FEASIBILITY OF INTER-CONNECTING ROOFS ON EXISTING HDB FLATS - A PERCEPTION STUDY

Abstract

Sky bridge implementation on buildings are still in its infancy stage in Singapore, however there has been a growing trend of more implementations in the past 2 years in both residential and commercial buildings. Often, developers combined the attempt to implement green roofs and sky bridge in to a new building. The attempt is clear; green roofs by itself are restricted to the area of usable roof space; and segregation of individual green roof plots limits its usability. Synergies can be obtained by implementing sky bridge on green roofs, to connect individual roofs to one entity. This could boost the effort of National Parks Board’s attempt to transform Singapore to a City in a Garden. This dissertation aims to close up the large research gap in sky bridge application in residential buildings. Perception studies of existing and potential users were conducted to get first hand insights and sentiments towards the early implementations of sky bridges on green roofs locally. Surveys were conducted to obtain responses from existing users, and at residents of HDB blocks in Yishun Avenue 1, where the HDB blocks possess qualities for green roofs and sky bridge implementation. Positive feedbacks and interests have been gathered from existing and potential users for existing projects, and more implementations in residential rooftops are desired. This dissertation has also shown the potential tangible synergies between sky bridges and green roofs in the form of improving circulation from one to another green roof. This opens up possibilities for even more amenities and improving sky rise agriculture effectiveness. Privacy issues related to sky bridge implementation in residential estates were also discussed.