6 playgrounds with special themes built in HDB neighbourhoods, 9 more to come
SINGAPORE — At the Keat Hong Mirage neighbourhood in Chua Chu Kang, children can sometimes be seen “driving” a military combat vehicle, or escaping from “enemies” via a 3m-high fireman pole after being tipped off by friends on a lookout at a “watch tower”.
SINGAPORE — At the Keat Hong Mirage neighbourhood in Chua Chu Kang, children can sometimes be seen “driving” a military combat vehicle, or escaping from “enemies” via a 3m-high fireman pole after being tipped off by friends on a lookout at a “watch tower”.
They are spending time at the estate’s military-themed playgrounds, which are part of six playgrounds with special themes that the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has built since August 2016.
Conceptualised based on the historical background and characteristics of the town, they are meant to help promote a stronger town identity and “spark conversation” among neighbours, the HDB said.
Military camps once occupied the sites where the Keat Hong Mirage precicnt is, so the two playgrounds in Chua Chu Kang have been designed to reflect these “roots”, with structures such as a mini obstacle course, a large white tank and rubber-flooring designed in shades of green, mimicking the camouflage colours of army uniforms.
The rest of the six thematic playgrounds can be found in Sembawang, Sengkang, Toa Payoh Crest and Woodlands, which have maritime or nature elements.
The one at EastBank @ Canberra features a boat because Sembawang town was once a naval base with bustling shipyards. There, the rubber flooring is blue and brown, resembling the sea and shore.
Among the six, the one at Toa Payoh is the largest, covering about 370sqm.
A HDB spokesperson said that in general, the size of each of the thematic playgrounds is comparable to that of other playgrounds in HDB estates, and range from about 144sqm to 300sqm.
Public playgrounds have changed to become not just play spaces for children but are more inclusive community spaces catering to all generations within the family from young to old.
The spokesperson said that “the distinctive design of each playground, and their story as told through the accompanying storyboards, can serve as a conversation starter among family and neighbours”.
For instance, parents may share experiences of their National Service or stories from wartime Singapore in the past with their children. Play features that involve adults are added to encourage parents to play an active part and bond with their children through play.
MORE AT NEWER HOUSING PROJECTS
Nine more of such thematic playgrounds will be built in housing estates such as Bukit Panjang, Clementi and Dawson by 2021. They will not be replacing older playgrounds, but will be erected at up-and-coming precincts.
Five of these nine playgrounds, for example, will be located in the Dawson estate near Queenstown, which will see five housing projects and an expected 5,000 new households moving into the area by the end of 2020.
They will be designed along nature themes, with one at Dawson Vista set to look like a scene from the fantasy novel of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Children will be able to slide through a “rabbit hole” and rest under giant mushroom-like structures, which provide shade.
The garden theme will also be reflected in the other playgrounds in the area, with another at SkyResidence @ Dawson featuring a rope-climbing structure that resembles a spider.
Declining to reveal the cost of constructing the playgrounds, the HDB spokesperson said that this depends on the attributes of each, such as the type of play equipment chosen and the size of the space. As playgrounds form just one of many communal facilities within each project development, their cost is factored into the overall construction cost.
Apart from these new thematic playgrounds, five existing playgrounds in four towns, namely Toa Payoh, Pasir Ris, Woodlands and Chua Chu Kang will be rejuvenated with the help of residents and their community under the HDB’s Build-A-Playground initiative which was piloted in January this year.
In Keat Hong, though the military theme was not “immediately apparent” to some residents, the unique tank and obstacle course structure proved to be a hit among the young residents.
Mr Derrick Lim, 39, a teacher who lives in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3, said: “My girls love playing in the vertical obstacle course, they named it ‘hamster cage’. This playground is very different from the usual ones in my vicinity which only has swings and slides. Here, there’s some adventure element incorporated in the play structures.”
He takes his two daughters to the playground almost every evening before dinner, even though they live about 10 minutes’ walk away from Keat Hong Mirage. “The playground is not too near our place, but the interesting elements of the playground warrants a trip here.”