EastLink I & II @ Canberra, Canberra Plaza

SAA Architects

EastLink I @ Canberra and EastLink II @ Canberra, along with Canberra Plaza, is a mixed-development project comprising public housing blocks ranging from 11 to 12 storeys, and a three-storey neighbourhood centre (NC) with education, medical, commercial, and retail programmes.

The names reflect the development’s location along Canberra Link in northern Singapore. A pedestrian overhead bridge acts as a link between the estates, aptly highlighting the development’s central design theme of connectivity. The fully walkable precinct is linked via a network of elevated pedestrian linkways separated from ground-level traffic along a 360-metre-long urban spine that connects the whole precinct.

This ease of connectivity provides residents a sheltered walking experience to every home and encourages active mobility over driving. A pedestrian overhead bridge links the main transport node to the NC’s communal spaces. Seamless connections extend onward to connect both residential estates and key urban gestures. Residents and visitors of all ages get to enjoy the use of myriad communal fitness and play facilities embedded along the landscaped route, maximising opportunities for neighbourly and intergenerational interaction.

Carpark entrances lead vehicular traffic into a shared basement carpark running seamlessly across the residential and commercial developments, providing residents 100% sheltered connectivity from all its drop-offs to every home. When viewed from above – instead of the asphalt islands typically formed by standalone carparks – these hardscapes transform into the green connectors of the precinct-wide network of connectivity.