Workers Seen Paintings Walls Of Infamous Red Tampines BTO White On 2 Mar
Over the past few days, a recently-completed BTO project in Tampines has been making waves online — albeit not for very flattering reasons.
The all-red lift lobby in Tampines GreenVines went viral for looking like something out of a horror film instead of home sweet home.
Source: @greenvines.sg on Instagram
When MS News went down to check it out, we noticed that the ceiling had been painted white, which helped minimise the spooky vibe a little.
Now, it appears that some of the walls have been painted white as well.
Tampines MP Baey Yam Keng aware of colour controversy
On Thursday (2 Mar), Tampines MP Baey Yam Keng shared a Facebook post acknowledging the controversy surrounding the flame-hued flat.
He wrote that when he paid the place a visit, HDB had already repainted the ceilings white. Mr Baey noted that this “made the lobby a lot brighter”.
Source: Baey Yam Keng on Facebook
The MP added that he understands HDB intends to repaint some of the red walls white as well.
“I think this would make the lift lobby much brighter and hope that new flat owners will find this acceptable,” he stated.
Mr Baey, however, personally draws the line at hacking the tiles as he thinks this would be “a waste of public resources”.
“As a last resort, HDB can try painting the tiles when necessary.”
Red Tampines BTO now has white walls
Sure enough, when Shin Min Daily News went to investigate on Thursday (2 Mar) evening, they saw workers painting the red walls at Block 640B white.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
HDB told the Chinese daily that it will follow a similar approach with all the other flats in the area.
That said, it will keep the floor tiles the way they are to help “preserve the character” and identity of the building.
According to HDB, the blocks’ various colours — red, yellow, purple, and blue — are based on tropical fruits such as dragonfruit and mango.
The tones were also inspired by the surrounding greenery and environment, with the windows and outer walls designed to mimic the natural movement of trees.
They serve a practical reason too — to divide the different sections and make it easier for residents to find their way around.
Residents think paint job makes lift lobby look brighter
The makeover seems to have done the trick, with residents saying that the lift lobby now looks a lot brighter with white ceilings and walls.
70-year-old retiree Mr Qiu, who’s moving into the flat next month, told Shin Min Daily News that while it’s a good idea to differentiate the blocks by colour, the previous look was “too red”.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
He added that the crimson floor tiles can remain untouched.
Yellow lift lobby looks refreshing & bright
While nowhere as controversial as its red counterpart, the yellow lift lobby at the adjacent block also gained a fair bit of attention online.
But according to a young couple that Shin Min Daily News spoke to, it looks a lot better in person.
The pair, who plans to move into their flat in two months’ time, even described the landing as “refreshing” and “bright”.
This is in line with the results of a residents’ poll in a group chat, which showed the majority of voters approved of the yellow scheme.
For now, the purple and blue blocks of the same BTO project have yet to be completed.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.
