DAKOTA CRESCENT
Nestling off Old Airport Road, Dakota Crescent is one of Singapore’s oldest public housing estates. It was built in 1958 by Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), a precursor to the current Housing Development Board (HDB). The low-rise blocks have different forms, with some having a winged design. One of the highlights of the estate is the Dove Playground designed by Khor Ean Ghee. Dakota Crescent was built for the working class, and the community was a close-knit one with an idyllic village spirit. Today few blocks remain as the area goes through redevelopment and modernisation. Urban Redevelopment Authority has placed Dakota Crescent on the list for conservation as part of Draft Master Plan 2025, an initiative that respects built heritage that is architecturally and socially iconic to Singapore’s history and culture.
Features
Inspired by nature
WOW Architects' biophilic design of Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree
Science Centre Singapore
A lesson in play and innovation by ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS
The Golden Mile
Taking the Golden Mile Complex mixed-use blueprint of our pioneering architects, DP Architects together with Studio Lapis, a specialist in conservation, is creating something new.
Wohabeing
A sense of place
Paula O'Callaghan – Ethnic Spaces
Partner and Designer at Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) speaks to the locals
Carpet chat
FLOORARTZ guides you with your carpet and flooring ideas
Designers make their mark
Local talent takes on the world
The Secret Life of the Pencil
This book highlights designers and their favourite pencils
Lorong Buangkok
The last of Singapore kampung life
Jarrod Lim
Furniture designer and crafter
Trained in Milan with Patricia Urquiola and shaped by experience at SCP in London, JARROD LIM crafts designs that fuse the refined elegance of the West with the depth and spirit of the East.
Food
Dish of the week
This popular dish is made with thin egg noodles, charsiew (barbecued pork), chye sim (mustard green) and dumplings of minced pork and prawn. The noodles are poached for a few seconds in hot water and then cooled in cold water for a nice springy, chewy texture. It is then tossed with sauces, sesame oil, lard oil and broth on a shallow serving plate. Originally from Guangzhou in China, wonton mee is served with chilli sauce and sliced pickled green chilli in light soy sauce.
Homegrown gin
Locals and expats brave the road less travelled by creating gin
Hainanese chicken rice
With roots from Hainan in China, chicken rice is one of Singapore's top local cuisines. Tender, juicy poached chicken has hints of garlic, pandan and sesami oil, and comes with a flavourful rice that has been cooked in chicken broth, garlic, pandan and lard. A ginger-based chilli sauce and a dark caramelised soy sauce are accompaniments. The dish is topped with cucumber and coriander.
Makan Kampung
Malay food at its best
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