Singapore's first 'retirement kampung' is self-contained with many practical features
By Toh Wen Li, The Straits Times, 16 Oct 2017
Every time a new resident moves into Kampung Admiralty, Mr Heng Gee Choo would rush out to greet them.
The 64-year-old, who is one of the first to move in to his studio apartment at Singapore's first "retirement kampung", said: "This is actually better than a kampung. The people who live here are our age, and have more time on their hands, and it's easier to communicate with them. When new neighbours move in, I quickly go over to say hello. We hope to organise more events such as gatherings and having tea together."
Located next to the Admiralty MRT station, Kampung Admiralty is self-contained. The two HDB blocks house the two-level Admiralty Medical Centre - managed by the Alexandra Health System - a hawker centre, rooftop vegetable and community gardens, and an active-ageing hub. The hub is co-located with a childcare centre and both will be ready in February.
"We've already found a place for our granddaughter at the childcare centre," said Mr Heng.
The couple look after their granddaughter on weekdays while her parents are at work.
As of this month, about 20 households have moved in, out of 30 which have received their keys. All of the 104 flats at Kampung Admiralty were snapped up after they were first offered in the July 2014 Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise.
For the past two weeks, Mr Heng and his wife have busied themselves with furnishing their new home, caring for their 20-month-old granddaughter, and getting to know their neighbours.
Mr Heng, the semi-retired owner of a renovation company, said he and his wife decided to downsize from a four-room flat in Marsiling for the sake of convenience and practicality. The couple can also visit the active-ageing hub which will offer programmes for well and healthy seniors. It will also offer daycare and rehabilitation services for those with greater needs, and help homebound elderly residents at their homes.
People from the active-ageing hub can help seniors with groceries, household chores or personal hygiene if necessary. Residents can also activate an emergency alert system in their studio apartments to call them for help.
The complex is the first of 10 similar Housing Board build-to-order projects with childcare and elderly centres housed in the same area.
On a visit last week, the place was abuzz with activity. Old folk, students and young families lounged around in the ground floor plaza - which boasts a range of retailers such as Ya Kun Kaya Toast, Mr Bean, Starbucks, Mos Burger and Japanese confectionery Chateraise. More eateries and a supermarket will open in the coming months.
Retired shipping manager Wang Qing Hui, 70, hopes to socialise with other seniors. He moved in with his wife on Saturday.
"One thing that's really horrible is to be suffering from boredom... It's not about having material things, but finding people you can relate to."
Mr Wang will have Mr Heng and Grab driver Ahmad Mohammad Said, 66, waiting to greet him.
By Toh Wen Li, The Straits Times, 16 Oct 2017
Every time a new resident moves into Kampung Admiralty, Mr Heng Gee Choo would rush out to greet them.
The 64-year-old, who is one of the first to move in to his studio apartment at Singapore's first "retirement kampung", said: "This is actually better than a kampung. The people who live here are our age, and have more time on their hands, and it's easier to communicate with them. When new neighbours move in, I quickly go over to say hello. We hope to organise more events such as gatherings and having tea together."
Located next to the Admiralty MRT station, Kampung Admiralty is self-contained. The two HDB blocks house the two-level Admiralty Medical Centre - managed by the Alexandra Health System - a hawker centre, rooftop vegetable and community gardens, and an active-ageing hub. The hub is co-located with a childcare centre and both will be ready in February.
"We've already found a place for our granddaughter at the childcare centre," said Mr Heng.
The couple look after their granddaughter on weekdays while her parents are at work.
As of this month, about 20 households have moved in, out of 30 which have received their keys. All of the 104 flats at Kampung Admiralty were snapped up after they were first offered in the July 2014 Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise.
For the past two weeks, Mr Heng and his wife have busied themselves with furnishing their new home, caring for their 20-month-old granddaughter, and getting to know their neighbours.
Mr Heng, the semi-retired owner of a renovation company, said he and his wife decided to downsize from a four-room flat in Marsiling for the sake of convenience and practicality. The couple can also visit the active-ageing hub which will offer programmes for well and healthy seniors. It will also offer daycare and rehabilitation services for those with greater needs, and help homebound elderly residents at their homes.
People from the active-ageing hub can help seniors with groceries, household chores or personal hygiene if necessary. Residents can also activate an emergency alert system in their studio apartments to call them for help.
The complex is the first of 10 similar Housing Board build-to-order projects with childcare and elderly centres housed in the same area.
On a visit last week, the place was abuzz with activity. Old folk, students and young families lounged around in the ground floor plaza - which boasts a range of retailers such as Ya Kun Kaya Toast, Mr Bean, Starbucks, Mos Burger and Japanese confectionery Chateraise. More eateries and a supermarket will open in the coming months.
Retired shipping manager Wang Qing Hui, 70, hopes to socialise with other seniors. He moved in with his wife on Saturday.
"One thing that's really horrible is to be suffering from boredom... It's not about having material things, but finding people you can relate to."
Mr Ahmad was the first resident. He moved in to his 45 sq m studio apartment on the eighth floor with his wife, caterer Norhati Nordin, 63, in August.
The grandfather of eight, who grew up in a kampung, said: "I go around, and walk around the floors to see if there are any other residents. I like to make friends. We usually sit in the lobby and chit-chat with neighbours."
The grandfather of eight, who grew up in a kampung, said: "I go around, and walk around the floors to see if there are any other residents. I like to make friends. We usually sit in the lobby and chit-chat with neighbours."
Flats designed to be elderly friendly
By Toh Wen Li, The Straits Times, 16 Oct 2017
The Kampung Admiralty complex has two Housing Board residential blocks - 676A and 676B - which extend from the fourth to 11th floors.
These contain 104 studio apartments and two-room flexi flats, of either 36 sq m or 45 sq m.
The studio apartments, which form the vast majority of the units, cost between $91,000 and $115,000 for a 30-year lease.
The units - all of which have already been sold - each come with a living room cum kitchen area, as well as a bathroom and a bedroom.
The flats are fitted with elderly-friendly features to help seniors aged 55 years and above lead independent and active lives.
These include hand railings, a retractable clothes drying rack which can be used with less effort, induction hobs that minimise the risk of fires, and resilient (vinyl) strip flooring which is slip-and moisture-resistant.
The units all have window grilles, built-in bedroom wardrobes and kitchen cabinets.
About 60 per cent of those who bought a flat at Kampung Admiralty were residents of Woodlands or nearby towns, such as Sembawang and Yishun.
More than 40 per cent of the flats were booked under the Studio Apartment Priority Scheme and Senior Priority Scheme.
These schemes give priority to elderly residents who wish to age in place in a familiar environment or live near their married children or parents.
By Toh Wen Li, The Straits Times, 16 Oct 2017
The Kampung Admiralty complex has two Housing Board residential blocks - 676A and 676B - which extend from the fourth to 11th floors.
These contain 104 studio apartments and two-room flexi flats, of either 36 sq m or 45 sq m.
The studio apartments, which form the vast majority of the units, cost between $91,000 and $115,000 for a 30-year lease.
The units - all of which have already been sold - each come with a living room cum kitchen area, as well as a bathroom and a bedroom.
The flats are fitted with elderly-friendly features to help seniors aged 55 years and above lead independent and active lives.
These include hand railings, a retractable clothes drying rack which can be used with less effort, induction hobs that minimise the risk of fires, and resilient (vinyl) strip flooring which is slip-and moisture-resistant.
The units all have window grilles, built-in bedroom wardrobes and kitchen cabinets.
About 60 per cent of those who bought a flat at Kampung Admiralty were residents of Woodlands or nearby towns, such as Sembawang and Yishun.
More than 40 per cent of the flats were booked under the Studio Apartment Priority Scheme and Senior Priority Scheme.
These schemes give priority to elderly residents who wish to age in place in a familiar environment or live near their married children or parents.
* New integrated facility in Woodlands opens, has both childcare and eldercare facilities
Modern 'kampung' in Woodlands opens
Project integrates housing for seniors with healthcare, wellness and eldercare facilities
By Seow Bei Yi, The Sunday Times, 13 May 2018
Singapore's first retirement kampung in Woodlands - bringing together public housing for seniors with healthcare, wellness and eldercare facilities - was officially opened yesterday.
The 11-storey Kampung Admiralty is the first Housing Board project to co-locate childcare and senior centres in one integrated development, aimed at encouraging inter-generational bonding.
At the launch, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: "This is a small kampung... modest in scale but bold in ambition. We will make it succeed and when it's successful, we will build more kampungs like this in future HDB estates."
The pilot project was conceived more than four years ago, in recognition of Singapore's ageing population. "We wanted people to lead active and meaningful lives," said Mr Lee.
HDB has sought to develop new designs for an elderly population, and build flats, common areas and neighbourhoods that promote strong social support and community bonding, he added.
The facilities at Kampung Admiralty are meant to encourage seniors to step out of their homes and socialise with their neighbours and friends.
There is a medical centre on the third and fourth floor, a sheltered plaza for community activities like weekly fitness exercises, and a rooftop community farm with over 30 species of tropical plants such as longan and chiku trees.
The complex, completed late last year, includes two residential blocks of about 100 studio apartments that cater to those aged 55 and above. These are fitted with elder-friendly features such as grab bars, bigger switches and ramps at the unit entrance.
Mr Lee also noted that Kampung Admiralty "is designed to be inegrated with the rest of the community". Built next to Admiralty MRT station, the complex is part of a $3 billion plan to help Singaporeans "age in place".
The Housing Board partnered Yishun Health, the National Environment Agency, National Parks Board, Land Transport Authority, Early Childhood Development Agency and Ministry of Health to plan and develop the complex.
Retiree Oh Kee Swee, 62, is among those already enjoying the new facilities.
He has lived in the area for more than 60 years, first in a kampung and now at a nearby block.
"I've tended to gardens in this area for over 20 years," he said. "I was the one who suggested having a rooftop garden. I want this to be a place where people can enter easily and interact with each other."
Civil servant Doris Yuen, 59, and her retiree husband Yip Keng Luen, 72, moved into the complex last year after deciding to downsize from their four-room flat.
Their three sons had moved out after marriage, and Ms Yuen was worried that her husband would hurt himself as he busied himself with cleaning their flat.
She is glad the new complex is in the same estate as their former home, where all her friends are.
"We're older now, and what we need is not a big house - what we need is a home," she said.
Mr Wong, an MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, said it will be located at what is now a hard court, about 7,000 sq m big, at Yew Tee Close, and is modelled on Kampung Admiralty. "It will have two-room flexi flats for seniors, just like Kampung Admiralty. It will have a community club, it will have a polyclinic and a kidney dialysis centre. Most importantly, because of your feedback and requests, it will have a hawker centre as well," said Mr Wong at Yew Tee Town Day where he announced the project.
Other details, such as the number of flats, will be made public later, said the ministry.
The 11-storey Kampung Admiralty, next to Admiralty MRT station, was the first HDB project to co-locate childcare and senior centres in one development, aimed at encouraging inter-generational bonding. It also houses medical services, and a community garden.
At its launch, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said that "we will build more kampungs like this in future HDB estates".
Yew Tee resident Ang Tang Yian, 58, who works part-time in a Chinese medical hall, is looking forward to the area being livened up.
"It (the plan) is very good," said Mr Ang. He is also looking forward to the new hawker centre. "Food prices at hawker centres are generally cheaper," he added.
Experts said the model of having housing and community services under one roof is one that should be increasingly replicated in Singapore's ageing society going forward.
Ms Peh Kim Choo, chief executive officer of Tsao Foundation, a non-profit organisation focusing on ageing and eldercare, said the success of the Kampung Admiralty project sets a precedent for other projects focused on the elderly.
As the population ages, there will be "room for its replication".
The proportion of Singapore residents aged 65 years and above increased from 10.5 per cent in 2013, to 13.7 per cent in 2018, according to the Department of Statistics.
Related"We're older now, and what we need is not a big house - what we need is a home," she said.
** Yew Tee to have Singapore’s second vertical ‘kampung’ with flats for seniors, ready by 2026
It is part of plans to rejuvenate Yew Tee and Choa Chu Kang with several new facilities
By Fabian Koh, The Straits Times, 23 Sep 2019
A vertical "kampung", with flats for the elderly and facilities such as a polyclinic and a dialysis centre, will be built in the north-western part of the island.
To be completed in the second half of 2026, it will be located next to Yew Tee MRT station, said Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong yesterday.
This comes after the building of Singapore's first retirement village in Kampung Admiralty, which opened in May last year. Almost all its roughly 100 flats are occupied.
The new project is part of broader efforts to rejuvenate Choa Chu Kang and Yew Tee.
They include the building of Choa Chu Kang's first hawker centre, at its town centre, and the creation of a "Green Spine" under the Yew Tee MRT viaduct, connecting residents from Keat Hong to Limbang to Yew Tee.
This is on top of existing revamp plans: Choa Chu Kang Sports Centre is being redeveloped, while Yew Tee Park, Limbang Park and Stagmont Park will be upgraded with more family-friendly spaces.
The Yew Tee Integrated Development, which has yet to be officially named, will be developed by the Housing Board together with the People's Association, Ministry of Health and National Environment Agency.
It is part of plans to rejuvenate Yew Tee and Choa Chu Kang with several new facilities
By Fabian Koh, The Straits Times, 23 Sep 2019
A vertical "kampung", with flats for the elderly and facilities such as a polyclinic and a dialysis centre, will be built in the north-western part of the island.
To be completed in the second half of 2026, it will be located next to Yew Tee MRT station, said Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong yesterday.
This comes after the building of Singapore's first retirement village in Kampung Admiralty, which opened in May last year. Almost all its roughly 100 flats are occupied.
The new project is part of broader efforts to rejuvenate Choa Chu Kang and Yew Tee.
They include the building of Choa Chu Kang's first hawker centre, at its town centre, and the creation of a "Green Spine" under the Yew Tee MRT viaduct, connecting residents from Keat Hong to Limbang to Yew Tee.
This is on top of existing revamp plans: Choa Chu Kang Sports Centre is being redeveloped, while Yew Tee Park, Limbang Park and Stagmont Park will be upgraded with more family-friendly spaces.
The Yew Tee Integrated Development, which has yet to be officially named, will be developed by the Housing Board together with the People's Association, Ministry of Health and National Environment Agency.
Mr Wong, an MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, said it will be located at what is now a hard court, about 7,000 sq m big, at Yew Tee Close, and is modelled on Kampung Admiralty. "It will have two-room flexi flats for seniors, just like Kampung Admiralty. It will have a community club, it will have a polyclinic and a kidney dialysis centre. Most importantly, because of your feedback and requests, it will have a hawker centre as well," said Mr Wong at Yew Tee Town Day where he announced the project.
Other details, such as the number of flats, will be made public later, said the ministry.
The 11-storey Kampung Admiralty, next to Admiralty MRT station, was the first HDB project to co-locate childcare and senior centres in one development, aimed at encouraging inter-generational bonding. It also houses medical services, and a community garden.
At its launch, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said that "we will build more kampungs like this in future HDB estates".
Yew Tee resident Ang Tang Yian, 58, who works part-time in a Chinese medical hall, is looking forward to the area being livened up.
"It (the plan) is very good," said Mr Ang. He is also looking forward to the new hawker centre. "Food prices at hawker centres are generally cheaper," he added.
Experts said the model of having housing and community services under one roof is one that should be increasingly replicated in Singapore's ageing society going forward.
Ms Peh Kim Choo, chief executive officer of Tsao Foundation, a non-profit organisation focusing on ageing and eldercare, said the success of the Kampung Admiralty project sets a precedent for other projects focused on the elderly.
As the population ages, there will be "room for its replication".
The proportion of Singapore residents aged 65 years and above increased from 10.5 per cent in 2013, to 13.7 per cent in 2018, according to the Department of Statistics.
Kampung Admiralty wins World Building of the Year 2018 award at the World Architecture Festival
Kampung Admiralty: 'Modern kampung' to launch in Jul 2014 BTO; First batch of residents collect keys on 12 Aug 2017
2-Room Flexi scheme: More flexible HDB flat options for elderly buyers
Two-Room Flexi: Studios, 2-roomers to come under same HDB scheme
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