Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on HDB’s design for future homes to be built, in view of telecommuting arrangements playing bigger part of Singaporeans’ lifestyle

Oct 5, 2020

Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for National Development with working from home becoming a part of our lifestyle
(a) how will this impact HDB's design for future homes to be built; and
(b) whether there are plans to turn communal spaces in the neighbourhood into working spaces with Wi-Fi to help those who need a quiet space to work.

Answer:

HDB flats are designed to provide a living environment that is functional and comfortable. For instance, bedrooms are built with large windows to optimise natural lighting and ventilation, while kitchens are designed to be open to increase the sense of spaciousness. 

HDB flats are also designed to provide flexibility for residents to reconfigure spaces in their homes to meet their needs. For example, columns in new flats are pushed to the edges wherever possible, so that home owners can have more flexibility in reconfiguring their home layout. Many homeowners have personalised their homes through renovation. There are also ways to create workspaces through use of creative furnishing. 

We are studying how HDB flats can further support telecommuting – a trend that has been accelerated by the current pandemic. Today, broadband for Wi-Fi ready connections is readily available in all public housing flats, facilitating working and studying from home. HDB is also trialing ‘smart-enabled’ homes in Punggol Northshore and Tengah so that residents can adopt more smart applications. If feasible, we will incorporate these features into future flats. 

We have also made available communal spaces within the neighbourhood which can be used for work. For example, HDB has introduced Community Living Rooms, which are located within the void decks, and some of our Community Clubs (CCs) have opened their spaces for work purposes in recent months. Most of these spaces are equipped with basic amenities such as charging points, and access to Wi-Fi networks. 

For residents who require additional amenities, such as meeting rooms with video conferencing facilities, they have the option of using commercially-run co-working spaces available at three public libraries: Jurong Regional Library, Toa Payoh Public Library and Geylang East Public Library. 

We will continue to monitor tele-commuting trends, and study ways to convert existing communal spaces into workspaces, as well as to plan and design workspaces upfront in future community facilities.