SINGAPORE: Starting from this month's Build-to-Order (BTO) exercise, all new BTO projects will come with an open kitchen concept, where the layout permits, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) announced on Sunday (Feb 4).

In a press release, HDB said this move comes as open kitchens have gained popularity in recent years, with seven in 10 BTO flat buyers opting for an open kitchen since the option was first made available in September, 2012.





The provision of open kitchens in BTO projects offers home buyers greater choice and flexibility in how they want to use and design the space, and lay out their furniture to better suit their lifestyle needs, said the press release.



The open kitchen concept for a 4-room flat at HDB's My Nice Home Gallery. (Photo: HDB)

HDB added that this option saves home buyers the hassle and cost of hacking the partition walls to create an open kitchen layout. Flat buyers can also choose to use cupboards and shelving creatively to define their kitchen, dining and living areas.



HDB first piloted the open kitchen concept for flats at Teck Ghee Parkview during the September, 2012 BTO sales exercise. Flat buyers were given the choice of having a kitchen partition wall under the Optional Component Scheme (OCS).





Home buyers then only needed to pay for what they chose – for example, if they opted to not have the kitchen partition wall, they would not have to pay for it. HDB said about 70 per cent of home buyers in this pilot project chose not to have the partition wall.



Following the positive response, HDB said it has since gone on to offer the open kitchen concept where feasible, to more BTO projects from the September 2013 BTO sales exercise.



Of the 108 BTO projects launched for sale from September 2013 to November 2017, 94 BTO projects were offered the open kitchen concept under the OCS. These flats are located in various HDB towns and estates such as Bukit Batok, Hougang, Jurong West, Punggol, Sembawang, Sengkang, Toa Payoh, Woodlands and Yishun.



From the February, 2018 BTO Sales Exercise, HDB said the kitchen partition wall will no longer be offered as an option under the OCS, in line with buyers’ preferences.



The public can view HDB’s show flats with the open kitchen concept at the My Nice Home Gallery at HDB Hub. The show flats can also be viewed online on the HDB InfoWEB, or via the Mobile@HDB app.