Everyone has definitely heard of the saying, “Too much of a good thing is not good for you”.
Apparently, having great ventilation is actually not that great.
Ventilation Is Too Good
Residents staying on the high-rise floors of Queenstown’s Margaret Drive HDBs have found themselves in a struggle with nature; the ventilation in the corridor is so effective that fierce winds and rain often splashed the shoe cabinets, tables and chairs left outside residents’ doors, so much so that it caused their iron doors to rust.
Moreover, flower pots would be blown from one end to the other, and one resident’s small shrine didn’t remain intact when faced with the ruthless wind.
Ms Tian, a 55-year-old resident, told Shin Min Daily that she had just recently moved into SkyResidence @ Dawson just last year and noticed that the wind was unusually strong around the higher floors.
Having resided on the 41st floor, she discovered that the wall at the end of the corridor lacked shutters and that the area above the railing of the wall served as a “ventilation place”, leaving the corridor exposed to severe winds.
Ms Tian’s home is only four to five metres away from the ventilation area; when a strong wind blows, her flower pots and even tables and chairs placed in the corridors are blown away to the opposite end.
During rains, the ground is completely drenched.
She lamented on what’s the point of having a large space in the corridor when natural elements always damage the items.
Other residents residing on different floors share the same frustration.
Mr Zhu, the 61-year-old resident who stays on the 39th floor, shared that the rain often drenched his wooden shoe cabinet to the point where it was damaged beyond repairs.
Ms Jiang, who lives on a higher floor, complained that her iron gate had rusted as a result of long-term exposure to the rain and strong wind.
Her modest shrine, left out in the corridor, was easily blown away every time there were strong winds.
Residents on the lower floors, however, were mostly unaffected.
In fact, resident “Rosney”, who lives on the lower floor, enjoyed the winds, saying that they were just a cool breeze for him.
The Tanjong Pagar Town Council has responded to complaints, stating that they will conduct research and discuss with the residents on further action.