Singapore Poly students submit ideas to remake Punggol Town

Channel NewsAsia 3 Jun 08;

SINGAPORE: The Housing Development Board (HDB) is tapping on the minds of Singapore Polytechnic (SP) students, to remake Punggol Town. The call for ideas is also extended to the general public.

Gabriel Seah, a landscape and architecture student from SP, said: "The first thing that came to my mind will be wetlands. As we all know, the discharge of storm water into the river, or even into the sea is unfiltered. So before all these things get into the sea, I hope we can create a wetland, and filter off all these substrates and nutrients."

Lin Xiong, an architecture student from SP said: "I like the idea of a multi-storey car park, where they turn its roof into a 'green' roof – (creating) a recreational space for the neighbourhood to bond together."

The students' suggestions fall under HDB's 'Call for Ideas' competition which aims to incorporate the wishes of Punggol residents.

As Punggol is dubbed the 'Waterfront Town of the 21st century', expectations for the developments are high. And so far, the HDB has been encouraged by what it has heard.

Chong Fook Loong, Deputy Director, HDB, said: "I think they're good. The students don't have a group-think mentality. They think quite differently from each other. Based on the patterns that are emerging, I think the ideas are refreshing. I think there are good ideas there that we can make use of later."

The public can also submit their ideas by sending them to the HDB website at www.hdb.gov.sg.

The competition closes on June 30. Those whose ideas are in the top 10 will each win S$1,000. - CNA/vm