Even if you aren’t a gamer, you’ve likely watched a snippet of Minecraft gameplay here and there as part of Reddit story time clips on Youtube shorts and TikTok. But far from being a brainrot game—despite being used as the visual equivalent of jangling keys for adults who can’t sit through a 1-minute video—Minecraft is a 3D sandbox game that has been used to create some mind-boggling builds.
One enterprising Minecraft player, who goes by @codestianbuilds on TikTok, has painstakingly recreated HDB flats, condos, and even Singapore schools in-game. And the result? Absolutely stunning.
Minecraft player aims to recreate Singapore in-game
@codestianbuilds Happy National Day, Singapore 🇸🇬 #Minecraft #singapore #fypsingapore #buildtheearth #urbanplanning #buildtheearthasean #punggol #fyp #ndp #birthday #singaporenationalday #country #architecture #waterfront
The shockingly realistic HDB flats were recreated as part of the BuildTheEarth project, which aims to recreate the entire world in Minecraft. While it sounds like a tall order, steady progress is being made by dedicated builders all over the world. That includes Hakim, the user behind @codestianbuilds.
According to a message in Hakim’s BuildTheEarthSG Telegram group, he is “planning to build Punggol, Pasir Ris, Yishun and Tampines. This will include all HDB projects, condos and schools.” While that is a lot of work for just one person, Hakim happens to be a developer who was able to “develop automated solutions to make building faster.”
To create these HDB flats in-game, he used data from data.gov.sg and Google Maps to determine “building and road outlines”, and “basic scripts also made building almost instantaneous.”
@codestianbuilds How I build HDBs in Minecraft 🏬 #Minecraft #singapore #fypsingapore #buildtheearth #buildtheearthasean #urbanplanning #punggol #fyp #architecture #hdb #btohdb #Punggol #worldedit #residences #timelapse #building
Still, the process was no cakewalk. In one TikTok video showcasing his Punggol Residences build, Hakim states that the process took a grueling 5 hours and that he wouldn’t do it again. Another project, Waterway Woodcress, took him two whole weeks.
1:1 recreation of HDB flats
Image credit: @codestianbuilds on TikTok
While Hakim humbly downplays his manual input by crediting his scripts for doing the heavy lifting, we know that this isn’t a feat that just anyone can pull off. In fact, in one video’s caption, the creator notes that “[every] window, corridor and number of floors is accounted for, as well as the surrounding greenery, playgrounds and amenities,” showing just how much attention to detail he has put into the project.
@codestianbuilds Greendale Secondary School constructed. #Minecraft #singapore #fypsingapore #buildtheearth #buildtheearthasean #urbanplanning #punggol #fyp #architecture #Punggol #waterway #school #secondaryschool #greendalesecondaryschool #worldedit #building
Apart from HDB flats, Hakim has also built schools such as Oasis Primary School, Greendale Secondary School, and Ngee Ann Secondary School. Additionally, in a 5th February update on Telegram, he posted his progress working on Wisteria Mall.
Wisteria Mall work-in-progress.
Image credit: Codestian’s BuildTheEarth SG
According to another one of his video captions, Hakim has spent nearly a year on his passion project. Now, excited viewers are clamouring for him to recreate their flats too. Interestingly, a lot of people are rooting for Marsiling to be the next estate spotlighted.
@codestianbuilds Walking around Waterway Woodcress #Minecraft #singapore #fypsingapore #buildtheearth #buildtheearthasean #urbanplanning #punggol #fyp #architecture #Punggol #waterway #worldedit #building #hdb #waterway #woodcress
Minecraft player recreates HDB flats in-game
If you’d like to take a walk through Hakim’s builds in Minecraft, the server map is https://map.thatsnek.asia. Alternatively, check out his Telegram group at t.me/btesg for the latest updates on his project.
Besides being fun to stroll through in-game, these Minecraft builds—which follow a “universal standard and projection” according to Hakim’s Telegram announcement—help digitally preserve our urban landscape and can even serve as educational tools in areas such as geography and urban planning. Which estate do you wish to see him build next?
Read our other articles here:
- A sneakerhead’s maisonette with a custom-built walk-in shoe vault
- A 2-room Sengkang BTO that looks like a MUJI Hotel
- Boutique-style Bidadari HDB with a rich inner world
Cover image adapted from: @codestianbuilds
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