In response to TODAY’s queries, HDB said on Wednesday that the “colour scheme of Tampines GreenVines is inspired by its green surroundings and nearby parks”.
“As the precinct is large, the bright accent colours of the lift lobbies are intended to differentiate the different clusters of blocks and facilitate way finding for residents.”
The three colours are “inspired by tropical fruits (dragon fruits, mangoes and mangosteens)”, HDB added.
Mr Baey said that he has since talked to HDB about a possible change to the estate’s looks, adding that this will need to be standardised across all blocks in the same project.
When TODAY visited a red block on Wednesday afternoon, Block 640B, contractors were repainting the ceiling of each floor’s lift lobby white, replacing the original red colour.
In its response, HDB said a Telegram poll showed that the blocks with lift lobbies painted red received more negative feedback, with residents saying that the red colour was “too strong”.
As a result, the ceilings of lift lobbies in Block 640B had been repainted white, while some of the walls would receive the same treatment “to tone it down”.
Other blocks in the same precinct would undergo the same repainting progressively, the housing agency added.
Despite the brouhaha, Mr Baey gave credit to the housing project’s designers and architects for creatively trying something different – with the use of bright colours initially intended for “better way finding”.
He said that he hopes to achieve middle ground among all parties involved.
RESIDENTS EXPRESS MIXED SENTIMENTS
Ms Liu Jia Yu, who is in her 50s and works in the manufacturing industry, is a new homeowner in one of red-coloured blocks. She had bought a flat there with the intention of moving in with her mother who is more than 80 years old.
The mother-and-daughter pair had described the red floor-to-ceiling scheme as very unpleasant and wondered if there was something “inauspicious” about the location that meant that the block had to be covered in red.
In Chinese tradition, red is believed to be a colour capable of warding off evil spirits.
The duo also expressed concerns about the effect on the overall level of lighting when the deep red was combined with night-time conditions or rain. Ms Liu said that she preferred to “travel with torchlight” since it gets very dim.
They understood that retiling the entire lift lobby is expensive and therefore not practical, but hope that HDB will repaint whatever can be repainted in a more neutral colour.
This story was originally published in TODAY.