HDB has launched a call for design proposals to revitalise and rejuvenate the Bukit Merah Town Centre at the Singapore Archifest today. The Bukit Merah Town Centre Placemaking Challenge, which runs for two months until 16 July 2024, is open to Singapore-based practising designers or students in architecture and landscape design-related fields on an individual, team or firm basis.

2 This is the latest initiative under HDB’s Remaking Our Heartland (ROH) programme, a comprehensive blueprint which brings together multiple agencies to renew and rejuvenate existing towns and estates to meet the changing needs of the community.

Transforming Bukit Merah

3 Bukit Merah will soon be refreshed under HDB’s ROH programme¹. Residents can look forward to a transformation of the Bukit Merah Town Centre, alongside enhanced connectivity to green nodes such as the Rail Corridor and Southern Ridges, which will bring residents closer to nature².

4 The Bukit Merah Town Centre will be refreshed, to enhance its attractiveness and provide a more comfortable experience for residents. Connectivity from the town centre to key surrounding amenities like Redhill MRT Station, Redhill Lane Neighbourhood Centre (NC) and the Rail Corridor will also be enhanced to bring greater convenience for residents.

5 Today, the Bukit Merah Town Centre remains a bustling hub, serving residents from nearby estates such as Redhill, Tiong Bahru, Telok Blangah, Mount Faber and Tanjong Pagar, who visit the area to access the bus interchange, and patronise the supermarket, shops and food stalls located within the town centre. Given the crucial function it serves, it is timely to give the town centre a makeover, to ensure that it meets the evolving needs of residents.

Inviting ideas from the architectural fraternity

6 The Bukit Merah Placemaking Challenge marks the first time that HDB is calling for design ideas from the architectural community, for the upgrading of a town centre. This is in tandem with HDB’s ongoing efforts to engage residents in co-designing and co-creating spaces within our neighbourhoods.

7 HDB will be partnering the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) to organise this challenge. Through this competition, HDB aims to canvas for innovative ideas from professionals and students in the architectural and design sector, which can be incorporated into HDB’s renewal plans.

8 “HDB is excited to collaborate with the Singapore Institute of Architects for this inaugural placemaking challenge,” said Mr Mike Chan Hein Wah, HDB’s Deputy CEO. “By leveraging the collective expertise and creativity of both practising and aspiring architects, and together with the valuable feedback from the community, we aim to co-create vibrant, inclusive spaces that will enrich the lives of Bukit Merah residents and visitors to the town.”

Legend has it – Bukit Merah; the tale of the swordfish³

9 The design brief is to transform the town centre into a vibrant community node for both the young and old, while retaining elements that represent the town’s history and heritage. To pay homage to Bukit Merah’s history, the design proposals must adopt the theme, “The Tale of the Swordfish”. This theme resonated most with the community, based on feedback gathered during the engagement with more than 600 Bukit Merah residents and visitors.

Top and bottom images show the upper and lower plazas of Bukit Merah Town Centre respectively.

10 Residents and visitors to Bukit Merah town have said that they look forward to more community spaces, such as integrated playscapes for families to interact, and green spaces with sheltered seating areas for residents to bond. With an ageing population, improvements such as better wayfinding and improved accessibility for wheelchair-users were also among the key features they hoped to see in the renewal plan for the town centre.

Competition details

11 Interested participants have until 16 July to submit proposals incorporating the aspirations of the community via SIA’s website. Thereafter, a judging panel comprising a representative from the local Grassroots, as well as representatives from HDB and SIA, will shortlist three top designs. An online poll will then be conducted for the public to choose their favourite design. The proposal which receives the highest number of votes will be crowned the winner in September 2024.

12 The winning team will receive a prize of S$15,000, and their design proposals will be adapted and incorporated into the rejuvenation plans for the town centre. The two runners-up will receive merit prizes of S$5,000 each. More information on the challenge can be found in this link.

¹To date, 13 towns and estates have been identified for rejuvenation across four ROH batches – namely Punggol, Dawson and Yishun in 2007; East Coast, Hougang and Jurong Lake in 2011, Woodlands, Toa Payoh and Pasir Ris in 2015; and the latest – Bukit Merah, Ang Mo Kio, Queenstown and Choa Chu Kang – in 2020.

² Details on the rejuvenation plans for Bukit Merah can be found in HDB’s press release on 17 September 2023.

³ The earliest mention of the tale is found in the 1612 version of the Malay Annals (Sejarah Melayu). In one of the tales recorded, it has the “Singapura Dilanggar Todak” story, which is loosely translated as “Singapore Attacked by Swordfish”.

HDB Launches Placemaking Challenge to Revitalise Bukit Merah Town Centre