The Housing Development Board instituted a special category of Design and Build housing that sees total designs by private practitioners.

The design was tuned to high density, high rise living where privacy, identity, security, quality of communal spaces and facilities became critical design issues. These issues were constantly in conflict with the need to achieve a high number of flats for the given land in order to achieve the most optimal cost.

The solution at Choa Chu Kang was a balance of high quality public housing and cost discipline.