Visitors and residents may feel spooked by the new HDB project in Tampines, with red tiles and red paint that make people uneasy when the corridor lights are on at night.
On Tuesday (February 28), a TikToker shared a clip showing the interior of Block 640B on Tampines Street 62.
The elevator lobby and corridor are mainly painted in red, with red tiles on the walls and floor, creating an eerie atmosphere when combined with the red lighting.
The video mentioned that the red-themed HDB housing is part of Tampines GreenVines, and the hashtag “unacceptable” with the red-themed design.
@zelia2702
Some TikToker have criticized the red-themed design, with some comparing it to red light district sand others expressing concern that residents will feel scared entering the compound at night.
Baey Yam Keng says HDB looking into the matter
Another user tagged National Development Minister Desmond Lee and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Tampines GRC, called them to review the design of this HDB block.
“It’s really scary, how will residents go home every night?”
After receiving complaints from residents, Mr. Baey said that he agreed that the colour scheme was inappropriate with the lighting at night and that he had discussed the matter with HDB, who are looking into it.
Ceiling of the elevator entrance repainted to white
According to local media Lianhe Zaobao, a reporter visited the block 640B at Tuesday night and found that the mailbox area was paved with red bricks, and the floor of the elevator entrance area was also covered with red tiles.
The ceiling and walls of the surrounding area were painted red.
Some homeowners have expressed concern about the design, with one homeowner telling the reporter that the project looked dark and scary.
Another owner of Block 639B, a self-employed person in his 30s, and his wife went to Block 640B to observe the situation that night.
He said in an interview, “We will only receive the keys at the end of March. We came to see the public housing project because we heard it was mainly red. When we walked out of the elevator, we felt a chill. We hope HDB can change the design.”
Lianhe Zaobao reported that a painter had repainted the ceiling of the fifth-floor elevator entrance white on Tuesday night, which made the overall look much better, according to the interviewed homeowners.
They also hoped the authorities could paint the red ceiling and walls white.
Other netizens commented on Zaobao’s Facebook post, stating that bright and comfortable colours would be sufficient for housing and that there is no need for such glaring colours.
Some expressed that the design of the elevator lobby makes people feel eerie, “like a ghost scene in a movie.”
Others hoped that the HDB could review the design for Block 641C, which looks like a temple with deep yellow color, and it’s very dim when you come out of the elevator. They also hoped that the HDB could paint the ceiling white.
According to online information, the Tampines GreenVines project opened for application in 2018 and has a total of 11 blocks and 1,271 units.
Each block in the estate is divided into different colours, namely yellow, blue, and red.
The red-themed block is Block 640B on Tampines Street 62.
