‘Retirement Kampung’ to Open Soon in Woodlands

The first ‘retirement kampung’ in Singapore is set to be open to residents by September this year. Launched in 2014, the construction for Kampung Admiralty—situated next to Admiralty MRT station—is almost complete. A pharmacy and medical centre are already partially open for business this week. A childcare centre, eldercare facilities and a community park are located on the sixth level, integrated with about 100 studio flats for seniors, a vegetable farm and a hawker centre.

The project is developed by the Housing & Development Board (HDB), along with the Health Ministry, Alexandra Health System, National Environment Agency, National Parks Board, Land Transport Authority and Early Childhood Development Agency.

The complex is the first of 10 such HDB Build-To-Order projects that co-locate childcare and senior centres to encourage inter-generational bonding. They will be built over a period of 10 years from 2015, as part of a SGD 3 billion plan to help Singaporeans ‘age in place’. This initiative follows a trend in countries like Japan and the United States, where nurseries and elderly facilities have been combined under the same roof.

Kampung Admiralty was one of 15 projects that clinched Minister’s Team Awards at the Ministry of National Development’s National Day Observance Ceremony for traits such as innovation, teamwork and impact. Speaking during the ceremony at HDB Hub in Toa Payoh on 8 August, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said the winning projects had three common themes: a refusal to accept the status quo, willingness to experiment, take risks or innovate, and collaboration across agencies.

A detailed plan for Jurong Lake District that features car-lite, creative urban spaces and a mix of commercial and residential developments will be released after one of the five shortlisted planning teams is appointed as consultant by January 2017.