July 07, 2021 Screengrab/Google Maps If you ever bother to look up from your phone and at the many HDB flats around you, you will notice that they chut many patterns, depending on the era that they were built in. And we are only talking about the external facades. Step into the individual units and you will realise that many HDB homes are not built cookie-cutter style, despite their so-called utilitarian role as public housing. For instance, your friend’s five-room unit may have a curved balcony whereas yours may not come with one at all. Or your cousin’s BTO has an enclosed laundry area while you just have… bamboo poles.