Inspections of HDB Buildings for Structural Integrity and Design

Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for National Development (a) what are the findings on the concrete sunbreaker in Tampines which gave way; (b) how many of such sunbreakers are there in Tampines and island-wide; (c) how many have been built by the same contractor and are of a similar age; (d) what is the method of inspection to ensure their structural integrity over the years; and (e) what will be the safety action to be taken by the Ministry going forward.

Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for National Development in light of the collapsed sun shield in Tampines (a) whether HDB buildings in mature estates are monitored for structural integrity; (b) whether the designs and materials of older HDB buildings are routinely re-evaluated in light of contemporary data so as to provide an updated risk assessment for (i) internal structural failure and (ii) external facade structural failure; and (c) what other measures will HDB put in place to ensure safety of residents against similar incidents.

Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry will conduct an assessment on facade features and external structures of HDB blocks, such as those in Circuit Road, that were built in the 1960s and were part of the first batch of blocks under the Main Upgrading Programme implemented two decades ago; (b) how does the Ministry ascertain if the structural integrity of a housing block remains good and safe for residents; (c) how frequent are such checks done; and (d) whether the Ministry will offer upgrading for the blocks in Circuit Road.

Madam, I understand and share the concerns raised by Members over the safety of the residents in light of the Tampines sunbreaker and the Circuit Road cladding incidents. Investigations into the incidents are ongoing and we await the appointed Professional Engineers' (PEs') full investigation reports which would be ready in due course. So, I would not comment on the specifics of these cases.

But more generally, the safety of buildings is of paramount importance. And this includes not just structural safety, but also other building features, such as facade fittings.

Under the Building Control Act, we have the Periodic Structural Inspection (PSI). This PSI regime is in place to check on buildings' structural safety, covering elements, such as beams and columns. The PSI regime ensures that buildings are regularly checked for structural defects, so that these can be rectified early to keep the buildings structurally safe for continued occupation.

Building owners have to engage PEs to conduct the PSI every 10 years for residential buildings and every five years for other building types. During these inspections, the PEs are required to carry out checks and assessments on the building condition and recommend rectifications if there are any structural defects detected.

For Housing and Development Board (HDB) buildings, the maintenance of building facades comes under the responsibility and purview of the Town Councils. What Town Councils are required to do is to conduct regular visual inspections on the building facades. For example, they can do this at the same time as when they do their repainting works every seven years or so. Where necessary, the Town Councils should engage a Qualified Person to follow up on the repairs.

For older blocks, HDB will also step in to support and supplement the work of the Town Councils. HDB will step in on its own to do more stringent inspections and checks of structural integrity and also audit inspections of external building facades. I must emphasise that this is on top of the regulatory requirements that are imposed on the Town Councils. So, HDB will do additional checks for the older HDB buildings.

The Ministry of National Development (MND) will continue to review and update our policies on building safety, especially in the area of building facades and inspection checks on external facades. In our updates or review, we will benchmark ourselves against other high-rise high-density cities to identify areas for improvement. Even as we do this, we would like to highlight that everyone has a role to play in ensuring a safe living environment. And, in this regard, we encourage residents to report any defects or potential issues to the relevant authorities.

Ms Tin Pei Ling separately asked if MND would offer upgrading for the blocks at Circuit Road where the falling cladding incident happened. The blocks in this precinct have already benefited from the Main Upgrading Programme (MUP).

But aside from upgrading schemes, HDB has implemented a co-payment scheme for Facade Finishes Repair with Town Councils. Under this co-payment scheme, HDB will pay 50% of the repair cost incurred by Town Councils to repair external facade finishes of HDB buildings. The Town Councils, in fact, all Town Councils, can make use of this scheme for their facade works.

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply. My question really has to do with the structural integrity of high-rise protrusions. In the cyclical review, would there be a prioritisation for high-rise protrusions, for example, like balcony ledges and their structural integrity?

Madam, the Member has highlighted what I think is a very relevant point. There are two different issues. One is structural integrity of the building, meaning the key components within the building to ensure the building is safe. And the integrity of external facades which particularly could have the risk of being dislodged and these may fall. It may not impact on the integrity and safety of the building, but it may have a risk on people who are walking at the street level.

So, this is a separate matter which, as I mentioned earlier, we are looking at the inspection regime to see if more focus and emphasis need to be placed on facade inspection and facade checks, particularly with building facades and areas where safety may be at risk.

Madam, I thank the Minister for the reply. I have clarifications to make. May I clarify what would be the frequency for the additional checks that the Minister has articulated earlier that will be done by HDB? Secondly, for older blocks, there will be greater priority as well as greater frequency in terms of the checks, given that since they are older, I would naturally assume that they will also suffer the effects of ageing as well.

Madam, as I mentioned earlier, the PSI, which is a regulatory requirement, is required once every 10 years. On top of that, HDB will do its own checks for older blocks, and this is voluntary because HDB is a good developer. If you buy a condominium, the developer, I assure you, is not going to do this for you. The Management Corporation Strata Title (MCST) has to bear the responsibility.

But HDB, being a good developer, will do its own checks. So, for older blocks, HDB will do five-year checks on top of what the Town Council is supposed to do. And HDB will also selectively do annual inspections for the older blocks for building facades. So, these are the additional checks that HDB does currently.

On a separate matter, as I have mentioned earlier, we are reviewing the regulatory regime. And as we review and update the regulatory regime, we may want to require all building owners to step up their inspection checks on building facades as well.

I thank the Minister. My supplementary question is: will the Ministry also check the buildings built by the same contractor and of similar age? And considering that the dislodged structure could weigh up to one tonne, are there insurance policies in place for public liability, hospitalisation and other compensation?

Madam, as I mentioned earlier, I would not want to comment on the specifics of the cases that were highlighted because these are still under investigation. I would just say that in the investigation that is ongoing by the PEs, they are looking not only at the impacted building but they have also given priority to checking on similar buildings of similar design done by the same contractor to make sure that these are safe. So, they have given that priority, even as they look at the specific cause of the incident building.

Madam, the Minister said that the HDB is a good developer. I would like to ask whether HDB is also a good designer. In designing building facades, what are the guidelines that HDB has? And whether or not they take into consideration the safety of the design of certain building facades and whether it is just for design's sake and whether the materials used are durable enough and the structural integrity of the facade is taken into consideration.

For instance, brickwall facades, when you use brickwalls to clad a building, whether enough details and specifications have gone into making sure that they are properly adhered to and do not crack and fall off over time and for sunshades as well. So, my question is: what are the guidelines, whether there are guides for materials used, that the material will be lasting, and the construction details to make sure that facade features will not fall off the building?

Madam, part of the requirements of being a good developer is to be a good designer, too. So, HDB, of course, will always try its best. I would not say that we are perfect, and some of these buildings were done many, many years ago but, continuously, year after year, HDB will always look at improving its design, its guidelines, the way it builds and make sure that it uses quality materials and building methods that are reliable and safe. And if you look at the way this has been done progressively over the years, I can say for sure that the methods have improved and the materials are more reliable and our buildings are safer than before.

Mdm Speaker, I thank the Minister for his replies to earlier questions. The Minister referred to older blocks. Can the Minister clarify what is the cut-off age before a block is defined as an "older block"?

The second question is: with regard to the 50-50 cost sharing scheme with regard to facade repair, in view of the fact that there will be some Town Councils which host a larger number of older blocks, as a result of which the prospect of facade repair may be more frequent than blocks that are not as old, would MND consider increasing the quantum of its contribution to the cost-sharing scheme with regard to facade repair?

Madam, on the cut-off age, I would say that I do not want to stipulate a specific cut-off because that is not the basis on which we look at older blocks. HDB will look at risks and materials in that particular building, how they were used, and the materials have changed over the years. In the past, we did not use precast concrete, now we do and, so, if you look at older blocks, generally, say, those built in the 1980s, 1970s, certainly, the materials used then, not just by HDB, by any developer then, are very different from the materials used today.

So, rather than have a specific year and say everything before that qualifies, everything after that does not qualify, we will look at the building materials and the conditions and, naturally, we would give greater focus to the older blocks, as I think all Town Councils should, within their own risk-based assessment and inspection. HDB does this and, as I mentioned earlier, Town Councils should also bear the responsibility for external facade checks and they should take that same risk-based approach.

On payments, I understand that Town Councils would certainly like to have higher co-payments from HDB, particularly if you have a greater proportion of older blocks. But we would, first of all, encourage the Town Councils to do what they need to do first: look at how much they have set aside within their sinking funds, provisions that they need to do, and the responsibility that the Town Council needs to bear.

The scheme has been in place for some time. We are always prepared to review and update our schemes and our upgrading programmes. We do that periodically and we do that from time to time. But with this, with lifts, with many other maintenance issues, first and foremost, we would ask all Town Councils to abide by their requirements and their responsibilities and make sure that adequate provisions are put in place to maintain their estates well.