Dislodged tiles, sharp edges in Sengkang exec condo pools

New Paper

a day ago

Tiling issues at two swimming pools in a new executive condominium in Sengkang have led to repeated closures of the facilities since April, raising concerns about safety and quality among some residents.
A resident of Ola in Anchorvale Crescent told The Straits Times that he was concerned about the quality of the construction after the management appeared to have not resolved the issue after two months.
"There are sharp edges on the pool floor as a result of the dislodged tiles. If you're not careful, it is easy to get hurt," said the resident, who declined to be named. He collected the keys to his unit in June 2024.
The children's pool in particular had many missing tiles, he said, adding that other residents had stated in chat groups that children had been hurt. The pool reopened in mid-April but closed again by end-April as the tiles kept getting dislodged, he added.
The other pool - a 50m lap pool - reopened in end-May but there were still some missing tiles, the resident said.
The 548-unit exec condo, touted as a luxury Spanish-themed development, obtained its temporary occupation permit in April 2024. It was jointly developed by local company Evia Real Estate and Malaysia-based Gamuda Land.
"The condo is still relatively new, so it's disappointing that there are already recurring issues with the pools," said the resident.
A spokesman for the exec condo's management corporation strata title (MCST) said its managing agent was alerted to the dislodged tiles in the two pools in late March, and both pools were closed for inspections on April 2.
Rectification works to replace the dislodged tiles began on April 10. The number of such tiles in both pools was "relatively small", he noted.
Although the children's pool reopened on April 19 after repairs were completed, it was closed again on April 29 as the works were found to be unsatisfactory, the spokesman said.
Thus, he said, "we have decided to hack off all the existing tiles in the kids' pool and retile the surfaces with a set of newly selected tiles".
A resident who wanted to be known only as Mr Low was satisfied with the MCST's decision to retile the children's pool. Before its closure, his child would use the pool once a week.
"It shows that the management is taking the issue seriously," said the 46-year-old sales director, who told the MCST about the dislodged tiles in late March. He moved into his unit in November.
A spokesman for Red Dot Pool Engineering, a pool maintenance company, said it was unusual for tiles to become dislodged in relatively new swimming pools. The company usually sees such issues after 10 years of wear and tear.
Dislodged tiles could be a result of workmanship issues such as carrying out tiling works on a rainy day, he said. If water is trapped under tiles and the area is not properly dried, the tiles can become loose prematurely.
A resident said the children's pool, in particular, had many missing tiles. PHOTO: ST READER
The company spokesman noted that such issues tend to occur more frequently with smaller tiles.
"We recommend using tiles of at least 50mm as there is a larger surface area sticking to the floor," he said.
The MCST expects rectification works in the children's pool to be completed in July, subject to weather conditions.
At the lap pool, localised repair work is being carried out in phases so that it remains partially open. The pool will be fully opened in two weeks, depending on the weather.
"However, should there be a need to carry out retiling works, like at the kids' pool, we are also prepared to do so," the MCST spokesman added.