If a situation like The Walking Dead were ever to play out in sunny Singapore, these might be some of the most secure HDB apartment blocks to fend off the roving zombie hordes from. Located in blocks 1 to 8, as well as 19-21, these flats in Bedok South Ave 3 come with iron gates that block non-residents from accessing the lift lobby and staircases leading up to the units.
@uchify.sg This enhanced HDB security feature is located at blocks 1 to 8 and 19 to 21 along Bedok South Avenue 1, as well as blocks 66 to 72 on Bedok South Avenue 3 Follow us on Telegram for more like this! #didyouknow #sghome #exploresg #hdb #hdbsg #bedok
Today, we’ll take a look at this interesting HDB feature, its conception and how it’s fared over time.
Why do some HDB flats like this one have gated entrances?
Rolled out in 1995, these flats in Bedok were part of a feasibility study by HDB to find out how receptive Singaporeans were to the idea of gated HDBs. In essence, you’ll only find a rare few of these older gated HDB blocks around Singapore. Residents can only enter via a keycard and visitors will have to know a unit number inside the blocks and input that combination on the keypad to gain access.
The supposed benefits to this are that it grants extra security and peace of mind, preventing the possibility of loan sharks or unsavoury folk from being able to get into the building. Another benefit is also to prevent solicitation and unwanted advertising.
Where can you find these HDB flats?
Image credit: 8prop
In practice, it’s not at all foolproof; interviews with residents reveal that people can get into the apartment simply asking to be let in, or to follow along when someone opens the gates.
You end up still having real estate agents walking in to slot leaflets at the doors and other such situations once in a while. In a way bad actors can also exploit this, something that residents seem to be aware of.
So it is, at the end of the day, less so an actual security feature and more so one that grants peace of mind through the illusion of security.
Image credit: 8prop
It’s also a feature that proves to be the source of much annoyance for residents, as when these gates suffer a malfunction, it ends up locking residents out of their flats. Sometimes it is outright non-functional, with the gates being left wide open, negating the security feature altogether.
And in an age of courier services and Grab deliveries, it also meant a slight bit more of a headache to get these packages up to your home. In light of all this, it’s easy to see why the idea never quite took off.
Newer HDB developments with security features
Image credit: Roots
Admittedly this security feature is very much still alive today, being an ubiquitous part of ECs and condos. In fact, HDB has even tried to revive the concept in the 2000s, with its implementation in DBSS developments like The Peak @ Toa Payoh.
A close-up view of the security gate at The Peak @ Toa Payoh
Image credit: 99.co
But seeing as we’re not seeing BTOs being built with these features, it seems that it ultimately did not gain traction with Singaporeans.
Whether it be from poor implementation, redundancy or the feature itself causing more trouble than it is worth, the idea of a country defined by a collection of gated HDB developments never surfaced. But if you want to perhaps do the same thing but specifically for your home though, you can consider looking into digital door locks for your front door.
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- The October 2024 BTO launch: What you need to know
- Where to buy tornado flush toilets in Singapore
Cover image adapted from: 8prop
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