AN EVALUATION OF TOTAL BUILDING PERFORMANCE FOR THE PUBLIC HOUSING OF HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD

Abstract

The Housing and Development Board is the biggest public housing provider in Singapore. This study was conducted to evaluate Total Building Performance of HDB housing through the use of subjective and objective techniques. Two housing estates of different ages were selected for the evaluation. The study shows that the new estate, where housing blocks are placed in staggered manner with height variation, has performed better based on the six performance mandates as stipulated in the Total Building Performance approach. Among the six performances mandates-thermal, indoor air, acoustical and spatial quality are satisfactory. Visual quality and building integrity are in need of further improvement. To further improve the Total Building Performance of HDB housing, it is recommended that importance should be placed on the environmental factors during design process. Some critical design considerations include building orientation and height, size, positions of fenestration as well as selection of appropriate building materials.