Pandan Valley Condominium

Pandan Valley Condominium, designed by Tan Cheng Siong and Archynamics Architects, was one of the earliest developments to be approved under a new condominium planning policy introduced in May 16, 1972. At the time, the government was concerned with the “‘wasteful sprawl’ of low-density housing estates in the outer suburbs of the city”¹. Condominiums were seen as a higher-density solution in line with Singapore’s desire to intensify land use while providing open spaces that could “create a better living environment”². To encourage developers to build them, the government introduced incentives such as an increase in residential density. 

The policy led to the development of high-rise private apartments that expanded from Singapore’s city centre to its rural suburbs. Several early condominiums even combined buildings of different typologies. For instance, Pandan Valley Condominium was spread across twenty acres of land and its 605 units were organised into three block types: step, slab and tower. Another key aspect of the condominium policy was the planning and design of open spaces and common facilities. At Pandan Valley Condominium, the buildings were carefully planned around the site’s undulating topography and the natural valley at the centre was retained as a part of the landscape.

Location: 2 Pandan Valley, Singapore 597626

Architects: Tan Cheng Siong of Archynamics Architects

Year: 1977

Status: Threatened

 

by Darren Soh

The two point blocks, built on the undulating site’s highest point, enjoy lofty views of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Below them, the gentle arcs and stepped profile of the low-rise blocks echo the contours and slopes of the hillocks they are built on.

At the same time, the stepped block form provides the apartments with spacious and private sunlit garden terraces.

by Darren Soh

In the gaps between stacks of units, open-to-sky stairs climb the hillside. Neighbours encounter each other on their daily routines in these intimate urban spaces, which have been compared to historic Italian hill towns.

by Darren Soh

by Darren Soh

The tactility and warmth of the fair-faced rust-coloured brick masonry combines rusticity with urban flair, contributing to Pandan Valley’s signature suburban image.

by Jeremy San

The canted slab blocks, built along the edge of the valley floor, provide a good sense of enclosure to the shared community spaces at the heart of the condominium.

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¹ William Campbell, “Condominium: New Housing Style for Gracious, Better Living,” The Straits Times, 8 January 1973.
² Ibid.

Written by Chang Jiat Hwee, edited by Justin Zhuang, last updated on 12 May 2021.