LEE LI MING

PROGRAMME IN
AGEING URBANISM

Senior Public
Housing in
Singapore:
Kampung
Admiralty Belinda Yuen

Older Singaporeans (aged 65 and older) are

Housing for Older expected to double to one in four (900,000
Population 1 people) by 2030. For many, the built
environment for growing older is in high-rise
public housing where 80% of resident
population live; less than 0.3% of Singapore’s
older population live in institutional care.
According to the Housing and Development
Board 2013 sample household survey, 11%
(113,294) of its households are headed by
residents aged 65+ while 13% (144,792) of
households have head of household aged 55+.

Continuing with global trend, Singapore has

adopted ageing in place as a key principle in
its housing and land policies. In public
housing, ageing in place is being enabled
through a range of urban interventions. These
include the development of senior housing
design (e.g. granny flats, multi-generation
flats), universal design and safety facilities,
home care and community services to help
older residents to remain in their homes and
communities for as long as possible. Homes
and neighbourhoods are increasingly being
remodelled to become more elder-friendly.
Among the latest to emerge is a senior public
housing model that integrates housing, health
1
and social care in a single vertical
This is an evolving database. We will be adding more
development: Kampung Admiralty.
examples and cases over time.

Ageing Urbanism: Housing for Older Population | 1

 Senior Public Housing in Singapore: Kampung Admiralty

vertical ‘kampung’ (Malay word for ‘village’)

or ‘Village in the Sky for All Ages’.

Kampung Admiralty – Village Key Components

in the Sky for All Ages
Age-friendly apartments (104 dwelling units)
in the design of 1- and 2-room studio
Developed on a 0.9 ha site (53,066 sq m
apartments are located within two 11-storey
build-up area) in Woodlands New Town,
residential blocks. They are sold on 30-year
Kampung Admiralty presents a prototype for
lease to older adults. The apartments are
future senior public housing development in
designed according to universal design
Singapore. First announced in March 2013,
principles including for natural cross-
completed 2017 and officially opened on 18
ventilation and optimum daylight. They are
May 2018, Kampung Admiralty is conceived
designed with a range of layout, size (36-45
as a mixed-use development, comprising
sq m), accessibility and safety features, e.g.
senior housing, healthcare, retail and multi-
ramp at unit entrance, grab bars, alert alarm
family amenities. It is Singapore’s first inter-
system, height option for kitchen cabinet to
agency integrated project. Rather than
suit wheelchair-bound residents.
working in silo, the project brings together
the various land development agencies that
Box 1: General Specification for Kampung
affect senior living – housing, transport,
Admiralty
parks, health, family, social development - to
develop a coherent response to the housing,
• Foundation – piled foundation
health and social needs of older adults.
• Structure – reinforced concrete
Designed by Singapore-based private structural framework with reinforced
architecture practice, WOHA, the concept is concrete slabs
to co-locate senior housing and the amenities • Roof – reinforced concrete roof slab
needed by older adults and the community in • Walls – all external and internal walls
a single development in order to deliver are constructed with reinforced
appropriate care and support to older concrete precast panels/precast
residents while maximizing opportunities for lightweight concrete partitions/drywall
social interaction. Three types of spaces are partition system
designed to support these opportunities and • Windows – aluminium framed
promote cross-programming: windows with tinted glass
• Doors
• Commercial and leisure amenities o Entrance – laminated sold timber
comprising retail shops, bank, door and metal gate
pharmacy, supermarket and a o Bedroom – sliding laminated
community plaza on the ground and semi-solid timber door
lower floors; o Bathroom/WC – sliding
• Inter-generational amenities comprising laminated semi-solid timber wood
food court, medical, senior activity and • Finishes
childcare centres on mid-levels; and o Ceilings – skim coated or
• Residential use comprising senior studio plastered and painted
apartments, roof gardens and o Kitchen/bathroom/WC wall –
community parks on upper levels. ceramic tiles
o Other wall – skim coated or
Against Singapore’s predominantly high-rise plastered and painted
landscape, the design objective is to create a o Living/dining/bedroom floor –

Ageing Urbanism: Housing for Older Population | 2

 Senior Public Housing in Singapore: Kampung Admiralty

resilient (vincl) strip flooring with

timber skirting
o Kitchen floor – glazed porcelain
tiles
o Bathroom/WC floor – ceramic
tiles
• Fittings – quality locksets, water closet
suite, kitchen cabinets with cooker
hood, electric induction hob and
kitchen sink, built-in wardrobe and
cabinets, retractable laundry racks
• Services – gas services and concealed
water supply pipes, concealed electrical
Photo 1: Food court at Kampung Admiralty
wiring to lighting and power points
including water heater and air-
Accessible healthcare - medical centre is
conditioning points, television points,
located on levels 3 and 4 while the active
telephone points.
ageing hub and childcare centre are on levels
Source: Housing and Development Board
6 and 7 of the development. The active ageing
Delightful Homes: HDB’s Sales Exercises, July hub provides not only active ageing
2014. programmes but also centre-based and home-
care services for frail seniors such as helping
Accessible transport is an important amenity older residents with their groceries, household
for older people. Kampung Admiralty is chores or personal hygiene, if necessary. Older
located next to the Admiralty Mass Rapid residents can activate an emergency alert
Transit Station and served by public buses. system in their studio apartments to call for
These services enable older residents to go this assistance.
where and when they like, maintaining their
independence. Greenery is another important component;
it is provided at various levels throughout the
Accessible food option is important to older development. The amount of green space on
people. There is both cooked food (food court the development is greater than the building’s
on level 2) and fresh food supermarket on overall footprint. The development is
ground and basement levels. A wet market is designed with several eco-friendly features as
nearby, less than 5 minutes’ walk. The 900- well, e.g. bio swales to treat surface runoff
seat 3400 sq m food court on level 2 has about water, solar panels to power common services
45 stalls, offering a wide range of food: in the housing blocks, motion sensor-
Chinese, Malay, Indian. Every stall offers at controlled energy efficient lighting, separate
least two budget meals at S$2.80 or less. chutes for recycling waste, pneumatic waste
About 50% of all dishes served conform to conveyance system for waste disposal.
healthier choice standards set by the
Singapore Health Promotion Board.

Ageing Urbanism: Housing for Older Population | 3

 Senior Public Housing in Singapore: Kampung Admiralty

spaces like parks, cafes, etc. encourage

physical activity and social interaction
among older people; adequate and
convenient transportation facilities are
required to independently age in
community; concerns about environmental
safety and pedestrian friendliness make
older people feel unsafe and encourage a
preference to stay at home.

Source: Handy, S. L., Boarnet, M. G., Ewing, R.

and Killingsworth, R. E. (2002) How the built
environment affects physical activity, American
Photo 2: Benches and landscaped gardens offer
Journal of Preventive Medicine 23 (Suppl 2):64-73;
contact with nature and social opportunity at Michael, Y. L., Green, M. K. and Farquhar, S. A.
Kampung Admiralty (2006) Neighbourhood design and active ageing,
Health and Place 12:734-740.
Aside from amenities, a further aspect of
Kampung Admiralty is the activation of social
enterprise to support active and healthy Residents’ Reaction
ageing. Developed by the National Trades
Union Congress (NTUC), there are four What are residents’ reactions to this
components, covering food (both fresh and development?
cooked food to provide affordable healthy
food choices), pre-school and childcare All 104 flats were sold when they were first
service, active ageing hub (e.g. group exercise offered in July 2014. Following completion in
at the community plaza, community cooking, 2017, residents and services have progressively
share-a-pot and community nurse moved in. Even as we await post-
programmes), and eldercare services (e.g. day implementation evaluation, initial resident
care, assisted living care for older people). feedback seems positive. A 64-year-old, one
of its first residents to move in shared2,
Kampung Admiralty reflects an evolving
wider national effort to develop a supportive This is actually better than a kampung. The
network of core amenities, community and people who live here are our age, and have
eldercare facilities in public housing town to more time on their hands, and it's easier to
expand at-home and community-based health communicate with them. When new
and social care so people can age in place and neighbours move in, I quickly go over to say
maintain independent lives. The overarching hello. We hope to organise more events such as
goal is to help older people stay in good gatherings and having tea together.
health, stay independent, stay connected and
purposeful while bringing the community Another, a Mr Ahmad, Kampung
together. Admiralty’s 1st resident and grandfather of 8
who grew up in a kampung, said3,
Box 2: Built Environment and Ageing
I go around, and walk around the floors to see
International evidence suggests that people if there are any other residents. I like to make
age more actively within supportive and
accessible neighbourhoods, e.g. local
shopping and services provide older people 2
Toh, W. L. (2017) Singapore’s first ‘retirement
with destinations to walk to and meet kampung’ is self-contained with many practical
others; presence of outdoor recreational features, The Straits Times 16 Oct 2017.
3
Ibid.

Ageing Urbanism: Housing for Older Population | 4

 Senior Public Housing in Singapore: Kampung Admiralty

friends. We usually sit in the lobby and chit-

chat with neighbours.

The Kampung Admiralty development
testifies to the possibility of moving away
from silo and one-size-fits-all approaches to
the immense opportunity of understanding
and responding to the needs of older people.
This project has been accorded the World
Building of the Year 2018 during the World
Architecture Festival in Amsterdam, the
Netherlands, with the following comment4,

This is a project that does something necessary
in an intelligent fashion from the way it
connects to transport to its natural ventilation
strategy, all benefitting from a decision to
layer a series of buildings rather than
separating them into separate tall blocks…The
jury felt that this was a project with potential
lessons for cities and countries around the
world.

Sources:

Housing and Development Board (HDB) (2014)

Public Housing in Singapore: Social Well-being
of HDB Communities, HDB Sample Household
Survey 2013, Singapore: HDB.
Housing and Development Board (HDB) (2014)
Delightful Homes: HDB’s Sales Exercises, July
2014, Singapore: HDB.
Toh, W. L. (2017) Singapore’s first ‘retirement
kampung’ is self-contained with many practical
features, The Straits Times 16 Oct 2017
Yuen, B. and Soh, E. (2017) Housing for Older People
in Singapore: An Annotated Bibliography,
Springer.

4
WOHA creates green community for senior citizens
with Kampung Admiralty in Singapore,
https://www.dezeen.com/2018/12/07/kampung-
admiralty-woha-singapore-world-building-year/
Accessed 19 May 2019.

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