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Block 34 Whampoa West isn’t just another HDB block—it’s a legend in its own right. Stretching over 300 meters, Block 34 Whampoa West is Singapore’s longest HDB block, earning it the nickname “The Great Wall of Whampoa” among locals. Built in the 1970s during the city’s aggressive push to rehouse kampong residents, this mega-slab was designed for pure function: cramming as many units as possible into one sprawling structure.
What sets it apart isn’t just the sheer length, but the long, continuous corridor that runs the entire block—a corridor so famous that it’s become a meme sprint from one end to the other.
Though the surrounding Whampoa area has quieted down over the years, Block 34 Whampoa West remains a bustling microcosm of community life—where neighbors know each other across corridors, kids turn hallways into racetracks, and decades of memories linger behind every door.
HDB Architectural Features
Behold, it’s the concrete colossus!
Block 34 Whampoa West is not a building. It’s a horizontal skyscraper, a slab so long it could file for dual citizenship in Whampoa and Boon Keng. This “super-slab” typology was a darling of early HDB planning (1960s–70s), when the brief was simple: house as many people as quickly and cheaply as possible. Why build five buildings when you can Frankenstein one mega-monolith?
Mega HDB Block Typology
The logic was brutal but efficient: One elongated block = fewer lift shafts, fewer plumbing risers, and one massive foundation to rule them all.
Infrastructure? Easy. Maintenance? Streamlined. Identity? Uh... not the point. It’s the architectural equivalent of cooking rice in bulk and calling it a buffet.
The Great Wall of Whampoa: Singapore's Longest HDB Block
Functional Brutalism
This block is unapologetically anti-aesthetic. Think rows of cloned windows, corridors that stretch like they’re trying to escape themselves, and stairwells that feel like Soviet-era escape rooms. No curves. No colours. Just concrete, repetition, and the occasional whiff of sambal in the wind.
Every unit opens to a shared external corridor, so each unit in the block is laid facing outwards, allowing the wind to flow directly into the unit and cool it. In older blocks like this one, corridors are 1.2m wide.
Consisting of about 500 units, this HDB was completed in the early seventies and had its 99-year lease starting on 1 January 1972.
Historical Context
Block 34 Whampoa West was born in the thick of Singapore’s great kampong clearance push — the 1960s and ’70s, when the government was in full blitz mode, turning sprawling villages into dense, orderly public housing estates. Speed and efficiency were king, and megablocks like this one ticked all the boxes: max units, minimal fuss, and easier infrastructure hookup.
Back then, Whampoa was far from the forgotten corner it feels like today. It was a buzzing heartland with a lively market, a popular food centre, and close to the Kallang River: a local artery that once carried trade and life through the area. This block wasn’t just housing; it was part of a bigger story of rapid urban transformation, social engineering, and the birth of modern Singapore’s housing model.
Why Don’t They Build HDB Like This Anymore?
If you thought living in a 300-metre-long concrete slab sounds like a unique experience, well, HDB architects eventually thought it was a headache too. Here’s why mega-slabs like Whampoa’s fell out of favour:
Fire Safety Concerns: Imagine evacuating hundreds of residents through one never-ending corridor in an emergency. Not exactly ideal when every second counts.
Maintenance Nightmares: Keeping a corridor this long clean, safe, and well-lit is a logistical nightmare and a cost sink.
Today’s HDBs play it smarter—point blocks, clustered precincts, and designs that encourage small-scale interaction and visual variety. These designs aim to create pockets of identity and community rather than one massive, intimidating slab.
Besides, to build meaningful relationships, one can have a maximum of only seven neighbours (according to Dr Liu Thai Ker, fondly titled Singapore’s Father of Urban Planning).
Floor plan of two adjacent units at Block 34 Whampoa West.
HDB Unit Sizes & Prices
Block 34 Whampoa West, completed in 1971, offers a mix of unit sizes that cater to different household needs, reflecting its status as a mega-block from Singapore’s early public housing era. The typical 3-room flats are around 732 square feet and generally come with two bedrooms and a single bathroom. These units are currently listed between approximately $478,000 and $488,000, translating to about $650 to $670 per square foot.
For larger families, the 5-room flats provide more space, with layouts around 1,464 square feet, usually featuring four bedrooms and two bathrooms. These bigger units command prices ranging from S$950,000 to over a million, roughly S$650 to S$740 per square foot, depending on factors like floor level and condition.
Location-wise, it’s pretty convenient at just 400 meters from Boon Keng MRT. Plus, being on a 99-year leasehold is standard for HDB, so buyers keep that in mind when considering long-term value.
On the other side of the giant curve.
If renting’s your thing, small rooms can go for about $900 a month. Entire 2-room flats rent between $3,000 and $3,700 monthly, which is not a bad fetch for singles or small families wanting to stay near the city without breaking the bank.
Block 34 Whampoa West stands as a monument to a bygone era of public housing—massive, efficient, and unapologetically utilitarian. It may lack flashy designs or luxury perks, but its sheer scale and social fabric create a unique vertical kampong that still hums with life decades later. While modern HDBs chase community feel through smaller, varied precincts, this super-slab reminds us that sometimes, living large and long corridors can forge strong, if unconventional, neighborhood bonds. For anyone interested in the history, quirks, and realities of Singapore’s housing evolution, the “Great Wall of Whampoa” remains an enduring, if overlooked, chapter worth knowing.