difficulty are listed below.
Land Scarcity
The first reason for it being difficult is that land is scarce in Singapore. Given the high population
density of Singapore, this problem is accentuated when there is a lack of recreational space to
accommodate the community at large. An ideal solution would be to get the land space for the
different activities for the different age groups within the community to be situated nearby to cater
to all.
Accessibility
The second reason focuses on the term accessibility; to be easy and convenient for Singaporeans to
reach. Many Singaporeans live in HDB flats nowadays. The locations of these flats do not always
next to a park but most of the time, they are near to schools, transportation or shopping centers, as
these would give convenience to the residents. However as we look to increase the quality of life to
Singaporeans, recreation must be a convenience to them. If it becomes inconvenient, it is
unattractive. Likewise, to improve the quality of life for Singaporeans, it must be accessible to
Singaporeans as well.
The Rooftop Solution
These two major reasons give rise to our proposed solution of using the space on top of rooftops for
recreational purposes.
Firstly, this solution goes to aid us in using our untapped land area to house areas for recreation.
Singapore is able to approach this problem by reclaiming land. However, the limit which our
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country can reclaim land is within its territorial waters, and even this presents conflict to her
neighbors (“Issues...”, n.d.). However, usage of the untapped land area of the roofs allows us to
look around the problems faced of trying to increase the land area of Singapore.
Another reason for this solution is that the usage of the rooftops is convenient. According to Dr
Mah Bow Tan, minister for national development, 80 percent of our Singaporeans live in HDB flats
and 95 percent of them owning their homes (Tan, 2010). Since majority of our country’s citizens
live in HDB building, having rooftop recreational facilities would mean that residents of HDB flats
have an easy access to the areas where they can rest and relax themselves without having to travel
great distances.
4. Problem Statement
To improve the life of Singaporeans, we have found that recreational land space and greenery is
important. The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) released statistics in 2010
showing that green space was one of the top five aspects important to Singaporeans, an indication
of their value (URA, 2010). In conjunction with this, the URA has also begun to release a string of
initiatives to encourage private land developers to build on rooftop gardens (URA, 2009).
To fulfill our primary aim of improving the quality of life of Singaporeans, our study aims to
emphasize the need to convert existing untapped land area of the rooftops of HDB flats.
Furthermore, we also would like to suggest some ways we could go about the usage of the rooftops.
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5. Purpose Statement
Currently in Singapore, only a few buildings in Singapore enjoy this feature. The
Pinnacle@Duxton, Changi General Hospital and Loof (rooftop bar) are just a few of the success
stories which have transformed rooftops into areas for recreational use. Given the great need of
Singapore for land space, usage of the large amount of space available on the rooftops of
Singapore’s HDB flats would look promising.
This proposal aims to identify the public need for such places and the possible uses of the rooftop
for recreational activity. This approach is to increase the amount of land space available to
Singaporeans which will increase our quality of life. This proposal will also include the different
benefits and the foreseen limitations to this suggested solution.
6. Proposed Solution
In order to resolve the issues that we have posed above, our group is proposing the construction of
rooftop recreational facilities on HDB flats. Specifically we have identified a combination of
gardens, BBQ pits and small function rooms.
7. Concerns
Weight Loading
The main concern for the usage of the roof tops are weight loading issues. From our interview with
A/P Chew Soon Hoe, we learnt that main objective of the HDB flats’ rooftops are to act as a shelter
from the weather. Rooftops are generally designed to be less load bearing and thinner compared to
a normal level in a building. Activities which have people running and jumping around are also not
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recommended as these will increase the load on the roof compared to a person walking. Due to
these loading issues, the number of people using the roof at one time and the objects placed on the
roof need to be carefully considered so the loading limit will not be exceeded. Design
considerations must be included to minimize such problems. These issues are mainly centric to
current flat upgrading of rooftops.
Fencing
Next, since the roof will be made accessible to the public, we can expect people of all ages from
children to grown adults to visit the rooftop. Hence, fencing is required to guard against accidents
of people falling off rooftops.
Lightning Risk
Lightning rods need to be increased so as to protect people from lightning. Since the function of
lightning rods are to be preferentially struck rather than parts of the building, lightning rods are
required to be located higher than top level of the building. If we were to use the rooftop for
activities, these lightning rods must be placed even higher to protect the users from lightning risks.
At the same time, there should be lightning warning alarms and posted warning against use of the
rooftops during poor weather conditions.
Security
From our survey (Appendix A), most residents have concerns about the security in the apartment
due to increased amount of people passing by their flats on the way to the rooftops. This can be
improved by installing Close Circuit Television monitors (CCTV) on the rooftops to ensure that no
illicit activities are being done on the rooftops.
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8. Plan of Action
Preliminary Planning
The first phase of implementation will primarily be invested in the careful planning of the facilities.
Several factors will be placed into consideration in the execution of the plan and they are namely
costs involved, architectural suitability for construction or upgrading and predicted benefits to
targeted accommodation.
Negotiations with HDB and Contractors
The next stage will bring the project into the negotiation phase with HDB and other civil
engineering or contractor firms. There will be project deliberations with HDB on its feasibility and
identify the flats which are suitable for rooftop upgrade and also draft up plans for installation of
rooftop facilities to the new and upcoming HDB estates.
Following this, a tender for bid by external architectural and related contractors will be put up (For
example gardening, facility maintenance). After the contractors are selected, construction plans will
be drafted out.
Feedback and approval from residents
Feedback will be gathered from the residents on their willingness to upgrade their rooftops and
also to allow them to select the kind of facilities they prefer to be situated accessible on their
rooftops. The feedback from the residents will be gathered and this will impact the eventual
execution of the upgrading and also influence the kind of facilities that will be upgraded to.
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Actual Construction or flat upgrading
Construction will basically be of two types, namely flat upgrading and ground up constructions (for
new HDB flats). Flat upgrading will have more stringent criteria in terms of work hours of workers,
maintenance of construction site, noise generation levels, security of the flats(due to laborer traffic
in and out of the building).
Promoting of Facilities
Upon the completion of the upgrading, the town council can organize events on the rooftops to
announce the opening of these facilities. They can then encourage people to have their dancing,
karate lesson to be done on the roof top. Using the notice board in each HDB flat, we can have a
directory which specifies which block of flats and the corresponding facilities available on the
rooftops.
9. Benefits
For the current HDB flats, our group plan to promote rooftop recreational facilities such as rooftop
gardens, rooftop BBQ pits and rooftop exercise machineries for senior citizens. The Mayor of the
North West District also welcomes such activities to be placed onto the HDB flats’ rooftops.
These are chosen because these facilities do not involve large group of people thus the load added
will be minimal. These facilities can preserve their function as a rooftop while providing more
recreation to the people as these facilities are outdoors. Our survey results (Appendix A) too
showed a general greater appeal towards rooftop gardens, rooftop BBQ pits and function rooms as
compared to sports facilities which we have decided to opt out of.
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Rooftop gardens can too increase the green area among HDB and people can take a stroll in their
free time. Plants can provide air with better quality and reduce the temperature of HDB effectively
(Dickinson, n.d.) . Rooftop BBQ pits can provide more spaces for families and friends to gather and
spend their weekends and free time together. This helps to promote social cohesion not only
amongst family and friends but also within the HDB community.
With these facilities on the roof top, similar facilities on the ground can be replaced with other
facilities like tennis court, street soccer court or basketball court. This further resolves the spatial
issues and problems we raised in the problem statement.
The construction of such recreational facilities on the rooftops of HDB too serves to encourage
better Work-Life balance and social cohesion amongst Singapore citizens. Encouraged by the
minister of development, Dr Mah Bow Tan, our public housing should also promote social
cohesion and work life balance (Tan, 2010). With the relocation of recreational facilities to within
closer proximity and with such novelty would help bring about a more balanced lifestyle for hectic
Singaporeans.
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10. Methodology
The main approach we adopted to gathering primary research on the topic was through two
interviews and one survey to collect useful information for our project.
The first interview was with a civil engineering professor from NUS, Assistant Professor Chew
Soon Hoe, to know more about the feasibility and viability of building rooftop structures on top of
existing HDB rooftops. A/P Chew Soon Hoe also gave us insight to the different limitations
involved in the implementation of the project.
The second interview was with the Mayor of the North West Community Development Council, Dr
Teo Ho Pin. Being the mayor of the North West District, he was able to help us by reaffirming our
direction into the development of our rooftop spaces to better benefit Singaporeans.
Our survey was also conducted to collect information of public to get their opinions on the rooftop
facilities we are proposing. The survey was also made in place to assist us in streamlining our
different proposed recreational facilities.
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11. Bibliography
Dickinson, M. (n.d.). http://www.servicemagic.com/article.show.Stunning-Roof-Gardens-AlsoHave-Beautiful-Advantages.13550.html. Retrieved march 02, 2011, from Servicemagic:
http://www.servicemagic.com/article.show.Stunning-Roof-Gardens-Also-Have-BeautifulAdvantages.13550.html
Greenroofs.com. (2010). Changi General Hospital. Retrieved march 10, 2011, from
Greenroof.com: http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php?id=565
Group, T. L. (2011). Loof. Retrieved March 05, 2011, from Loof:
http://www.loof.com.sg/rooftopbar/
HDB. (2011, Jan 28). Number of Resale Applications Registered by Flat Type. Retrieved Mar
10, 2011, from HDB InfoWEB:
http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10321p.nsf/w/BuyResaleFlatNumberofResaleApplications?OpenDoc
ument
No Author. (No Date). Issues regarding Singapore's Land Reclamation Works. Retrieved
March 10, 2011, from http://thisisfetish.tripod.com/id25.html
Pinnacle@Duxton. (2011). Overview of 26th and 50th Storey Skybridges. Retrieved march 01,
2011, from The Pinnacle@Duxton: http://www.pinnacleduxton.com.sg/skybridge.php
Tan, M. B. (2010, January 28). Singapore Sees Sustainable Development And Public Housing
As Priority. Retrieved March 03, 2011, from Gov Monitor:
http://www.thegovmonitor.com/world_news/asia/singapore-sees-sustainable-development-andpublic-housing-as-priority-22469.html
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Tanya. (2008, October 01). Greenery in Campus Boosts Learning and Quality of Life Among
Students. Retrieved March 03, 2011, from Medindia: http://www.medindia.net/news/Greenery-inCampus-Boosts-Learning-and-Quality-of-Life-Among-Students-42473-1.htm
URA. (2009, April 29). CIRCULAR PACKAGE TO PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTES. Retrieved
March 19, 2011, from Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore:
http://www.ura.gov.sg/circulars/text/lushprogramme.htm
URA. (2010). URA Lifestyle Survey 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2011, from Urban
Redevelopment Authority: http://spring.ura.gov.sg/conceptplan2011/results/Report%20%20Lifestyle%20Survey%20and%20Online%20Survey.pdf
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Appendix A – Survey Results
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Appendix B – Interview with A/P Chew Soon Hoe
Questions for Interview
1. Do you think the extensive structural implementation of Rooftop Recreational facilities like
function rooms, BBQ pits, and tennis courts are feasible and why? What facilities are
implementable then?
2. What kinds of structures are possible for such rooftop recreational facilities implementation?
3. What implications for costs are there for such Rooftop Recreational facilities? How about safety?
3. Are there any ways to improve the structure of high rise buildings such that they are able to
accommodate for such facilities?
4. What future prospects do you think there are for rooftop utilization?
Interview summary
Feasibility
Rooftop are not design to take took much load. There are ways to increase the loading capacity of
rooftop but requires a lot of money and will affect the waterproof ability of the rooftop.
Building of function room may not be feasible as it is just like adding a new level to the building.
Building of temporal tents on roof but meant for permanent use is illegal.
Activities which requires less people running around are feasible. So BBQ pit, gardens are feasible.
Tennis court may not be feasible as rooftop are slightly inclined for water drainage. A jack up
system may be used to increase the accessibility of the roof it is much cheaper than building a lift.
Safety
Rooftop needs to be fenced up. Lighting rod needs to be raised to so that the rods are higher when
the people are using it.
Number of people going to the rooftop needs to be limited so that the top will not over load.
Other possible ways
Instead of building new things we can shift things etc. Move gardens to rooftop such that the empty
land can be used for sports facilities like basketball court.
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Appendix C – Email Interview with Mayor CDC
1) Taking reference to Condominiums in Singapore, do you think that HDB flat locations require
more space to build more recreational facilities? Why?
HDB estates have a good range of recreational facilities.
2) Generally, how open are residents of HDB flats towards the idea of upgrading works in their
HDB? Do you think roof upgrading works will be more or less welcomed?
Residents welcome upgrading works including roof upgrading.
3) Other than lift upgrading and sheltered pathway is there any other upgrade intended for HDB
flats?
- Home Improvement Programme
- Neighbourhood Renewal Programme
- SERS
4) Given the limited land space available in Singapore, do you think the use of rooftops of HDB
flats would be a good location for the development for recreational purposes?
Yes, especially roof gardens
5) What are the various concerns that the government will have concerning the possibility of usage
of rooftop space for recreational purposes by the public?
Safety.
6) Given the current limitations to home Ownership, if rooftops for recreational use were open, do
you foresee an increase in demand for HDB housing as compared to Condominiums?
No.
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