Majority of residents of brick-faced Tampines blocks vote for paint that matches original colour

Civil servant Justin Quek, 28, said he is not surprised that three-quarters of residents voted for a colour that matches the blocks’ original paintwork.

Zaihan Mohamed Yusof

Published Sep 19, 2026, 09:50 PM

Updated Sep 19, 2026, 09:50 PM

Over 76% of Tampines 497 series blocks residents voted to keep the original paint scheme, valuing the estate's identity and heritage.

Residents expressed mixed views on preserving the brick facades, with some accepting painting for repairs and water seepage protection.

The 497 series blocks are architecturally significant as the first privately designed HDB flats, retaining unique 1990s colours that residents find comforting.

SINGAPORE – An iconic eight-block public housing project in Tampines with a distinctive brick-faced facade will be painted a colour that matches the blocks’ original paintwork.

The decision was made after more than three-quarters of the residents of the eight blocks – 497A to D, 497F to H and 497J Tampines Street 45 – had cast their votes for one of three proposed colour schemes in the planned Repairs and Redecoration (R&R) exercise to fix water seepage issues.

The second colour option largely retains the original colour palette but introduces some variations. The third is a complete overhaul of the blocks’ look.

The result of the poll, conducted between Aug 31 and Sept 13 , was announced by Tampines North grassroots adviser David Neo at a Kopitalk X Precinct Dialogue held on Sept 19 at a nearby multi-purpose hall.

Over 80 residents from the neighbourhood attended the dialogue where Neo, who is also Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, spoke about housing upgrades, estate maintenance and rodents, said a resident who gave his name only as Wai.

Civil servant Justin Quek, 28, said he i s not surprised with residents’ choice.

“Everybody wants these colours because that’s the estate’s identity,” said Quek, who has lived at Block 497A since he was born.

Wai, a 66-year-old retiree, said Mr Neo had asked residents whether they wanted the block’s distinctive brick-clad facades painted over, or preserved with a clear, water-resistant coat to prevent seepage.

“Many of us prefer the original bricks, but some of the blocks in the 498 series have already been painted over,” Wai noted. “ There’s no changing that now .”

In a statement to ST on Sept 8, Tampines Town Council said residents had expressed various views on how the works should be carried out for the blocks.

“Some would like a more colourful paint scheme and a move away from the brick facade, while others feel that the exposed brick facades should be preserved because of their distinctive character and heritage value,” said the town council.

It added it considered residents’ feedback during the last R&R cycle from 2017 to 2019, and painted areas of the walls affected by water seepage, using a colour that closely matched the original brickwork.

“However, as the brickwork has aged since, further seepage has affected residents’ homes,” the town council said.

To highlight the estate’s heritage, Neo invited architectural photographer Darren Soh, 50, to speak about the historical significance of the 497 series blocks. These blocks were the first flats designed by private architects under the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) Design and Build Scheme.

Soh said that the layout of the three massive community courtyards enclosed by the blocks was revolutionary when it was built in 1994.

“This estate is one of the last remaining HDB precincts from the 1990s that still retains its original colours. The majority of the others have been painted over, some several times,” said Soh.

Longtime resident Razali Talib, 64, agreed that the earthy tones and unpainted brickwork give the precinct a unique charm.

“The estate is busier now but looking at the blocks relaxes me,” said Mr Razali, who has lived there for over two decades.

Zaihan Mohamed Yusof is senior crime correspondent at The Straits Times.

Residential property

28岁的公务员郭俊廷表示，四分之三的居民投票选择与楼宇原漆颜色相匹配的颜色，他对此并不感到惊讶。

扎伊汉·穆罕默德·优素福

发布于2026年9月19日晚上9:50

更新于2026年9月19日晚上9:50

淡滨尼 497 系列组屋超过 76% 的居民投票决定保留原有的油漆方案，他们珍视该住宅区的特色和历史传承。

对于是否保留砖砌外墙，居民们的意见不一，有些人接受粉刷外墙以进行修补和防止渗水。

497 系列组屋具有重要的建筑意义，是首批私人设计的组屋，保留了 20 世纪 90 年代独特的色彩，令居民感到舒适。

新加坡——淡滨尼一个标志性的八栋公共组屋项目，其独特的砖砌外墙将被涂成与组屋原有油漆颜色相匹配的颜色。

在淡滨尼 45 街 497A 至 D 座、497F 至 H 座和 497J 座这八座组屋的居民中，超过四分之三的人投票选出了三种拟议的配色方案之一，这是为解决渗水问题而计划进行的维修和重新装修 (R&R) 工程的一部分。

第二种配色方案基本保留了原有的色彩，但加入了一些变化。第三种方案则彻底改变了方块的外观。

这项于 8 月 31 日至 9 月 13 日进行的民意调查结果，由淡滨尼北区基层顾问 David Neo 在 9 月 19 日于附近一个多功能厅举行的 Kopitalk X 选区对话会上宣布。

一位名叫 Wai 的居民表示，来自该社区的 80 多位居民参加了对话，文化、社区及青年部长梁振英在对话中谈到了房屋升级、屋苑维护和鼠患问题。

28岁的公务员郭俊廷表示，他对居民的选择并不感到惊讶。

“每个人都想要这些颜色，因为这是这个社区的标志，”自出生以来就一直住在 497A 座的 Quek 说。

66岁的退休人士Wai表示，Neo先生曾询问居民们是否希望将该楼独特的砖砌外墙涂上油漆，还是用透明的防水涂层加以保护，以防止渗漏。

“我们很多人都更喜欢原有的砖块，但498系列的部分砖块已经被重新粉刷过了，”Wai指出，“现在已经无法改变了。”

淡滨尼市镇理事会在9月8日向《海峡时报》发表声明称，居民们对组屋的施工方式表达了各种意见。

镇议会表示：“有些人希望采用更鲜艳的油漆方案，并摒弃砖砌外墙，而另一些人则认为应该保留裸露的砖砌外墙，因为它们具有独特的特色和历史价值。”

该公司还表示，在 2017 年至 2019 年的上一次修缮周期中，他们考虑了居民的反馈意见，并使用与原砖砌体颜色非常接近的颜色粉刷了受渗水影响的墙壁区域。

“然而，随着砖墙老化，渗漏进一步影响了居民的房屋，”镇议会表示。

为了彰显该住宅区的历史底蕴，Neo邀请了50岁的建筑摄影师Darren Soh来讲述497系列组屋的历史意义。这些组屋是建屋发展局（HDB）“设计与建造计划”下，由私人建筑师设计的首批组屋。

Soh表示，这三个由楼房围起来的大型社区庭院的布局在1994年建成时是革命性的。

“这个组屋区是上世纪90年代建造的组屋区中为数不多仍保留着原有颜色的小区之一。其他大部分小区都已被重新粉刷过，有的甚至被粉刷了好几次，”苏先生说。

64岁的老居民拉扎利·塔利布也认为，土色调和未上漆的砖墙赋予了这片区域独特的魅力。

“现在小区里人更多了，但看着这些楼房让我感到放松，”在那里住了二十多年的拉扎利先生说。

Zaihan Mohamed Yusof 是《海峡时报》的高级犯罪记者。

住宅物业