Two buildings share the crown for this year's most user-friendly
building design, in the first time that the Building and
Construction Authority has chosen to give out two gold awards in
its annual Universal Design Awards.
Tampines Primary School and City Square Mall (pictured) each
received the gong for their user-friendly designs which address the
needs of all age groups and people with different abilities.
Tampines Primary, the first public school to earn the gold, offers
wheelchair users easy access to facilities like the hall and
gymnasium. Tactile floor markings also form routes leading to the
main areas.
Mr Cheong Yip Seng, chairman of the awards assessment committee, on
Tuesday said the school strikes him as unusual because besides
addressing student needs, it provides public access to facilities
after school hours.
'So it's an integrated facility that performs two functions, while
being able to provide easy access for both children, staff, and
also members of the public,' he said.
The other gold award went to City Square Mall and City Green, the
49,000 square feet park adjacent to it.
As part of safety consideration, the mall provides shoppers
comfortable taxi and shuttle bus waiting areas, as well as seamless
access to the MRT. Clear, colour-contrasted signs also make
navigating the mall a breeze.
'Universal design features are inexpensive as long as you
incorporate them from day one,' said Mr Allen Ang, head of the
commercial projects division at City Developments, which owns City
Square Mall. Better design is as simple as building a slope where a
staircase should be, he said.
There were 35 nominations for the awards. Apart from the two golds,
there were two silver and nine bronze prizes conferred. More than
120 projects have been submitted since the awards began in
2007.
The winners will receive their prizes at the BCA awards on May
26.