Gita Bayu

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2012
5
BEST BESPOKE ADDRESS
Gita Bayu
by Yee Seng Heights Sdn Bhd
CITATION
TO explain this winner and category, let me quote Lapo Elkann who
once worked with Ferrari Centro
Style to create the Ferrari’s tailormade customisation programme:
“People are bored of mass luxury,
bespoke and unique is growing
faster every day. Not just in cars but
in planes, boats, watches, eyewear,
made-to-measure clothes as well
as housing. People want things tailored to their tastes and their way
of life.”
Didn’t they always? Sure it wasn’t
cars and private jets, but the
wealthy always had their stately
homes and gardens, absurdly expensive furniture, clothes and
heaps of jewellery custom designed just for them.
However, according to Elkann,
in many places, personalisation is
growing even faster than the number of wealthy individuals, namely
in places like China, Brazil, Russia,
India, Thailand, Malaysia and even
the small Eastern European countries. Maybe not much in Europe,
with the current financial crisis, but
that’s the place where these things
have always been produced.
Where does Gita Bayu stand in all
this bespoke talk?
Offering a unique gated and
guarded development that is isolated from the biz and buzz of the
city, with a highly appreciated resort theme within a community
based environment – this probably
sums up the bespoke address that
Yee Seng Heights Sdn Bhd envisioned back in 1996.
Andre Keller, CEO of Yee
Seng Heights Sdn Bhd, is
proud to be a resident at
Gita Bayu
The award-winning clubhouse “Kebun Mimpi”
has set industry standards in resort living
by GUNAPRASATH BUPALAN
G
ita Bayu was a new concept made available to the
discerning few in 1996. Like
a sorority, only a few had a chance to
own land in this unique and friendly
community that offers tranquility
and secured living by embracing
nature.
“We realised that many who travel
around a lot, love staying at resorts
that offer lots of green, pampering
facilities and an environment that is
extremely welcoming. This is what
we mimicked Gita Bayu to be. This
way, they could experience these
elements everyday… right at home,”
says Andre Keller, CEO of Yee Seng
Heights Sdn Bhd.
Living up to its of tagline “coming
home”, Gita Bayu delivers a “home”
furnished with top-quality materials,
complemented with a full range of
facilities, services, and a verdant environment where residents can relax
and have peace of mind and soul
when they come home. The developer builds, operates and takes care of
the security, privacy, landscape and
the community facilities so residents
can experience a peaceful and relax-
One of the Quintet models
– Gita Bayu’s new addition
ing lifestyle without worries.
“Our family chose Gita Bayu as our home
because of the tree-lined streets and open
space, and a clubhouse and pool area that
would rival many resorts. We also enjoy the
use of the other facilities on offer, such as tennis court, gymnasium and reading room. It
makes it hard to go away for a holiday when
you have it so good at home,” says Andrew
Colbey. He and his wife Cheryl are teachers
and reside at Gita Bayu.
Gita Bayu exudes luxury even along the
drive leading to the development’s guard
house, with its arched trees that radiate a
sense of belonging. Upon reaching the guard
house, one is attended to by friendly yet
attentive security. This is to ensure safety
measures are taken at all times making sure
that exclusivity is maintained for its residents.
“As soon as we drive into Gita Bayu you
feel the stress ebbing, the families that live
here are friendly and there is nothing like
Friday night dinners at the clubhouse where
we all get together. It’s hard to describe but
it’s more than coming home. It’s a sense of
family,” says relocation consultant Rhonda
and John Kortum, who reside at Gita Bayu.
Once you’re in, you would notice that the
development has been moulded around
many of the original rubber trees as the land
was once a rubber estate.
“Instead of tearing down the beauty of the
land to make way for development, Gita
Bayu emphasises harmonious living with
nature where much preparation was done to
identify and maintain as many trees as possible and keeping earthworks to a minimum,”
Keller explains.
Entering the 118-acre development, one
would be greeted by its iconic lakeside
clubhouse, the Bali- and Thai-inspired Kebun
Mimpi, designed by renowned architects Lek
Bunnag and Bill Bensley, which was completed in 2002. It has a dining pavilion with
an open-air verandah surrounded by water
features, a gymnasium, a reading room on
the top floor, an infinity swimming pool and
Jacuzzi.
Gita Bayu was the first to have such club
facilities built within a gated and guarded
community 10 years ago; and it set the trend
for many later developments in the Klang
Valley.
“We feel fortunate to be living in Gita
Bayu. It's a very safe and green paradise. It
has outstanding security. We enjoy the club
house, the friendly staff and the proximity to
town. We are happy here!” declares another
resident couple, Jayasri and Rainer Tischler.
Initially, Gita Bayu offered 206 bungalow
lots of between 5,812sq ft and 19,117sq ft selling at only RM35psf to RM45psf for buyers to
build on. Then three years later, the developer
introduced the limited 100 units of 1,270sq
ft and 1,860sq ft walk-up apartments
known as Town Villas at about RM200psf.
Three years after, 31 cluster bungalows
were offered at about RM300psf for
3,187sq ft to 4,381sq ft units.
Yee Seng Heights didn’t stop there. In
2005, three years after the launch of the
cluster bungalows, it introduced 54 units
of two- and three-storey Hill Villas with
built-ups of between 2,960sq ft and 3,950sq
ft.
After the Hill Villas’ construction, Gita
Bayu became quiet for the next few years.
“Well, we are unlike other developers.
Since Yee Seng Heights is a premium
boutique developer, we saw no rush in
developing it further. Instead, we decided
to maintain Gita Bayu with its current
owners and occupiers and strengthen the
community spirit within.
“We organise events all year round to
garner participations from our residents.
For instance, we held a run, transformed
the dining pavilion into a beer haven
during October Fest and will be organising a fishing competition at our lake,”
Keller adds.
Now in 2012, the developer has decided that it is time once again to invite
more people to experience the lifestyle
at Gita Bayu, hence the launch of the
RM40 million Quintet – five individually
designed modern tropical bungalows
with an open living concept that is in
harmony with the lush green landscape
preserved in Gita Bayu. The five units at
the Quintet range between 7,556sq ft and
9,214sq ft across two acres of land and
selling from RM7.8million.
“The open concept is rare but not new.
If we look back at the traditional Malay
architecture, there is openness everywhere – open spaces, open verandahs,
open kitchens and more. We would like
to attract homebuyers who appreciate
these elements of tropical living,” said
Keller.
In the future, Yee Seng Heights will be
introducing more individually designed
bungalows, a condominium as well as
shoplots.
With its overall concept and scenic
environment, Gita Bayu has won some
of the most prestigious awards in Malaysia – Fiabci’s Award for Best Residential
Development and the Best Landscaping
in the Hotel/Resort/Tourism Complex
Category. It was also nominated for the
2004 Aga Khan Award for Architecture
(Residential Category) and today, it bags
the Best Bespoke Address category in the
2012 Editors Choice® Property Awards.