A unique feature at Lush Acres — a 380-unit executive condominium off Sengkang West Way — is its 100m lap pool. The size of the pool, uncommon in most condos and ECs, is one of the reasons the development won in the Top Executive Condominium category at the EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards this year.
According to ADDP Architects, which designed Lush Acres, the 100m lap pool is one of the project’s selling features. While the pool was designed with serious swimmers in mind, thought was also given to those who could not swim full laps. ADDP put in rest spots along the pool, such as a sunken lounge with plush sofas around a central table.
“The size of the pool gives a resort-living vibe,” says Ong Choon Fah, CEO of property consultancy Edmund Tie & Co (ET&Co). A clubhouse with a gym, a function room and steam rooms was also built near the pool to capitalise on the view.
Lush Acres is a 380-unit executive condominium off Sengkang West Way (Credit: CDL)
The development was designed with sustainability in mind. It won the Building and Construction Authority Green Mark (Platinum) award. Building materials that require little maintenance such as composite timber decking — comprising recycled plastic and organic fibres — were used at the common spaces in the condo.
Another feature that the judges found exceptional was the AgriCube, a hydroponic farm for residents to grow their greens. The Agri- Cube was imported from Japan, in collaboration with Daiwa House, a Japanese construction and real estate giant. Residents who wish to grow temperate greens can rent the space for a period of time, as determined by management. The farm is kept locked and only those who have rented a space will be given the keys to access it.
As energy consumption for the AgriCube is high, it draws power from both solar energy and electricity to maintain a cool temperature. At night, the interior of the farm is well lit. “We wanted to bring in the idea that farming can also be done at night,” says Alen Low, an architect with ADDP.
EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards judges at the AgriCube, a hydroponic farm at Lush Acres (Credit: Samuel Isaac Chua/ The Edge Singapore)
Lush Acres is now fully sold. The highest absolute price fetched at the EC was in January 2014, when a 1,722 sq ft, five-bedroom unit on the 25th floor was sold for 1.28 million ($740 psf), according to caveats lodged with URA. Overall, psf prices at the project have ranged from $673 to $929. Lush Acres obtained its temporary occupation permit in 2016.
Half of the units at the EC have a verandah outside the living room. There are four units on every floor, two of which feature verandahs. This design is alternated on every floor, giving an “interlocking box effect”, says Low. The concept was drawn from landed homes. “In landed property, you come in through a car porch, then walk into the living room,” Low explains. “We designed the verandahs such that homeowners would be shielded from rain when entering their homes,” he adds.
The clubhouse is built to capitalise on the view of the lap pool (Credit: Samuel Isaac Chua/ The Edge Singapore)
ET&Co’s Ong says Lush Acres has a spatial layout that is well thought through. “The development is stacked up quite high, which frees up a lot of space for the facilities on the grounds,” she notes. In addition, the blocks are designed with a north-south orientation to minimise heat from the sun. Each block is laid out with ample distance from the others to give residents privacy.
Lush Acres is close to schools such as Pei Hwa Secondary School, an eight-minute walk away, and Fernvale Primary School, a 12-minute walk away. Layar LRT station, which connects to Sengkang MRT station on the North East Line, is six minutes by foot from the development.