Unexpected Wall‑Filling Disaster at Block 3016
Mr. Benedict Francis, a sales guy on a routine errand, stumbled onto a scene that felt like a “brick‑gate” episode of House Hunters. While checking out Block 3016 on Ubi Road 1 on November 30, he discovered that the cargo lift landing on the third floor was being “filled” with… cement bags.
What’s Even Happening?
- 3rd floor – Cement bags stuffed into the wall.
- 2nd and 4th floors – Newspaper sacks and rolled‑up Chinese news printed the walls.
- All this happened while the building was already undergoing a lift replacement project at the end of last month.
The culprit? Apparently, a shortcut to get rid of the “old” wall. The old wall paint job probably turned into a hazy popup art show.
Reactions from the Authorities
The JTC spokesperson gave a pretty calm but firm response:
- “These papers and cement bags are not a problem for the structural integrity,” she reassured.
- “It’s still unacceptable – we’re on it and will take action if anyone’s been playing by the wrong rules.”
- “Because this building’s lifts are being upgraded, we’ll just strip the wall away and make room for the new, taller lift.”
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) chipped in with similar words. Their engineers did a quick walkthrough, found no safety hiccups, and reminded “builders and contractors” to keep it proper and not go on the “paper stuffing” adventure.
Why the Paper Fibonnaci??
Similar events popped up before. In August, a balcony wall in a HDB flat was hugging a pile of newspapers. Two months later, a lift wall at a Woodlands HDB block was stuffed with paper wrappers. Engineers suspect this is just the latest “shortcut” trend in the construction scene.
There are no structural safety concerns—so no need to pull out the whole building—but it’s a good reminder that architects & builders should follow the official guidelines. Because, let’s face it, who wants that wall to look like a cardboard box?
“If they thought that cement bags were a permanent decorative option, they clearly missed the memo. But hey, at least the walls had a good story under them!”
