It is taken for granted these days that a home means more the four walls of a house. A “home” has evolved into a concept that is getting ever more holistic; encompassing accessibility to amenities, recreation zones, and space for community buildings. Retaining a connection to nature, be it in the form of landscapes or a close proximity to the natural environment, is a must. An extension to this concept is that “home” ought to be a place where work, business and lifestyles blend harmoniously together. Catering to the concept means it has to be properly “master-planned”, a process which will eventually materialize into a blueprint for the public and prospective homeowners to digest. It will reflect how well developers adapt to the evolving concept and how innovative they are in creating “living spaces” where inhabitants can truly feel at home. In this issue, Top 10 takes a look at its random list of 10 such projects that hold potential in fulfilling and possibly expanding the benchmark of modern living even further. From land sizes of 15 acres to that of more than a thousand acres, from resort living in the suburb to cosmopolitan haven, each nevertheless bears a unique concept.
Bandar Rimbayu
Bandar Rimbayu covers more than 1,800 acres of land in Selangor. It has three residential precincts with landed homes and apartments, and one commercial precinct. Nestled in the residential precincts are two scenic anchors. One is the Arc, a green roof deck surrounding a football field, and from the deck one can look out to a park with water features. The Arc will house a club village with various facilities to serve as a community hub. The developer, IJM Corporation Berhad has also put forward a bold greening plan – planting a total of 50,000 trees, palms, shrubs, flower garden, aquatic plants, herbs and climbers in the area of the Arc. The second anchor is the lakeside precinct, Bayu, slated to be a 280-acre high-end waterfront residential precinct of Bandar Rimbayu. The project will have an international school by 2017 with other education institutions to follow suit later. It has already received a silver category certification from the Green Building Index.
Bandar Rimbayu is in Telok Panglima Garang next to the established township of Kota Kemuning and is accessible via highways such as Kesas, LKSA, SKVE, Elite and the upcoming West Coast Expressway.
Tropicana Heights
Situated in Kajang, Selangor, the Master Plan covers an area of 199 acres and consists of landed homes, condominiums, a commercial square, a community club house and a 16-acre central park with a 750m linear lake. The largest tract of land within the land parcel is designated for landed homes, ensuring low density for the area. In addition, residents of the landed homes have an exclusive access to 4.8 acre private community park. Another notably sizeable parcel of land, much larger than the commercial square’s, is allocated to the development of schools. Already, the project is near quite a few of tertiary education institutions, such as Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Nottingham University and Rafflesia International School. Tropicana Heights’s landscaping has been recognized at the Malaysia Landscape Architecture Awards. The development is accessible via the Kajang-Seremban Highway, South Klang Valley Expressway and North-South Highway. Furthermore, it will also be serviced by a new MRT station along the Sungai Buloh-Kajang line, besides being near to the UKM KTM station.
Sunsuria City
Spanning a total of 525 acres of land in the Salak Tinggi area, south of Putrajaya, Sunsuria City houses University of Xiamen’s first offshore campus, which by itself is sited on a 150-acre piece of land. As a modern township built from scratch, the development of Sunsuria City embodies three key guiding principles – smart, livable and sustainable environment concept. The township consists of corporate office towers, serviced apartments, shopping mall and a hotel along with landed homes, a green zone stretching across the project area, water features, and walking and cycling paths throughout. A section of the development will be based on Korean theme; expect Korean inspired shopping mall, serviced apartment, boutique hotel, glass house for wedding ceremonies and themed garden for inhabitants and tourists alike. Besides, elements of the intellectual and cultural will be incorporated in the naming of streets and buildings. Sunsuria City is accessible via the Putrajaya-Cyberjaya Expressway and the North-South Expressway, and serviced by the Salak Tinggi ERL Speed Train station that is connected to KL Sentral (7 mins) & KLIA (28 mins).
Bandar Agacia
Bandar Agacia is another project with a university as its hub. Located in Kampar, Perak, home to the University of Tunku Abdul Rahman and Westlake International School, it is a 100-acre development with architectural diversity. Landed homes in the style of American townvillas were built for long term residents as well as for tourists and has a clubhouse in its midst. Or, would-be residents can also settle down in spacious landed homes built in Scandinavian style amidst lush greenery. Their shopping needs can be met at the slated commercial square, featuring low rise shoplots built in designs that are inspired by the Disneyland, but the skyscraper of Bandar Agacia will be a Gothic-inspired tower with studio suites, a hotel and an upcoming college. Bandar Agacia is set to be bustling town with a lot of youthful energy exuding from the students of the university and new college.
Setia Eco Templer
Setia Eco Templer spans 195 acre and is designed for nature lovers, as it is purposely built near the gazetted Templer Rainforest and the Kanching Rainforest, north of Kuala Lumpur. The development features predominantly linked villa, semi-detached homes and bungalows and a smaller number of apartment units. Serving as the hub of the community is a 15 800 sqm clubhouse with an Olympic-sized swimming pool, gymnasium, ballroom, function rooms, and eateries outlets. Natural surroundings, cool air, and a total of nine creeks running through the area, coupled with homes that come with three architectural themes – English, Balinese and Peranakan, give a resort-style living for residents. Connectivity is given a boost as developer SP Setia is planning to build a new interchange from the project area to Jalan Ipoh in the capital city. Lying closer are the towns of Rawang and Selayang.
The Light Waterfront
Occupying 152 acres of reclaimed land off the coast of Penang, The Light Waterfront by IJM is one of two marine-themed projects. The residential phase consists of sea-fronting villas with private pools, and condominiums with water lanes as part of the landscape, and a private marine sanctuary, The Waterways. The concept is the first ever in Malaysia and has been recorded in the Malaysia Book of Record. It houses a variety of marine species such as corals, nerve sharks, clown fish, and sea turtles.
Also in the plan is a shopping mall, an office tower, two hotels, a convention center and a 7-acre seafront public park. As with Bandar Rimbayu, the project has received certification from the Green Building Index. When fully completed, the Light Waterfront is poised to be a new iconic spot for Penang.
Senibong Cove
Two unique points stands out at the mention of Senibong Cove. Firstly the location: perched between Johor Bahru and Singapore on a 200-acre piece of land near the Johor straits, residents are within access to the best of both worlds by just driving. Johor Bahru lies about 13km away, while Singapore, 30km. Secondly, despite being marine-themed, the inland landscaping of Senibong Cove is done in a way to create parks with canals and river running through at almost each of its precinct. So for those who won’t be living at the luxurious marina front villas, townhouses, bungalows and condominiums, they will have the option of living in houses or condominium units in the greener nooks in the hinterland, with a sizable mangrove park within the view. The Senibong community can meet and play at a dedicated clubhouse precinct, enjoy a lovely stroll on a 2km-long boardwalk around the marina, and of course, use the marina for motorsport. The single retail precinct in Senibong Cove will have a shopping mall, boutique outlets, and gourmet eateries. Senibong Cove by Walkers Corporation is a multi-award winning project. It won a number of accolades at the 2015 Southeast Asia Property Awards, and recently, the “World Silver Winner” at FIABCI.
UMCity Medini Lakeside
Also located in Johor Bharu is the UMCity Medini Lakeside, a compact, 26-acre serviced residential-commercial project for urban lifestyle. High quality is the key here as the project’s components, consisting of two serviced apartment towers, a hotel, an office tower and a shopping center will be operated by high-end brand names such as Ascott Ltd, Oynx Hospitality, Citadines and Regus. The project is currently being constructed by Samsung C&T which will also be its security solution providers. Eco-friendliness is a defining feature of this small and high density “city”, as almost half of the land area is zoned for a lakeside park at the center of all the residential-commercial components. UMCity’s location, at the gateway of the up and coming Medini district and just 6km from Malaysia’s second largest river rejuvenation project, the Rivercity@Danga Bay, means residents are within access to the larger range of services and recreation facilities.
Gravit 8
Gravit 8 by Mitraland is a 15-acre residential-commercial project in southern Klang, Selangor, being close to other established township such as Bandar Botanic and Bandar Bukit Tinggi. The concept of Gravit8 is urban lifestyle, with four serviced apartment towers, retail pods, a shopping mall, offices and boutique hotel, built around a landscaped park with an 8-acre lake, walkways and fountain. There will be an aquarium in Gravit8’s shopping mall and a hub for seafood dining, arguably the first of its kind. Gravit 8 is accessible by the Kesas highway and will be serviced by a new LRT station, Johan Setia.
Aeropod@Tanjung Aru
Located in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, the 60-acre Aeropod by SP Setia will be ushering in a lifestyle living within this commercial-residential project which also serves as a transportation hub as well. Aeropod will be connected to the Kota Kinabalu city center and the airport by four flyovers and a new train station at Tanjung Aru that are under construction. The project will have serviced apartments, condominiums, Smart Office Versatile Office (SOVO), hotels and a shopping mall by a wide outdoor courtyard for lifestyle and cultural activities. A garden deck is in the landscape to harmonize the overall fast-paced lifestyle at Aeropod.
