Red Tampines BTO block walls & ceiling repainted white to make vibe less scary

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A Build-To-Order (BTO) block of flats in Tampines that has been labelled as "creepy" is being whitewashed -- literally.

According to Shin Min Daily News, whose reporter went to the scene, the red ceiling and walls of the blocks in Tampines GreenVines were being repainted white to minimise the spookiness factor.

Workers were seen at Block 640B carrying out painting works on March 2, one day after the spotlight was shone on the area.

The Housing and Development Board told Mothership that a similar approach to gradually adjust the colour tones of all HDB flats in the area will be carried out.

But not all the bold colours will be altered.

HDB said the floor tiles will be kept as they are to help identify and preserve the character of the area.

Prior to repainting the walls white, the initial cosmetic change was to repaint parts of the ceiling white.

Photo via Lianhe Zaobao

Among the 11 blocks in Tampines GreenVines, four have lift lobbies that feature a red colour scheme, another four lift lobbies are painted in purplish blue and the remaining three spot a yellow hue.

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A post shared by Greenvines @ Tampines (HDB BTO) (@greenvines.sg)

MP visit

The hullabaloo saw Baey Yam Keng, Member of Parliament for the ward, visit Tampines GreenVines on March 1, the day the issue blew up online.He wrote about the changes that could be made to the colour scheme of the blocks: "I personally don’t support hacking the tiles as this would be a waste of public resources. As a last resort, HDB can try painting the tiles when necessary."

He added: "However, I do agree with the uneasy sentiment people get with the red lift lobbies, especially at night, and asked HDB to review it. I thank HDB for their swift response to make some changes."

Top photo via Shin Min Daily News