By Ellen Joy Anastacio

Fancy an HDB flat along the waterway?

By 2014, this will be a reality.

Minister for National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan, announced the winner of the Punggol Waterfront Housing Design Competition at the HDB Awards Ceremony today, culminating a two-stage design competition launched in 2008.

Group8asia, an international architectural firm; in partnership with local design firm Aedas, has emerged as the winner of HDB's Punggol Waterfront Housing Design Competition.

The winning design stood out from the rest for its sky terrace concepts, with spaces for roof gardens. The design enabled a large proportion of units to enjoy scenic views of the waterway. Other winning attributes include a resort-like design, functional and workable layout of site, and visually pleasant and refreshing housing forms that could be replicated along the waterway.

Singaporeans can look forward to the launch of the award-winning development in mid-2010. It will comprise three-, four-, and five-room flats and is expected to be ready by 2014.

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With 1,200 units on offer, residents can experience an eco-friendly housing experience by the waterway. The resort-style housing leverages on the attractions of the waterway and the promenade.

Despite these, the 4.9ha development is still expected to be constructed and maintained at a cost comparable to other public housing developments in Singapore.

Punggol town, which has a meandering river and a Light Rail Transit running through it, posed challeneges for urban planners, Dr Chong Fook Long, HDB's deputy director for physical planning told my paper.

He told the free sheet: "It's not a clean slate. We cannot just bash through the river and LRT."

HDB will hold an exhibition on the Punggol Waterfront Housing Design Competition at the HDB Hub from November 11 to 22. This will then be moved to the Punggol 21+ Gallery (next to Punggol MRT Station) from November 26 to 29.