During 2000s, no other New Town or Estate were started. Construction continue only in existing estates. Taller and taller blocks were built in all estates not too close to airports to have height constraints. 30-storey complexes appeared since late 1990s, and the first 40-storey complex (Toa Payoh Towers) was completed in early 2005 (source).
The demand for new flats felt sharply after 1997 Asian Crisis. 2003 SARS outbreak and low immigration rate in early 2000s also slowed down the demand for flats. This happened right after the most prosperous decade, with 24,000-36,000 flats completed each year between 1994 and 2001. The queue, once 5 years long, vanished and left about 40,000 unsold completed flats in the year 2000, most of them being 5-Room and Executive.
HDB made a surprise decision in 1995 to close the registration queue for Executive flats, shortly after introduction of Executive Condominiums. Last EM was completed in 1998 and last EA in 2003, for people in the queue. Supply of 5-Room flats was also reduced and very few were completed in 2007-2009. A common misconception is that Executive Apartments were replaced by Executive Condos. Wrong, Executive Condos include flats in variety of sizes from 50 to 300+ sqm.
The Registration for Flat (queue selling system) was suspended in 2002 due to unsold flats.
Walk In Selection has been introduced in March 2002 allowing people to book unsold flats anytime. It ended in February 2007 and was replaced by balloting exercises named Quarter-Yearly Sale of 2/3-Room flats and Half-Yearly Sale of 4-Room and bigger flats, which in 2010 were combined in Sale of Balance Flats, which sell leftover flats from past BTO and SERS projects, plus old flats repurchased by HDB. Because some flats are completed and you can collect keys immediately after balloting, so many people apply for SBF and in towns with low number of flats 100+ people battle for one flat.
Build-To-Order was introduced in April 2001 to became main supply of HDB flats. Flats are offered for sale before being built. Tender for construction is called only if at least 70% of units have been booked (50% since 2011). See list of BTO launches.
Design, Build and Sell Scheme is public housing built by private developers and sold by agents, their architectural design is similar with condos, but lack condo facilities such as guards, gym, pool, tennis courts, etc. First DBSS project was launched in 2006 and completed in 2009. DBSS land sales were suspended in July 2011 after the Sim Lian Group, developer of Centrale 8 (8th DBSS) set outrageous prices up to $880,000 for 5-Room. 13 land parcels were sold to private developers who built 8650 DBSS apartments. See list of DBSS projects.
Punggol 21, a modern waterfront town featuring a mix of high-end HDB and Executive Condos, was announced in 1996 and got first residents in 2000 or 2001. It is the first HDB town where each precint is individually designed and feature integrated carparks with green roofs, and no corridor-facing units. 1997 Asian Crisis and 2003 SARS turned Punggol into a ghost town with many unsold flats and no amenities. It had 3768 4-Room, 10031 5-Room, 1126 Executive units as 31 March 2004, construction almost halted until 2010. The Punggol LRT Line, despite having both loops completed in 2004, east loop opened in 2005 while the west loop opened only in 2014.
Punggol 21+ was announced in 2007 to rejuvenate the town, involving building a waterway through undeveloped part of town, amenities and low-end BTO projects with 2/3/4-room units. Imagine that if there was no 1997 Asian Crisis, Punggol was developed with big flats but without waterway!
Sembawang Blue Riverview (built 1999-2000) and Sengkang Compassvale South Gate (built 1999)
Punggol blocks 178-193, last batch of Executive Apartments (built 2002-2003) and Eastdale blocks 637-652 (built 2003)
Punggol – Edgedale Green (built 2006-2007) and Periwinkle (built 2005-2006)
Commonwealth View (built 2007) and The River Vista @ Kallang (built 2010)
2000s random HDB floor plans
Along 4-Room (90 sqm) and 5-Room (110 sqm), HDB reintroduced 3-Room (60 sqm, later 65 sqm) and 2-Room (35/45 sqm).
HDB announced in 1998 that will resume building 3-room flats on ad-hoc basis (source). The first were in Cantonment Towers (SERS replacement block completed in 2000, lease 2002) and Clementi 366-367 (blocks with 1/2/3-Room flats completed in 2001, lease 2003). Special mention to Yishun 849 (weird block with completion year 2002 and lease date 01 Jul 1999 according HDB Centralized Map).
3-Room was introduced in BTO as mainstream supply in Fernvale Grove (launched August 2004, completed in 2007-2008), 2-Room was introduced in Fernvale Vista (launched July 2006, completed in 2010).
Studio Apartments (35/45 sqm) were introduced in 1998 (first 6 Studio blocks were completed in 2001), they are restricted to elderly (55+ years old), 30-year leases and cannot be sold in resale market. Originally were built in all-studio blocks, but in 2005 Eunos Court was completed with Studio mixed with normal flats.
The average size of new flats dropped from 105 sqm in 2000-2005 to 90 sqm in 2007 and around 80 sqm later.
HDB resumed building rental blocks in 2007, completing in 2009 first new corridor-style blocks with 1/2-room apartments, for people who are unable to own a flat.
2000s projects feature unique designs, although similar circular pattern: living – common bedrooms – master bedroom – bathrooms – kitchen, but with a lot of variations in room sizes and windows, there are variations even from one floor to another floor of same block, so I cannot post on my website all possible floor plans.
2000s flats offer full privacy (except rental blocks). Flats with rooms facing to corridor were built in small numbers until 2004 lease year. First BTO project was completed in 2004 and got lease from 2006, so all BTOs offer full privacy. Compared with 1990s flats, the layouts were improved, bedrooms were downsized in favor of larger living room, the study area returned in 5-room flats, and common toilet entrance is no longer in kitchen.
Typical floor from 2000s: Studio (35 / 45 sqm), 3-Room (65 sqm), 4-room (90 sqm), from Eunos Court and Kallang Heights SERS projects. BTO projects use similar layouts
2003-2004 Punggol floor plans: 5-Room (114 sqm) and Executive (128 sqm), oversized living room
Pinnacle @ Duxton, the first 50-storey public housing complex, was launched via BTO in May 2004 and got first residents in December 2009, for HDB anniversary of 50 years in February 2010. Composed by 7 blocks × 44 residential floors × 6 units per floor = 1848 units, it was the biggest BTO project to date. It included 2 levels of skybridges, 2 flat types (S1 4-Room 90-93 sqm and S2 5-room 103-106 sqm), different combinations of bay windows, balconies and planters create 35 distinct flat layouts.
2000s rare HDB floor plans
Anchorvale Gardens: premium 5-Room and Executive Apartment
Treelodge @ Punggol: premium BTO with 4-Room and unusual 5-Room Loft units
Fernvale Crest: unusual narrow 3-Room floor plan
Punggol Sapphire: 5-room loft floor plan
Segar Meadows: 3-room, 4-Room and 5-Room with study that can be used as extra bedroom
