Prior to the Executive Condominium (EC) scheme, Singapore had Executive Flats. Among these, the most famous are probably the Executive Maisonettes (EMs). Introduced in 1983, these double-storey flats were a massive 1,400 to 1,600 sq ft; and they indicated a major advancement in housing policy. The creation of these duplex units marked the point when HDB moved from the urgent, bare-bones housing of the post-Colonial era, to offering quality housing across different economic backgrounds. The EM scheme only lasted little over a decade though, ending in 1995. At that point, there was also some consideration of “subvention creep” – the tendency of public welfare budgets to balloon if unchecked. In the end, a compromise was made to tilt “sandwich” or aspirational housing toward the free market, in the form of the EC, which replaced the EM. Today though, the remaining EMs are a particularly scarce and desirable form of HDB housing. While many are getting on in years, most are million-dollar assets; and they’re...