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Void deck

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A void deck under a HDB apartment block in Singapore.

Void decks refer to the open areas on the ground level of Housing and Development Board (HDB) public housing buildings in Singapore, which are commonly known as HDB blocks.[1] They are one of the most used public spaces in housing estates.[2] The first void deck was implemented in 1963 at Block 26 Jalan Klinik.[3] The void deck is used for a range of casual community activities such as playing board games, exercising, and socialising.[2][3] It is often booked for Malay weddings, Chinese funerals, and birthday parties.[2][3][4][5]

Structure

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Architecture

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Despite the name, void decks are not completely empty.[1] The void deck is a largely open space with structural columns that support the residential blocks above it.[1] Smooth white walls coat the verticals, and matte grey covers the base, with some walkways textured to prevent slippage.[1] Although there is some variation, the center of the void deck houses its iconic elevators lobbies and dedicated letterbox area. Residents can collect mail before or after using the elevator.[1] Void decks are occasionally populated with convenience stores, early education centres, community clubs, senior citizen clubs, and coffee shops.[1]

Social significance

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The void deck's abundance of uses allows residents to establish a niche experience with other residents. However, scholars such as the late Ooi Giok Ling and Thomas Tan have stated that the void deck can become a place for frequent yet superficial social interactions, especially when limited to passing greetings.[2] In their book chapter The Social Significance of Public Spaces in Public Housing Estates, Ooi and Tan noted that the space is a "radical embrace of functional indeterminacy," meaning that the void deck is intentionally designed to have no fixed or predetermined purpose, and claimed that the institution of void decks was a "gamble."[2]

Etymology

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The earliest record of the term "void deck" dates back to a 1967 Straits Times newspaper article, where it was used to describe the in-between floors of mixed-use buildings that separated the shopping levels from the residential blocks above them.[4][6] In 1973, HDB referred to the open ground level as a 'void area' in the government panel in the newspaper.[4][7] However, HDB did not utilise the term "void deck" in their annual reports until 1977–1978.[4][8] Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim Former Minister for Ministry of Communications and Information stated that the term "void deck" is a uniquely Singaporean one.[3]

History

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Youth playing games at the void deck

When HDB blocks were first constructed in the 1960s, they did not include void decks.[3] It was only in the 1970s that HDB began building its flats starting from the second level, creating open space on the ground level.[2][3] At the start, void decks featured only basic amenities such as bicycle racks, letterboxes, elevators, and telephone booths.[3]

In the 1980s, HDB began incorporating entertainment facilities like chess and checker tables, vending machines, and advertisement corners, along with safety and security features such as CCTV surveillance and defibrillators.[3] In 1980, HDB announced that every new HDB block and older estates will have electrical and water facilities for usage at the void deck.[9][3] Until the 1990s, void decks followed similar rectangular designs, which only changed when HDB began encouraging teams of private firms to 'design-and-build' HDB flats in 1991.[10][3]

In the 1990s, seeing that certain void deck spaces were regularly populated by senior citizens, "Senior Citizens' Corners" were created.[11] When the first void deck community garden was established in Tampines in 1999, there was an increasing demand from seniors to convert more open spaces into gardening areas.[11] In 2005, National Parks Board created the "Community in Bloom" programme which provided a platform for seniors to initiate their own community gardens.[12] In 2006, The Committee on Ageing Issues (CAI) called for more void decks to be utilised for senior activities.[11]

Newer void decks

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Since 1982, HDB blocks have been built in a way that links void decks and playgrounds into territories known as precincts.[2] A precinct constitutes up to 750 flats and joins together roughly 4 hectares of flats, creating a common space with which residents can identify.[2] In a precinct, a playground becomes the focal point around which void deck facilities have been built and concentrated.[2] Residents are also within walking distance to conveniences such as small shops, eateries, and grocery stores.[2] Precinct pavilions have been added to newer void decks.[13]

In newer HDB blocks such as SkyVille@Dawson and Pinnacle@Duxton, void decks are not located on the ground floor but rather integrated with sky gardens.[14] Newer void decks are also smaller in size.[15]

In recent years, residents have been allowed a greater say in how the void deck is decorated. Artists may decorate the void deck, but they must first apply for permission from the relevant authorities before displaying their works, as the space belongs to the Town Council of the area where the void deck is located.[16]

Background and implementation

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There are various theories behind the implementation of the void deck.[17] According to the biography of late SNOC president and law minister E.W. Barker, the initial idea of the void deck originated from a 1973 conversation he had with former Secretary General S.S. Dhillon.[17][18][19] Dhillon commented on children being drenched in the rain, suggesting, "If only we could raise buildings one level up."[17][18][19]

However, Scholars like Louisa-May Khoo echoed former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew view that the void deck exists to mix people up, to promote social interaction between people in Singapore's ethnically diverse, multicultural, and multi-religious society.[20] In 1989, the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) was introduced, which restricted the percentage of each racial group in HDB blocks to reflect the CMIO racial composition.[21] It is suggested that the presence of void decks below HDB blocks would promote social interaction and contribute to fostering racial harmony.[21]

In 2024, TODAY online posted an article which claimed that HDB "initially built void decks for ventilation and flood prevention in dense urban areas", citing urban planners.[22]

Covid-19 pandemic

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During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic from 2019 to 2022, void decks facilities were cordoned off and restricted from public use. Void deck facilities were an everyday leisure spot for many Singaporeans.[23] The Covid-19 restrictions led to frequent and public cases of flouting and misinformation which were recorded and shared through social media.[24]

Void deck issues

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Depending on its users, the void deck can be a wonderful place for HDB residents to mingle or it can either be a place filled with inconsiderate behaviour and even vices that parents ask their children to avoid[1]. In recent years, the void deck has developed a negative stereotype associated with occasional instances of loitering, playing of loud music, gambling, drinking, drug-taking, etc.[1] There are also frequent complaints by residents about noise levels at the void deck, especially during special events like Malay weddings and Chinese religious ceremonies.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Cairns, Stephen; Jacobs, Jane M.; Yingying, Jiang; Padawangi, Rita; Siddique, Sharon; Tan, Eugene. "Singapore’s Void Decks." In Public Space in Urban Asia, edited by William Siew Wai Lim, 80–89. Singapore: World Scientific, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ooi, Giok Ling, and Thomas T.W. Tan. "The Social Significance of Public Spaces in Public Housing Estates." In Public Space: Design, Use, and Management, edited by Beng Huat Chua and Norman Edwards, 69–81. Singapore: Singapore University Press, National University of Singapore, 1992.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Tan, Alvin. The Story of Void Decks, p. 3. Singapore: National Heritage Board, 2013. Archived from its original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Koh, Jaime. "Void Deck | Infopedia." National Library Board. 27 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  5. ^ Aljunied-Hougang Town Council. "Use of Common Area & Open Space." AHTC. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved on 10 September 2024.
  6. ^ The Straits Times, "Multi-use Buildings: First Goes up in Chinatown," April 21, 1967. Accessed 18 September 2024.
  7. ^ The Straits Times, "Untitled," September 28, 1973, 10. Accessed 18 September 2024.
  8. ^ Housing and Development Board. Annual Report, 1977/78. Singapore: Housing and Development Board, 1978. p. 45. (Call no.: RSING 711.4095957 SIN-[AR]).
  9. ^ The Straits Times, "HDB Seeks Private Sector Design Bids," May 31, 1991. Accessed 17 September 2024.
  10. ^ The Straits Times, "HDB Seeks Private Sector Design Bids," May 31, 1991. Accessed 17 September 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Chong, Keng Hua, et al. "Dense and Ageing: Social Sustainability of Public Places Amidst High-Density Development." In Growing Compact: Urban Form, Density and Sustainability, edited by Joo Hwa P. Bay and Steffen Lehmann, 143–158. London: Routledge, 2017.
  12. ^ National Parks Board. "Get Involved: Community Gardens" Gardening Singapore. Archived November 4, 2023. Accessed 17 September.
  13. ^ Low, Brian Lip Chee. "Use of void decks changes in tandem with community's needs". Housing and Development Board. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  14. ^ Housing and Development Board. "Sky Gardens Are Intended to Be Open and Accessible." Letters to the Media, December 23, 2021. Archived March 22, 2023. Accessed September 18, 2024.
  15. ^ Koh, Jaime. "Void Deck | Infopedia." National Library Board. 27 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  16. ^ Ng, Jun Seng (6 November 2017). "New public wall art put up at Yishun void deck". The Straits Times. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  17. ^ a b c Tan, Martino. "The Story Behind When the 'Void Deck' Was Introduced and How It Was Invented." Mothership.sg, December 27, 2016. Archived December 28, 2016.
  18. ^ a b Yang, Joyce. "The Secret Life of Void Decks." Dear SG, March 10, 2020. Archived November 9, 2022. Accessed September 18, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Sim, Susan. E. W. Barker: The People's Minister. Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2016.
  20. ^ Khoo, Louisa-May. Living with Diversity the Singapore Way. Singapore: Centre for Liveable Cities, 2017. Archived December 12, 2018
  21. ^ a b Tan, Ern Ser, and Paveena Seah. "More Than Just a Roof over One’s Head: Lifestyle Diversity and Dynamics in Singapore Public Housing." In Planning Singapore: The Experimental City, edited by Stephen Hamnett and Belinda Yuen, 70–90. London: Routledge, 2019.
  22. ^ a b Loh, Renald. "The Big Read in Short: HDB Void Decks — Social Bonding Spaces or Pain Points for Residents?" Today, January 12, 2024. Archived September 13, 2024. Accessed September 18, 2024.
  23. ^ Janice Loo and Lee Meiyu. "Contemporary Collecting at the National Library." BiblioAsia 20, no. 1 (April–June 2024): 52.
  24. ^ Government of Singapore. "COVID-19 Clarifications." gov.sg. Archived May 21, 2024. Accessed 17 September 2024.
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