S'pore photographer urges Tampines town council & MP to reconsider painting over brick facade of iconic HDB blocks

Architectural photographer Darren Soh has appealed to Tampines Town Council and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, David Neo, the area's MP, to reconsider painting over the brick facade at Blocks 497A-L at Tampines Street 45.

The blocks have been designated to undergo repairs and redecoration works, with residents being given three proposed paint schemes to vote on.

The voting period began on Aug. 29 and will end on Sep. 13.

However, architectural photographer Darren Soh has warned that painting over the brick facade will be an irreversible move that would “completely wipe out the spirit and essence of the estate.”

Three colour schemes for residents to choose

Tampines Town Council said that each design had been thoughtfully curated to give the neighbourhood a "fresh and vibrant look" while complementing existing surroundings.

Three colour schemes were provided for residents of the blocks to choose from.

Two of the colour schemes are significantly more colourful than the current bare-faced brick look that the blocks currently sport, with colour scheme 1 being matched to closely mimic the existing design.

Not an ordinary HDB project

In response to the repainting exercise, architectural photographer Darren Soh urged the town council to consider carrying out localised repair works to areas of brick deterioration instead of painting over the iconic brick facade of Blk 497A-L.

In his post, he explained that the blocks in question were not an ordinary HDB project, but were, in fact, a very special one, especially when it came to its brick-clad facade.

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The blocks were the first of a scheme where Parliament decided that HDB should work with private senior architects to design and build HDB projects to “allow for more creative reimagining of social and internal spaces”, as well as “to add colour and character to HDB housing estates.”

The blocks at Tampines Street 45 was the first such project, and therefore, the first HDB estate to be designed by a group other than HDB, with Japanese construction firm Kajima and Global Architectural Firm P&T Group winning the bid to design what would become known as Tampines Neighbourhood 4 Contract 24.

HDB praised the use of patterned facing bricks for the HDB block facade as a "quality finish with low maintenance cost," according to an April 1992 Houseword newsletter.

Soh added that the unpainted brick facade of the blocks at Tampines Street 45 had become an icon of Tampines and was symbolic of steps taken by HDB to cultivate diverse and innovative design in public housing.

He noted that the project had received an honourable mention at the Singapore Institute of Architects 1995 Architectural Design Awards, a feat which was “usually reserved for projects that cost much more.”

The iconic HDB estate of eight blocks with two central courtyards also appeared in a few local shows such as "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and "I Not Stupid 2".

No turning back

Soh warned that the three proposed R&R schemes would paint over the brick facade and would potentially completely wipe out the spirit and essence of the estate.

He said that painting over the brick facade was potentially irreversible, saying, "Once you paint over brick, there is sadly no turning back."

He appealed to the Tampines Town Council and MP David Neo to reconsider painting over the facade.

Instead, he suggested carrying out localised repair works to areas of brick deterioration and painting over the plastered concrete areas.

Online reactions

Comments on Soh’s posts had a variety of responses, with some saying that repainting was required due to water seepage, but others are saying that nearby local blocks had also been significantly changed by repainting work.

Some asked if it might be possible to clean and coat the brickwork, suggesting that such technology had improved significantly in recent years.

Meanwhile, comments replying to Tampines Town Council's post were similarly a mix, with some echoing Soh's call to preserve the brickwork.