Bukit Batok: History

11 December 2007

Bukit Batok before urban development
Bukit Batok used to be a sleepy rural outback. The undeveloped area was occupied by forest, farmlands and factories. Prominent factories include the Hume Industries and the Ford Motor Works Factory along Upper Bukit Timah Road.

After the war ended in 1945, Bukit Batok area was used for military training and granite quarrying as early as the 1950s. In the 1960s, Bukit Batok was sparsely populated with the bulk of its population living in squatters and temporary structures. In the 1970s, the squatters were cleared to make way for a modern satellite town.

Bukit Batok New Town
Housing & Development Board (HDB) commenced construction work for Bukit Batok New Town in 1980.

The street layout in Bukit Batok are planned to take advantage of the natural topography and vegetation for a sense of identity and individuality. With its rugged topography, residential precincts in Bukit Batok are organised around regular open spaces interlinked by undulating pedestrian paths. Repetitive clusters of buildings of individual design on each side of the major avenues are attempts to create interesting well-ordered streetscapes which help define the visual image of the town.

The southern approach to the town centre consists of a relatively straight avenue (Bukit Batok Avenue 1) with a vista terminating in the town centre. Along the approach road, the design is somewhat formal with tall buildings on one side and low ones on the other.

The most prominent architectural feature of Bukit Batok is the splayed corner treatment for the water tank rooms on the roofs, common corridors and at the first storey. To enhance the visual identity of the town, corners of buildings in Bukit Batok are also angled.

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