1 MEDIA RELEASE UWC SOUTH EAST ASIA, FIRST INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TO CLINCH BCA’S UNIVERSAL DESIGN GOLD AWARD - 14 award winners:1 Gold, 9 Silvers and 4 Bronzes - Residential category chalks up highest number of awards, a three-fold increase since 2007 Singapore, 17 April 2012 – UWC South East Asia, (UWCSEA) at Tampines is the first international school to clinch Gold in BCA’s annual Universal Design Award competition. Out of this year’s 34 entries, UWCSEA, an institution that provides holistic education stood out with its integrated campus of infant school with junior, middle, upper and senior schools for students from 4 to 18 years old. Safety, accessibility and way finding were some of the top priorities that the UWCSEA management ensured in the new campus whilst maintaining a conducive learning environment for students, teachers and staff. The first storey of the campus is primarily used for the movement of vehicles with separate designated areas for pedestrian entrance, infant drop-off and bicycle parking. They elevated their landscape podium deck so that students, teachers and staff could mingle in a safe and unrestricted space. While accessible features such as lifts and gentle ramps facilitated barrier free movement around the campus, features such as low height fountains, wash basins, two-tiered service counters and designated seats in the stadium for wheel chair users encapsulated the heart of Universal Design (UD) which is good and considerate design for people with diverse needs. The campus also provided family friendly facilities such as nursing room, diaper changing station, children toilet and first aid rooms. Mr Julian Whitley, Head of College, said, “We are an international community with diverse backgrounds, experiences and expectations, so our new campus was built with that in mind. We did a lot of research and built it with the core principles of environmental sustainability, in keeping with our mission, and a supportive learning environment, in keeping with our educational philosophy. We wanted to create as
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UWC SOUTH EAST ASIA, FIRST INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TO … · Residences at W Sentosa Cove, Helios Residences while Belle Vue Residences bagged a bronze award. Newly opened mall, Changi
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MEDIA RELEASE
UWC SOUTH EAST ASIA, FIRST INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
TO CLINCH BCA’S UNIVERSAL DESIGN GOLD AWARD - 14 award winners:1 Gold, 9 Silvers and 4 Bronzes
- Residential category chalks up highest number of awards, a three-fold increase since 2007
Singapore, 17 April 2012 – UWC South East Asia, (UWCSEA) at Tampines is the
first international school to clinch Gold in BCA’s annual Universal Design Award
competition.
Out of this year’s 34 entries, UWCSEA, an institution that provides holistic education
stood out with its integrated campus of infant school with junior, middle, upper and
senior schools for students from 4 to 18 years old.
Safety, accessibility and way finding were some of the top priorities that the UWCSEA
management ensured in the new campus whilst maintaining a conducive learning
environment for students, teachers and staff.
The first storey of the campus is primarily used for the movement of vehicles with
separate designated areas for pedestrian entrance, infant drop-off and bicycle
parking. They elevated their landscape podium deck so that students, teachers and
staff could mingle in a safe and unrestricted space. While accessible features such as
lifts and gentle ramps facilitated barrier free movement around the campus, features
such as low height fountains, wash basins, two-tiered service counters and
designated seats in the stadium for wheel chair users encapsulated the heart of
Universal Design (UD) which is good and considerate design for people with diverse
needs. The campus also provided family friendly facilities such as nursing room,
diaper changing station, children toilet and first aid rooms.
Mr Julian Whitley, Head of College, said, “We are an international community with
diverse backgrounds, experiences and expectations, so our new campus was built
with that in mind. We did a lot of research and built it with the core principles of
environmental sustainability, in keeping with our mission, and a supportive learning
environment, in keeping with our educational philosophy. We wanted to create as
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inclusive an environment as possible. We're delighted that this was recognised by
BCA’s UDA Assessment Committee."
Out of the six categories, the UDA Assessment Committee saw the most entries in
the residential category this year. There were 14 winners, with 1 gold award, 9 silvers
and 4 bronze awards, and 9 of these were residential projects from private
developers and the Housing Development Board (HDB), a three-fold increase since
the launch of the UD awards in 2007. (The complete list of award winners can be
found in Annex A).
Prof Bertil Andersson, UDA Assessment Committee Chairman, who is President,
Nanyang Technological University, and a BCA Board Member, said “The rising
number of awards shows that today’s industry players – architects, building owners,
and developers – have a better understanding of Universal Design principles. It is not
about state-of-the-art-design, but rather good and thoughtful design. We strongly urge
existing building owners to incorporate Universal Design into their planning and
implementation when they upgrade their buildings. It makes better business sense as
Singapore is moving towards more inclusive developments. Likewise, architectural
firms should put their knowledge and experience to good use by making their clients
aware of Universal Design. I think it should be a responsibility to ensure that these
principles are in your client’s blueprint by default. There's no better time than the
present.”
Similar to last year, another four of HDB's newly developed residences also bagged
silver and bronze Universal Design Awards, indicating its commitment in building
elder-friendly homes to help the elderly age-in-place. For example, one of the HDB’s
projects is Punggol East C18 to 21 & Common Green precincts, where the blocks are
well connected by green spaces and pathways, making it conducive for the elderly
and all groups of people to play, exercise and relax. In the studio apartments for the
elderly, HDB ensured that the entrance to all apartment units were free from steps
(step-less) and also provided elder-friendly layout with sufficient circulation space,
kitchen fittings with movable cabinets, sliding shelves, and grab bars in the
bathrooms. In addition, each studio apartment for the elderly is fitted with an
emergency call button that is linked to the public electronic board located at the public
lobby. Visitors would also be able to find their way at the precinct as HDB has
provided clear signage, access route plan for guidance and different colour schemes
to differentiate the four precincts for easy way finding.
Reflections at Keppel Bay, a private residential development near Keppel bay, has
accessibility and safety features that exemplify its user-friendliness. Besides providing
an exhilarating landscape, the development was designed to be favourable for all age
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groups to live, play, exercise and relax. For instance, ample seats with grab bars are
provided for the elderly, while family-friendly features such as spacious family toilets
with a diaper changer, children toilet and sufficient circulation space for wheel chair
persons have been provided in the club house.
Cliveden at Grange is another Silver award winner in the residential category, a
private development at Grange Road. Its units are designed for seamless
accessibility, with good natural ventilation, lighting and 360-degree panoramic views.
Its wide corridors facilitate easy movement of wheel chair users, each apartment unit
is accessible through levelled and spacious private lift lobbies, and the entrance to
the clubhouse is also levelled and free of steps. The development also caters for
visually impaired persons by providing features such as a multimedia kiosk with
audio-visual directory and Braille instructions. Communal amenities have been
strategically located near activity areas of the development, along with ample seats
with grab bars, encouraging gatherings with children and elderly alike.
Other Silver award winners of private residential developments include The
Residences at W Sentosa Cove, Helios Residences while Belle Vue Residences
bagged a bronze award.
Newly opened mall, Changi City Point, is the only project in the Commercial category
to garner a Silver award. By adopting UD concepts in the design stage, the mall was
able to leverage on natural light and greenery to enhance the ambience of the mall.
The mall design demonstrates that shoppers’ comfort and convenience were top
priorities for the management. For instance, they catered for seamlessly accessible
features such as a sheltered bus-stop, taxi stand, passenger drop-off/pick up points
and sheltered covered walkway. In addition to family-friendly amenities such as a
nursing room, diaper changing station, children toilet, the mall also has first aid rooms
and ample seats for the elderly.
The winners of this year's BCA Universal Design Award will receive their award at the
BCA Awards Night on 24 May 2012.
Issued by the Building and Construction Authority on 17 April 2012 About BCA The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore champions the development of an excellent built environment for Singapore. BCA’s mission is to shape a safe, high quality, sustainable and friendly built environment, as these are four key elements where BCA has a significant influence. In doing so, it aims to differentiate Singapore’s built environment from those of other cities and contribute to a better quality of life for everyone in Singapore. Hence,
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its vision is to have "the best built environment for Singapore, our distinctive global city". Together with its education arm, the BCA Academy of the Built Environment, BCA works closely with its industry partners to develop skills and expertise that help shape the best built environment for Singapore. For more information, visit www.bca.gov.sg.
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Annex A
BCA UNIVERSAL DESIGN AWARD FOR
THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT 2012
The Award
The BCA Universal Design Award was introduced in 2007. The objective of the awards is to
give recognition to good practices and special efforts taken to raise awareness of the
importance of providing seamless accessible built environment for all. Into its sixth
consecutive year, to-date, BCA has conferred a total of 65 awards (6 Gold, 21 Silver and 38
Bronze). This year, we received 34 nominations for 6 categories of awards.
The Recipients
The building owners and developers are the principal recipients of the Awards. Qualified
persons and architects of the buildings will also be acknowledged for their friendly designs
and efforts.
Award Categories
The 6 categories of buildings/structures for the awards are:
a) Commercial / Mixed Use/ Industrial Buildings
(E.g. Hotel, shopping centre, cinema, theatre, office building)
b) Institutional Buildings
(E.g. Hospital, school library, museum, religious building)
c) Residential Buildings
(E.g. Condominium, public housing, townhouses, detached, semi-detached and
terrace houses)
d) Open Category
(Buildings not included in categories (a) – (c), e.g. factory, MRT station, bus
interchange, sport complex, swimming pool, places of interest)
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e) Open Spaces and Structures
(E.g. Park, promenade, amphitheatre, plaza, overhead bridge, underpass) and
f) Refurbished Buildings
(E.g. Buildings or facilities which have been upgraded with universal design features)
Judging Criteria
The key considerations for assessment are as follows:
a. Connectivity:
The degree to which the building has allowed for seamless movement within the
building, from the building to adjacent buildings, road related facilities and urban
spaces;
b. Accessibility:
The availability and convenience of external accessible facilities, such as car parking
lots, and other facilities which are child-friendly and family-friendly;
c. User Friendliness:
The degree to which the design, provision of signage and way-finding cues are easy
to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills or
concentration level, and requires minimal effort for use by people with varied needs.
d. Safety:
The degree to which accessible paths and walking surfaces are made safe and
secure and the provision of accessible escape routes and systems;
e. Integrated Design:
The degree to which the provision and location of facilities are integrated with the
overall architecture and interior design of the building catered to the needs of different
users.
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f. Operations and Maintenance:
The degree to which an organisation is committed to creating an inclusive built
environment through the establishment of corporate policy, operation and
maintenance procedures, communication and training systems;
g. Bonus for Innovation and Enhancement:
The provision of other new or innovative aging-in-place, family- and or employee-
friendly UD facilities or features, and accessible escape routes and systems for the
physically challenged; and the commitment and efforts of refurbished building owners
in overcoming the challenges of existing constraints
Assessment Committee
Chairman:
Prof. Bertil Andersson BCA Board Member
President, Nanyang Technological University
Deputy Chairman:
Mr. John Lim BCA Board Member, Senior Director,
Homefront Security Division, MHA
Members:
Mr. AshvinKumar s/o Kantilal Singapore Institute of Architects
Mr. Chin Chi Leong Building and Construction Authority
Mr. Chng Chee Beow Real Estate Developers’ Association of Singapore
Mr. Thomas Ho Singapore Institute of Architects
Prof. Tse Swee Ling National University of Singapore
Ms. Soh Swee Ping Council for Third Age
Mr. Edmund Wan Handicap Welfare Association
Ms. Tay Hwee Lin Society for the Physically Disabled
Ms. Charmaine Magnus Singapore Association of Occupational Therapists