Building in security at property design stage

Building in security at property design stage

Home Affairs Ministry produces guide to help builders protect their properties against terrorist hits

By Teh Joo Lin

In this era of homeland security, a building should not be a house built on sand.

When a truck bomb went off outside a building in Oklahoma in the United States in 1995, most of the 168 victims died - not from the direct blast effects, but from the partial collapse of the building.

There would have been more survivors if it had been designed against progressive collapse, that is, the failure of one part leading to the crumbling of a much larger part, or even the entire building.

In hindsight, too, the 18-year-old building could have been retrofitted with added structures to strengthen it.

Meanwhile, one outcome of the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US is a worldwide drive to strengthen the security design of buildings.

In Singapore, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Jan 20 produced a 138-page document to help those who design, construct and manage buildings to protect their properties against terrorist strikes.

The draft version of the Guidelines for Enhancing Building Security was first released in November 2007.

Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng, in his foreword, called on the building and construction community to use the document to improve building security.

He described it as a ‘comprehensive compilation of international best practices in building security that can be applied to Singapore’.

The document cited several cases to bring home the reality of the regional threat.

Last July, seven people were killed and scores injured when suicide bombers breached the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta and set off explosives.

The document noted that the terrorists’ targets ‘are now commonly hotels or resorts’.

It recommended different tiers of protection, based on factors like the number of people who use the building, its purpose, nature of activity and if it is symbolic or iconic.

The proposed modes of protection include access control and alarm systems, vehicle anti-ramming barriers and even how vegetation can help or hinder security.

‘Trees with a trunk diameter of larger than 50cm can be used to stop a vehicle, depending on the protection level required,’ said the document.

But thick vegetation can also be exploited to hide bombs and weapons, it said.

Building owners may claim that such measures are costly, but the ministry said costs will not increase much if security concerns are addressed from the beginning - during the design stage.

This is the practice of City Developments, which said security issues are addressed from the design phase of each new development, encompassing architectural design, building security infrastructure and the needs of the various stakeholders.

Its spokesman added that building security was of the utmost importance.

‘In our existing commercial buildings, we continually review security technology and innovation with the aim of enhancing security within our buildings,’ she said.

For example, independent assessors conduct regular security reviews at Republic Plaza. The company is studying the MHA’s guidelines ‘with the view of further enhancing security within our premises’.

At Marina Properties, which manages Millenia Tower and Centennial Tower, an annual budget is dedicated to upgrading security equipment and staff training.

Its measures include secure card access, regulated driveways to prevent unauthorised parking and the recording of vehicles moving in and out of the compound.

There are cameras at strategic locations, including the lifts, while security officers conduct regular patrols, sometimes in plainclothes.

‘Flowerbed bollards’ function as anti-crash barriers, proving that strong buildings need not look like fortresses.

A spokesman for United Engineers said: ‘The beauty of a good design lies in functionality and aesthetics co-existing. With advanced design technology and good creativity, this is increasingly possible.’

Source : Straits Times - 31 January 2010

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HDB launches exhibition to celebrate 50th anniversary

HDB launches exhibition to celebrate 50th anniversary

By Hoe Yeen Nie

SINGAPORE : The Housing and Development Board (HDB) has launched an exhibition to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Today, over eight in 10 Singaporeans live in HDB flats, and the photos at the exhibition are a testament to how far public housing has come.

Speaking at the launch on Saturday, Senior Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu also spoke of HDB’s role in integrating new residents.

She also unveiled a set of commemorative coins issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore to mark the occasion.

The coins feature three different designs in S$5 and S$50 denominations.

They will be available to the public through the Singapore Mint from February 1. - CNA/ms

Source : Channel NewsAsia - 31 January 2010

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HDB reviewing rules to weed out speculators & rental investors

HDB reviewing rules to weed out speculators & rental investors

By Joanne Chan/Hoe Yeen Nie

SINGAPORE: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) is reviewing its rules to curb speculation and illegal subletting in the public housing market.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said the move is to ensure prices are not being artificially inflated.

The review comes amid fresh concerns over the affordability of public housing sparked off by HDB’s latest data that showed resale flat prices continued to climb in the fourth quarter of last year.

In addition, the median cash premium that home owners have to pay upfront doubled to S$24,000, prompting calls for the government to step in.

But Mr Mah noted that the resale market should be allowed to operate as a free market, with prices set on a “willing buyer, willing seller” basis.

He said: “Now, if you are a buyer, you feel anxious because you want prices to be low. But if you are a seller, you want prices to be high. So it’s not possible for the government to set the resale prices.

“If you were to interfere in the COV (Cash-Over-Valuation), or the resale flat market, essentially, you are saying the government should set the resale flat prices which I think both parties will be unhappy. Why? Because the buyer may be happy today, but today if he’s a buyer, tomorrow he would be a seller. Then when we set the prices and he wants to sell, he will be unhappy.”

While promoting a free market, Mr Mah drew the line at speculation and stressed that HDB flats are for “owner-occupation, not speculation or rental investment.”

As such, Mr Mah said the housing board is relooking rules to ensure that prices are not being artificially inflated.

“If somebody is coming in and buying because they hope to make money, through flipping or selling the flats later on, or to buy to rent without staying in there, I think that’s not possible. That’s not the idea of HDB flats,” he said.

Mr Mah declined to say which rules are being studied. But he noted that the review will be completed in a few months’ time.

How much impact will the review have? Housing analysts said speculators are not the main problem, because prices are not rising fast enough to lure them in.

ERA’s Asia-Pacific associate director Eugene Lim noted that for speculators to be lured into the market, prices have to be moving up very fast. But that’s not happening in the public housing market. For example, prices of HDB flats only increased by 8.2 percent in the past year.

He added that the mandatory holding period before you can sell your flat - one year if you’ve taken a bank loan; 2.5 years for those who borrowed from HDB - also acts as a deterrent against flipping.

Mr Lim said: “It’s basically a case of demand more than supply, because there are probably more people with immediate housing needs now, who cannot wait for the three years for new flats to be built. There is also an increasing population of PRs. They’re not allowed to buy from HDB direct, so they have to go to the resale market.”

But Mr Lim noted that while business from PRs now accounts for 25 percent of his firm’s business, up from 20 percent previously, that is still considered small. He added the review of rules is a sign that HDB is “leaving no stone unturned”.

But demand is being pushed up partly by those who buy flats to earn rent.

Mr Lim said: “If an investment gives you 7 to 8 percent (returns), it is certainly very attractive to look at. Because it’s quite easy to rent out HDB flat. It doesn’t cost much - with $300,000 or $400,000 you can get a HDB flat, you can get good returns, it does attract a fair number of people to look at this option.”

Latest HDB figures showed that between January 2008 and December last year, 56 homeowners were caught renting out their flats illegally.

And recent reports suggested that some flat owners at the newly completed Pinnacle@Duxton had rented out their entire units without a minimum occupation period. This is illegal under HDB’s housing rules.

Home buyers who received a grant from HDB must stay in their flat for a minimum of five years before they can sublet their entire unit. For those who do not use a grant, there’s a minimum occupation period of three years.

Offenders face a fine of between S$1,000 and S$21,000 and may even have their flats repossessed.

Mr Mah said: “I’ve asked HDB to also step up on any possible breaking of the rules. I don’t know if it’s extensive but anecdotally you do hear one or two cases. So we want to make sure that this is not happening.”

But observers said many of these transactions are done under the table. So even if rules are tightened, enforcement will be difficult.

However industry players like Chris Koh of Dennis Wee Realty noted that new rules requiring homeowners to report the details of their tenants are an incentive for them to be honest.

But he felt that there is scope to increase the penalties further, and to penalise agents who facilitate illegal transactions.

And to help curb demand, analysts suggested tweaking rules on how flats are financed.

Currently, a buyer can take out a loan to pay for up to 90 percent of the purchase price of a new or resale flat.

Analysts suggested HDB lower that quantum and make buyers fork out a larger down-payment. This could force them to reassess just how much they can afford, thereby serving as a check on escalating prices.

- CNA/ir

Source : Channel NewsAsia - 29 January 2010

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Office site at Mohamed Sultan Road put up for sale by public tender

Office site at Mohamed Sultan Road put up for sale by public tender

By Mok Fei Fei, 938LIVE

SINGAPORE: An office site at Mohamed Sultan Road has been put up for sale by public tender. The Urban Redevelopment Authority said it has accepted an application from a developer to put up the site for sale.

Since October 2008, the land parcel was made available for sale through the Reserve List System.

Under the system, a site would be released for sale only if a bid with an acceptable minimum price is received.

URA said a developer has committed to put in a bid of not less than S$9.33 million for the site.

As such, the sale process has been triggered.

URA will launch the public tender for the site in about two weeks.

The site has an area of 0.62 hectares and can generate a maximum permissible gross floor area of 9,265 square metres.

The land parcel is offered for sale on a 15-year lease. - 938LIVE/vm

Source : Channel NewsAsia - 29 January 2010

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Mohd Sultan Rd office site up for sale

Mohd Sultan Rd office site up for sale
New bid is double the one URA received in 2008

By EMILYN YAP

THE Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will be launching a transitional office site at Mohamed Sultan Road for sale in around two weeks’ time, after a developer committed to pay at least $9.33 million for it.

The bid, which works out to $94 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr), is double that which URA received in 2008 when it last tried to sell the site. This has raised a few eyebrows, considering the soft state of affairs in the office market.

The 15-year-leasehold office site has a site area of 66,482 sq ft and a maximum permissible gross floor area (GFA) of 99,728 sq ft. It can accommodate a four-storey building.

DTZ executive director Ong Choon Fah believes that the parcel stood out because of its location, which is not too far from the central business district and is near entertainment spots at Clarke Quay. Companies in the creative industry may find the site attractive, she said.

Cushman & Wakefield Singapore managing director Donald Han agrees that the site’s location is appealing. Given the relatively high offer, he suggests that the bidder could be a firm looking to own and occupy the site, or a developer which ‘knows the game, and is confident of developing transitional office sites’.

He added that the bidder could be expecting a recovery in the office market and as a result, higher rents in future, after the development on the office site is ready around the second half of 2011.

Leasing activity in the office market has picked up in the last few months as the economy stabilised. ‘Although we expect office rents to continue to slide perhaps to the end of this year or early next year, the worst is probably over,’ says Mrs Ong. ‘There’s a lot more confidence.’

But both consultants do not expect to see many other bidders for the site when the tender is launched. With this bid being so much higher than the previous one, ‘there could be some segments saying ‘it’s not cheap’,’ Mr Han quipped.

URA had launched the site for sale in August 2008 when it was on the confirmed list. It received one bid of $4.65 million or $47 psf ppr from RSP Architects Planners & Engineers, but rejected it as it was too low. URA transferred the site to the reserve list in October that year.

The agency last sold a transitional office site at Scotts Road/Anthony Road in May 2008, for $32.99 million or $226 psf ppr.

Separately, owners of the freehold residential development Holland Hill Lodge have put their estate up for collective sale. The asking price ranges from $15 million to $16 million, and this translates to a land price of $1,038-$1,107 psf ppr, based on a gross plot ratio of 1.6.

The site measures some 9,033 sq ft and the existing GFA of the development is 18,086 sq ft. The owners are checking with the authorities on whether this GFA can be fully utilised upon redevelopment.

Credo Real Estate is marketing the site and the tender closes on Feb 25.

Source : Business Times - 29 January 2010

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54 units at Holland Residences sold

54 units at Holland Residences sold

By KALPANA RASHIWALA

THE home buying buzz continues at showflats. Allgreen Properties is said to have sold 54 units at its Holland Residences condo at Taman Warna released this week. The average price of the 68 units released in the 83-unit project is $1,625 per square foot; but the figure is weighed down by private enclosed spaces for ground-floor units in the five-storey freehold project.

Holland Residences: The average price of the 68 units released in the 83-unit project is $1,625 per square foot; Singaporeans bought 80 per cent of the units sold
Singaporeans bought 80 per cent of the units sold, says Joseph Tan, executive director at CB Richard Ellis, which is marketing the project.

In a more upscale location, a joint venture between BBR Holdings and SP Tao’s Shing Kwan Pte Ltd has sold seven of the total 16 units at its six-storey freehold 8 Nassim Hill project since last Friday. The development is expected to receive Temporary Occupation Permit at the end of March this year.

The project comprises eight townhouses and eight penthouses - all of them triplex units spanning across three levels. The townhouses occupy the project’s lower three levels and range from about 4,200 sq ft to 4,500 sq ft, while the penthouses, which are on the upper three storeys, are about 3,200 sq ft each. Each of the 16 units has its own swimming pool; each townhouse also has its own garden at the back.

The 16 units are priced between $3,100 psf and $3,400 psf or $11-14 million apiece. Singaporeans bought two of the seven units sold so far; the other five were picked up by foreigners - from Europe and Hong Kong.

In the Beach Road area, Hong Fok Corporation is said to have recently released upper-floor units at its 99-year leasehold Concourse Skyline priced at $2,200 psf to $2,400 psf. The 360-unit development reaches up to 43 storeys.

Over at Holland Residences, one-bedroom units (601 sq ft) and two bedders (ranging from 957 to 979 sq ft) were the first to be snapped up at this week’s preview.

The project also has three- and four-bedroom units as well as penthouses. Prices of one bedders start from $1.06 million. Two bedders cost between $1.63 million and $1.73 million. The most expensive units sold was $3.6 million for a four-bedroom duplex penthouse.

The average price of $1,600 psf for Holland Residences is higher than the $1,500 psf at which Ho Bee is selling its nearby Parvis, a 12-storey condo at Holland Hill.

However, there are no one-bedroom units in Parvis; developers typically can command a higher per square foot price for smallish units as the lumpsum amount is still relatively small.

Hence the tendency among some developers to build projects with a higher proportion of smallish units to achieve a higher overall average psf price for the development.

At a Knight Frank auction yesterday, a 1,206 sq ft unit on the 10th floor of Leedon 2 changed hands for $1.38 million or $1,144 psf. Leedon 2, a freehold development, is said to be more than 20 years old.

Source : Business Times - 29 January 2010

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HDB to turn Punggol into eco-town

HDB to turn Punggol into eco-town
Area will test ideas and tech promoting sustainable devt

By EMILYN YAP

THE Housing and Development Board (HDB) has identified Punggol as Singapore’s first eco-town, and the area is set to become a ‘living laboratory’ for ideas and technologies promoting sustainable development.

HDB announced this yesterday, together with plans to install solar panels at Tampines, Bukit Panjang, Tanjong Pagar and Marine Parade.

‘As the largest developer in Singapore, we have the responsibility to promote environmental sustainability,’ said HDB CEO Tay Kim Poh at the International Housing Conference at Suntec Singapore.

As an eco-town, Punggol will become home to more environmentally friendly buildings. New developments along the waterway passing through the town are likely to have higher Green Mark ratings.

Punggol will also have facilities such as cycling paths and spaces for car sharing services, to encourage residents to adopt more environmentally-friendly ways of getting around.

When it comes to testing new technologies in energy, waste and water management, Punggol will be taking the lead. More importantly, HDB will look at lowering implementation costs and replicating these solutions in other towns.

HDB will also be working with advisers, town councils and grassroots leaders to encourage residents in Punggol to adopt a greener lifestyle. For instance, there will be outreach programmes to educate them about the eco-town’s environment and design.

Other towns will be getting their share of action in promoting environmental sustainability. Following the successful trial installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels at Serangoon and Wellington,

HDB will be testing the technology in Tampines, Bukit Panjang, Tanjong Pagar and Marine Parade.

This move is part of HDB’s $31 million plan to test solar PV panels in 30 HDB precincts by 2015. Last week,

HDB agreed to collaborate with the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore on two projects.

In the meantime, HDB will continue to rejuvenate older towns and estates through the Remaking Our Heartland programme. It plans to extend the programme to all other towns, after Punggol, Yishun and the Dawson estate, Mr Tay said.

Source : Business Times - 29 January 2010

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HDB doing ’speculation’ checks, will root it out

HDB doing ’speculation’ checks, will root it out

Mah says flats not meant for punting, will relook rules

By UMA SHANKARI

(SINGAPORE) The Housing & Development Board (HDB) is checking to see if buyers are using its government-subsidised flats to speculate in the property market - even as resale flat prices hit a new high in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Mr Mah: So long as there is demand and genuine take-up, HDB will build
‘There are some people who are saying that people are buying HDB flats for speculation,’ said Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan. ‘So let’s look at that, see whether it is really happening and if so, whether any of our rules are allowing it to happen.’

Speculation ’shouldn’t be’ taking place as HDB flats under the government’s home ownership programme are for people to live in, Mr Mah added. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the International Housing Conference on Wednesday.

The minister has asked HDB to relook its rules to make sure that prices are not being artificially inflated. ‘I have asked HDB to review its rules and see whether there are any rules that are encouraging and allowing people to speculate in HDB flats,’ he said.

The move comes as HDB resale prices hit a new record in Q4 2009, with prices climbing 3.9 per cent from the previous quarter. The median cash-over- valuation (COV) for all resale transactions doubled to $24,000 in Q4 from $12,000 in Q3.

Answering questions on whether HDB flats were still affordable, Mr Mah noted that the resale market should be allowed to operate as a free market, with prices set on a ‘willing buyer, willing seller’ basis. So if there is ‘genuine’ demand, prices will climb.

But he drew the line at speculation and stressed that public housing is for owner-occupation. He did not say which rules are being studied, but added that the review should be completed in a few months’ time.

Aside from reviewing regulations, Mr Mah said he has also asked HDB to step up enforcement. ‘I’ve asked HDB to also step up on any possible breaking of the rules. I don’t know if it’s extensive, but anecdotally you do hear of one or two cases,’ he added. ‘We want to make sure that this is not happening.’

Analysts BT spoke to said that there was little speculative activity in the HDB market - in the sense that few buyers are buying flats with the sole purpose of flipping them.

‘In my opinion, there is little or no speculative activity in the HDB market. I think the existing rules are relatively adequate,’ said PropNex Realty chief executive Mohamed Ismail.

Under existing rules, home buyers who receive a grant from HDB can sell their flats only after five years. Singaporeans who choose not to take up grants - as well as PRs who are not eligible for any grants - can sell their flats after a year if they have not received a loan from HDB.

However, there are concerns that people could be buying flats for rental investment. Recent media reports have suggested that some flat owners at the newly completed Pinnacle@Duxton have rented out their entire units without a minimum occupation period. This is illegal under HDB’s rules.

But market watchers pointed out that it will be difficult to check if an HDB flat is being occupied solely by renters.

Going forward, HDB will launch another 12,000 new flats this year as demand for public housing grows. Some 7,000 flats will be pushed out in just the first half of 2010.

‘So long as there is demand, so long as there is a genuine take-up rate, HDB will build,’ Mr Mah said.

Source : Business Times - 29 January 2010

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Developer triggers office site for sale

Developer triggers office site for sale

By Fiona Chan

A SHORT-TERM office site on Mohamed Sultan Road that the Government failed to sell two years ago has garnered renewed interest.

A developer has agreed to put in a bid of $9.33 million for the land - twice the offer that came in for the site in 2008.

The new bid for the 0.62ha spot has triggered a public tender that will start in two weeks’ time, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said yesterday. It did not identify the developer.

Located between Kim Yam Road and Martin Road, the site can host a four-storey building with a total floor area of almost 100,000 sq ft. It is being sold with a shorter-than-usual 15-year lease.

In August 2008, the URA put the site up for sale without waiting for a developer to make an offer. That was to ease a space crunch that was sending office prices soaring. But the financial crisis struck the next month, resulting in only one bid coming in, at $4.65million. The URA rejected the bid as too low.

Since then, the office market has slumped and is just starting to turn the corner. Prices rose 1 per cent in the final quarter of last year, the first increase in six quarters, according to URA data.

But property consultants do not see the fresh interest as a sign of brighter days for the market.

Mr Li Hiaw Ho, executive director of CBRE Research, said there is still more than ample supply of office space over the next few years, so the bidder for this site is more likely to be a company that needs office space rather than a developer anticipating an upturn in the market.

Separately, a housing site has also been put up for sale by its owners. Holland Hill Lodge, an 11-unit freehold development in Holland Hill, has been launched for collective sale.

The estate, built in the mid-1990s, sits on a 9,033 sq ft site with an existing gross floor area of 18,086 sq ft, said marketing agent Credo Real Estate yesterday. All the owners have agreed to the sale and are asking for $15 million to $16 million, or $1,038 to $1,107 per sq ft of gross floor area.

Source : Straits Times - 29 January 2010

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New flats every month for first half

New flats every month for first half

THE Housing Board will launch new flats every month over the next six months in response to growing fears that demand is outstripping supply.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, speaking on the sidelines of a housing event on Wednesday, said that ‘HDB will build flats to meet demand as long as there’s genuine demand’. It is looking to offer 7,000 new flats in the first half of this year and is planning 12,000 for the whole of 2010.

For higher income earners who aspire to own private property, Mr Mah said the HDB was catering to this group by selling land for development into executive condominiums - a hybrid flat with condo facilities but HDB rules.

He assured first-time buyers that there was no need to rush into buying, given that there are ‘more than sufficient flats’. ‘If there is even stronger demand, of course HDB will build even more flats,’ he said.

Mr Mah claimed the high subscription rates at recent launches - at popular projects such as Dawson, where 11 applications were received for every flat - was not a measure of genuine demand.

‘We know that many of them are multiple applicants…they apply every month to make sure they have a better chance…that means the number of subscribers may appear large, but it doesn’t mean that that is the total demand,’ he said.

‘The final test is when we finally offer the flats to these buyers, (we’ll) see what the take-up rate will be.’

The minister emphasised that if there was real demand, the HDB would respond with its build-to-order (BTO) scheme.

‘As the name suggests…you order, we build. That’s the situation.’

Mr Mah pointed out that waiting for a flat to be built was not new. In the past, home buyers have had to wait for as long as seven years for a flat, he said.

Under the BTO scheme, HDB is ‘promising, in a way…that you will get your flat in three to four years, once you have booked it.’

JESSICA CHEAM

Source : Straits Times - 29 January 2010

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