Singapore 2014 - The Pinnacles@Duxton

Another place that I always wanted to visit was The Pinnacles@Duxton. It is not your usual tourist attraction, and in fact, when I asked my friends who live in Singapore most of them have not been there. It is, in fact, a HDB development - but this is not the normal HDB. It was an experiment in creating public housing fit for the 21st Century - complete with generous gardens, sky decks and sky bridges. There are a total of 7 apartment towers accommodating 1,848 apartments, and was the result of an international design competition which was ultimately won by a local Singaporean firm.

Only the sky bridge on the 50th floor is accessible to the public, and there is a daily quota of 200 visitors only. The entrance charge is SGD5, which you have to pay using an EZ-Link or CEPAS Card. I didn't have one with me, but luckily there was a Seven-Eleven in the complex where you can buy the card. The entrance to the sky bridge is also near the Seven-Eleven - in Block 1G Level 1. Remember this as otherwise, you will be wandering round and round looking for the entrance like me. Just pay at the kiosk and take the lift up. 

There were not that many people around  - just me and 2 other curious tourists. The view up there is really good. You can walk around the sky deck and see the panoramic views of Singapore. 

When you are up there you will also see the reason why Singapore is such an economic powerhouse - the huge container port is just nearby.

The apartments at The Pinnacles are now up for resale in 2014. When it was first launched it was the most expensive HDB project - with units going for over SGD 600,000. Now they are worth millions.