Top 10 architectural trends for new Malaysian properties in

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Top 10 architectural trends for new Malaysian properties in
2014
Po sted on No vem be r 7 , 201 3 | 554 86 vi ew s | Top ic : Hom e & L iving .
By YVONNE YOONG
yvonneyoong@ the star. com.m y
THE t rends for new properties have seen the mushrooming of landed, gated and guarded propert ies,
project s c lustering around upcoming MRT and LRT st at ions, green-rated buildings and branded
residences, not t o mention top-to-t oe glass -c lad residences.
Here are more innovative offerings which have caught StarP roperty’s eyes:
1. I conic sculptural structure s
Ic onic arc hit ect ure is a dominant t rend t hat’s set to st ay, judging from t he wave of new buildings suc h
as The Capers and The Fennel (pic, above left ) developed by YTL Land & Development Bhd, Datum
Jelatek by P KNS (S elangor S tate Development Corporat ion), Angkasaray a by UE M Sunrise Bhd and
Ic on Res idenc e Mont’Kiara (pic, above right) by Mah Sing Group Bhd. Few in number but growing in
st at ure, they mak e t heir presence felt with c reativit y and imagination.
The Fennel, for ex ample, alters t he s kyline with its s harp and angled towers. “Its form, while unique to
high-rise t owers in K L, is act ually a composit ion of st andardis ed floor plat es for the units – albeit
st ac ked in a manner where every floor is increment ally adjust ed outward or inward in groups of eight.
The result is a dis tinct profile in t he s kyline – s omewhat “gravity defying”– but t he floor plans are
ty pical and repeated, ” shares Rene Tan of RT+Q Architect s, the firm which des igned t he 38-st orey
residential towers.
2. Dual key uni ts
Offering a s tudio apartment at tac hed t o the main apartment ,
each with separat e ent rances, dual key unit s are increas ingly gaining ground with developers .
Recent project s offering t his lay out inc lude Zefer Hill Res idenc e developed by V illamas Sdn Bhd,
AraGreens Residences @ Ara Damans ara by HSB Development S dn Bhd, Urbana Residences @ A ra
Damansara by Weida (M) Bhd and Ec oS ky @ Taman Wahy u by E co World Development Sdn Bhd.
They promis e flex ible occupancy for multi-generational families to co-ex ist under the same roof, or the
ability t o s ubs idise loan repayment s by renting out one of the apart ments.
“A family could live here and rent out the st udio unit , or it could be for adult c hildren who want their
privacy and independence. It could also be the other way around. If the children leave, the husband and
wife c an move int o the st udio, and rent out the main unit, ” says developer Mit raland Group’s CEO
Chuah Theong Yee of his Vina Versatile Homes project (pic , right ) in Taman Seri Taming, Cheras ,
Kuala Lumpur, which offers dual k ey unit s among it s c hoice of layout s.
“The res ponse to the dual k ey units has been prett y encouraging, ” adds chairman Datuk Johan Ariffin.
“P eople lik e it and t hey see the pos sibilit ies . It ’s good for them to have the option for the older child t o
have privacy , or to rent out t he st udio to subsidise loan repay ments .”
3. Condo bea che s
The last few years have s een a race by propert y developers to offer the count ry’s first man-made beach
for private residential dwellings . Projects inc lude Verve S uites Mont’K iara (pic, above) developed by
Bukit K iara Properties Sdn Bhd, LaCost a by Sunway Cit y B hd and Le Yuan Res idenc e by UOA Group.
Christened Versilica S ky Beach, Verve Suites’ sandy playground is not only the firs t to complete, it
phys ically t ops the others by c rowning one of it s four condominium block s, rather than being located
on a podium. Besides the beac h, a pool, cafe, “c hill z ones”, recreat ional rooms , Jacuzz i and s un
garden with sunken s eater s it on top of 37 st oreys of 250 fully furnished suites.
4. P rivate l ift l obbie s
Lending one added advantage of securit y and exc lusivit y, private lift lobbies c an be found in
developments s uch as Sunway Palaz zio by Sunway Cit y Bhd, 28 Mont K iara by UEM Sunrise B hd and
IOI Properties’ P uteri Hills luxury town villas.
The lift opens s traight into your apartment as doors may open on opposit e sides and on s pecific floors
designated by y our acc ess c ard.
Anot her projec t to offer private lift lobbies is Serai by Bandar Raya Development s Bhd, currrently under
cons truct ion in Bukit Bandaray a. The RM900mil luxury projec t will compris e 121 apart ments in two 21st orey t owers . Its five spac ious layout s are generously proportioned from 4, 000 sq ft t o a royal 14,000
sq ft in the pent house.
“S erai is poised to t ake y our breat h away with a t reasure t rove of t houghtful, well-des igned luxuries, ”
says Hud Bak ar, managing direc tor of RSP Architect s Malays ia which designed the projec t.
5. Landscape d back l anes
It seems t hat back lanes are now bec oming obsolet e. These forgott en was telands , hist orically
populat ed by rubbis h bins and alley cats, are increas ingly being turfed over and made int o car-free
communal spaces .
Ex amples include K en Rimba in Shah A lam developed by Ken Holdings Bhd (pic, above left), Lak eClub
Park home in Rawang by DA Land Sdn B hd, P ark ville t ownhouses by Sunway City as well as Tiara
Sout h (pic, above right) in Semenyih developed by Kueen Lai Development Sdn Bhd.
6. Double de cke r grounds
Pedestrian lifest yle fac ilities above c ar park ing in landed s trata development s mak e life a breez e at The
Arie in Buk it S ri Damansara developed by Loh & Loh Corporat ion Bhd, Embun @ K emens ah Heights
(pic , above right ) by Tit ijaya Group and 16 Quartz Melawat i (pic, above left ) by Mit raland Group.
This way , cars are confined to t he lower levels without endangering children at play. This leaves t he
upper grounds blissfully free of asphalt while being generously peppered with wat er feat ures, walkways
and playgrounds .
“Large sliding doors have been selected for t he balc onies and main entrances t o blur the definition of
private and public domain fronting the c ommon open space. Hence, t he court yard becomes the
‘ext ens ion’ of the living room at ground level and the balconies above, ” says A r. W oo Y ok e Khing of
Kumpulan Senireka Sdn Bhd, commenting on Embun @ K emensah Heights.
7. S ky bridges
More and more project s are offering s ky bridges or communal spac es that c onnec t t owers at upper
levels. Ex amples inc lude Dat um Jelat ek (pic, above left) by PK NS and V erve S uites K L S out h (pic,
above right) by B ukit Kiara Propert ies S dn Bhd.
“S ky lounges have been quit e a t rend in the las t few y ears as developers innovate to improve t he overall
lifesty le of apartment community living. Sk y bridges, in part ic ular, are emerging for a few reasons .
Sometimes , the exist ing building’s c onstraints do not allow for a rooftop sky lounge so facilities
bridging bet ween the t wo towers are a brilliant solut ion t o get ting res ident ac tivit ies off the ground,”
says Dion Vercoe, managing direct or of P alladio Interiors which work ed on Verve S uit es KL Sout h.
8. Gene rous, full -wi dth bal conies
Large balconies whic h eit her span t he entire living room, or are out door terraces in t hemselves, c an be
witness ed in projects s uch as Arcoris Residences (pic, above left ) in Mont K iara by UEM Sunrise B hd,
KM1 E as t by B erjaya Land Bhd (pic , above c entre) and Ec o S ky Res idenc es by Eco World. These
spac es are large enough t o acc ommodate alfres co dining and entertainment.
“The out door lifest yle is more holist ic and more people want to enjoy the ex tension of t heir s pac es ,
henc e, the t rend for bigger balconies that are als o great for host ing part ies.
And, while the whole unit is 2,400 sq ft in space, the balc ony tak es up t o nearly 400 s q ft, ” say s
Bens on Saw, direc tor of VW+ BS , which furnished an apartment with a balcony convert ed into an
outdoor lounge within the Troika condominium (pic, above right) near KLCC.
9. ‘ Floating’ gym s
Not content to be t uc ked away in a corner, gy ms are now being offered with a view. Often dubbed
“floating gyms ”, t hes e work out s paces are usually designed to overlook swimming pools , magnificent
views or lus h landsc aping.
Ex amples inc lude Verdi in Cy berjaya by UEM Land Holdings Bhd, Laman Granview (pic, above right) in
Saujana P uchong by IJM Land and Zeva (pic, above left ) in Taman Equine by Trinity Group S dn Bhd.
10. Com munal stre ams
Swimming pools aren’t enough anymore. Developers now want to mimic or mak e t he most of ex ist ing
terrain with c ommunal streams, lakes and wetlands. Examples include Tijani Uk ay developed by
Sy mphony Life B hd (above, right) and P arkville homes in Lak e Edge P uchong by YTL Land (pic , above
left ).
The Glades at Putra Height s, developed by S ime Darby Propert y Bhd, offers a lus h and c onnect ed
green lung centred by a wetland area. A cent ral pond wit h miniature streams add allure to a morning
st roll or evening jog.
As part of it s B y t he Sea (pic , above centre) lux ury condominium project, meanwhile, S elangor
Dredging B hd invest ed RM2mil to rehabilitate a st retch of river running t hrough its s it e. The res ult
becomes a plus point for house buyers, s ays its managing direct or Teh Lip Kim.
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