14-11-2015, 12:08 PM
SINGAPORE: “The unique bike theme and value-added biking facilities are part of the developers’ strategy to differentiate the development from other executive condo,” said Mr Francis Koh, managing director and group CEO of Koh Brothers. The Terrace EC comes with dance studio while Signature EC At Yishun is designed with strong connection to our rich heritage.
A flying fox facility for adrenaline junkies? Check. A mini velodrome for cycling enthusiasts? Check. Indoor and outdoor movie theaters for film buffs? Check.
Add to that a biometric vein scanner, a boxing ring, a swirl and splash water slide, free music, swimming and cooking lessons, and a mobile app to book facilities and services within and outside the development.
These facilities are not part of a new theme park in Singapore. They are amenities offered by property developers here seeking to win back buyers after home sales - weakened by multiple rounds of cooling measures - dropped to a six-year low last year. Long gone are the days of impressing homebuyers solely with location, view, resort-style living or the usual trappings of 50m swimming pools, Jacuzzis, tennis courts and air-conditioned gyms.
With an impending oversupply of homes hitting a lacklustre market, developers today are going all out to design and develop dwellings that provide a new way of living for buyers with a more assured sense of value and quality and very specific tastes.
BEYOND THE USUAL TRAPPINGS
Take the recently launched High Park Residences condominium at Fernvale for example. The development, which is scheduled to obtain its Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) in 2019, has a carnivalesque spread of 118 facilities over 366,000 sq ft of land designed to lure even the most house-proud hermit out of his cave.
Besides the requisite pools, playgrounds and BBQ pits, the development’s array of facilities include: Indoor and outdoor movie theatres, boxing rings, a three-metre high swirl and splash water slide, a flying fox, hammock garden and a jamming room for budding musicians. And as if that were not enough, the developer is also throwing in an additional seasoning of free lifestyle classes for two years, including kick boxing, yoga, baking, swimming, tennis and violin lessons.
“We wanted to create a place where homebuyers can have a lot of activities to play around with. It was also partly due to the land we bought - two parcels side by side - which allowed us to be more creative with the space, such as creating an interconnected water slide and cascading waterfall,” said Mr Chng Chee Beow, executive director for CEL Development, the developer for High Park.
A similar story is unfolding on the executive condominiums (EC) front. Westwood Residences in Jurong launched in May this year is the first bicycle-themed development in Singapore. The development, which is expected to get its TOP in August 2018, comes complete with an outdoor mini-velodrome, a covered bicycle garage to house up to 500 bikes and even a specially designed bike maintenance area with washing, drying and repair provisions. Developers Koh Brothers and Heeton Homes are also throwing in a free bicycle with every purchase of a home, while stocks last.
“The current property market has softened. With the current oversupply of residential projects and the slew of cooling measures including the new resale levy, it is becoming increasingly important to depend on the projects’ unique positioning, value propositions and pricing to attract buyers to enter the market.”
In another interesting move, one company has developed a mobile app to provide homeowners with post-handover services.
Qingjian Realty’s HiLife Interactive app, launched in June, allows homeowners of properties under its portfolio to book facilities and lifestyle classes within and outside the development. It is believed to be the first developer to offer such a service.
Home maintenance and lifestyle services such as air-con servicing, dance and tuition classes may be booked through the app, as are facilities such as tennis courts, function rooms and barbecue pits. The app also links homeowners with service providers around their estate, for example beauty salons, to enable residents to make appointments for a manicure.
The app debuted in June to homeowners of the 590-unit Riversound Residence at Buangkok area. Plans are in place to roll it out to the rest of the properties under Qingjian’s portfolio, which includes Natura Loft in Bishan, Nin Residence on Pheng Geck Avenue and RiverParc Residence in Punggol.
A flying fox facility for adrenaline junkies? Check. A mini velodrome for cycling enthusiasts? Check. Indoor and outdoor movie theaters for film buffs? Check.
Add to that a biometric vein scanner, a boxing ring, a swirl and splash water slide, free music, swimming and cooking lessons, and a mobile app to book facilities and services within and outside the development.
These facilities are not part of a new theme park in Singapore. They are amenities offered by property developers here seeking to win back buyers after home sales - weakened by multiple rounds of cooling measures - dropped to a six-year low last year. Long gone are the days of impressing homebuyers solely with location, view, resort-style living or the usual trappings of 50m swimming pools, Jacuzzis, tennis courts and air-conditioned gyms.
With an impending oversupply of homes hitting a lacklustre market, developers today are going all out to design and develop dwellings that provide a new way of living for buyers with a more assured sense of value and quality and very specific tastes.
BEYOND THE USUAL TRAPPINGS
Take the recently launched High Park Residences condominium at Fernvale for example. The development, which is scheduled to obtain its Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) in 2019, has a carnivalesque spread of 118 facilities over 366,000 sq ft of land designed to lure even the most house-proud hermit out of his cave.
Besides the requisite pools, playgrounds and BBQ pits, the development’s array of facilities include: Indoor and outdoor movie theatres, boxing rings, a three-metre high swirl and splash water slide, a flying fox, hammock garden and a jamming room for budding musicians. And as if that were not enough, the developer is also throwing in an additional seasoning of free lifestyle classes for two years, including kick boxing, yoga, baking, swimming, tennis and violin lessons.
“We wanted to create a place where homebuyers can have a lot of activities to play around with. It was also partly due to the land we bought - two parcels side by side - which allowed us to be more creative with the space, such as creating an interconnected water slide and cascading waterfall,” said Mr Chng Chee Beow, executive director for CEL Development, the developer for High Park.
A similar story is unfolding on the executive condominiums (EC) front. Westwood Residences in Jurong launched in May this year is the first bicycle-themed development in Singapore. The development, which is expected to get its TOP in August 2018, comes complete with an outdoor mini-velodrome, a covered bicycle garage to house up to 500 bikes and even a specially designed bike maintenance area with washing, drying and repair provisions. Developers Koh Brothers and Heeton Homes are also throwing in a free bicycle with every purchase of a home, while stocks last.
“The current property market has softened. With the current oversupply of residential projects and the slew of cooling measures including the new resale levy, it is becoming increasingly important to depend on the projects’ unique positioning, value propositions and pricing to attract buyers to enter the market.”
In another interesting move, one company has developed a mobile app to provide homeowners with post-handover services.
Qingjian Realty’s HiLife Interactive app, launched in June, allows homeowners of properties under its portfolio to book facilities and lifestyle classes within and outside the development. It is believed to be the first developer to offer such a service.
Home maintenance and lifestyle services such as air-con servicing, dance and tuition classes may be booked through the app, as are facilities such as tennis courts, function rooms and barbecue pits. The app also links homeowners with service providers around their estate, for example beauty salons, to enable residents to make appointments for a manicure.
The app debuted in June to homeowners of the 590-unit Riversound Residence at Buangkok area. Plans are in place to roll it out to the rest of the properties under Qingjian’s portfolio, which includes Natura Loft in Bishan, Nin Residence on Pheng Geck Avenue and RiverParc Residence in Punggol.