SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - The Giverny Residences, a boutique development with just six apartments, is set to preview on April 15. The property is at 6 Robin Drive in prime District 10 and sits on a 10,245 sq ft freehold site.
The site was purchased en bloc for $17 million in 2021 by Arc LH (a joint venture between Patrick Kho and property investment and development company Lian Huat Group) jointly with 2E Capital and “a few other close friends”, says Kho, group managing director of Lian Huat Group. (See potential condos with en bloc calculator)
With a plot ratio of 1.4, the site could yield a new upmarket boutique development of 13 apartments, based on an average unit size of 100 sq m (1,076 sq ft). But a 100 sq m floor space presented constraints in creating generous living spaces, says Kho.
At The Giverny Residences sales gallery (from left): Warren Liu of A D Lab; Peter Tay of Peter Tay Studio; Jelle Hendrik Therry of Henning Larsen; and Patrick Kho of Lian Huat Group (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
“We decided to go for larger format units with proper-sized living rooms, wet and dry kitchens and en suite bedrooms,” he adds. “We saw the demand for large units and the lack of supply in such homes in the prime luxury market and decided to take the plunge.” Hence, the developer decided to halve the number of units to just six.
The first person Kho contacted after acquiring the site was Warren Liu, director and co-founder of A D Lab. The Giverny Residences marks the third collaboration between Lian Huat Group and A D Lab. Previously, A D Lab designed Lian Huat Group’s Ibis Styles Singapore on Macpherson, followed by 8 Hullet, a 44-unit apartment block on Hullet Road, a quiet stretch between Cairnhill Road and Emerald Hill Road.
8 Hullet was developed jointly by Arc LH (the joint venture between Kho and Lian Huat Group), 2E Capital and Mondyan and completed in June 2022. By April 2022, the developers had sold out the project at an average price of $3,379 psf, based on URA Realis. The highest psf price achieved was for a 538 sq ft one-bedroom that fetched $3,698 psf or $1.99 million in July 2019.
At The Giverny, every unit has a different layout. Rendering of the living room of a 2,734 sq ft, four-bedroom unit on the fourth level by Peter Tay Studio (Picture: Robin Development Pte Ltd)
While 8 Hullet featured mainly one -and two-bedroom compact apartments, the units at The Giverny Residences are a mix of three- and four-bedrooms with sizes from 1,873 sq ft to 2,756 sq ft.
Apart from the second level, where there are two units, the first to the fifth levels contain just one apartment each. “Every unit has a different layout and every floor has a garden terrace and a pool,” says A D Lab’s Liu, the project architect for The Giverny Residences.
AD Lab has also designed many private houses and Good Class Bungalows in Singapore over the past two decades. Liu saw the opportunity to create The Giverny Residences as “villas in the sky”. “It will be very exclusive,” he adds. “Stepping out of your apartment will be like walking into your private garden and pool, similar to the experience of living in a house.”
Adds Liu: “We wanted to create a lush, idyllic setting which is rare as it’s hard to achieve in a high-rise, urban environment in Singapore.” Inspiration for the garden concept came from the gardens created by French painter and master of impressionism Claude Monet at his home in Giverny, close to Paris and Rouen.
To bring it to reality at The Giverny Residences on Robin Drive in Singapore, Liu collaborated with landscape architect Jelle Hendrik Therry, the design director at Henning Larsen, formerly Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl.
The sky terrace on the fourth level, where the leaf-like roof structure depicts filtered light from the trees with A D Lab as the project architect and Henning Larsen as the landscape architect (Picture: Robin Development Pte Ltd)
Therry was part of the team that designed the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park under the Active, Beautiful and Clean Waters Programme. He was also involved in the landscape design of luxury condos such as CanningHill Piers, One Pearl Bank, 15 Holland Hill and MeyerHouse. “We have increasingly stepped into the high-end residential market,” he says. “We feel that there’s a need for it. We need to bring people closer to nature, to have this conversation about biophilia.”
By creating a garden nestled within the building at The Giverny, Therry hopes to bring nature closer to the future residents there. “And we hope the birds will build their nests here, and the butterflies will come,” he adds.
Principles of biophilia permeate the architecture of the building. Facade walls are concrete form lines embossed with wood. “We want to create this natural, grainy texture against the vibrant and diverse flora and fauna,” says Liu. He adds that the roof has a leaflike structure depicting the trees’ filtered light.
The external deck and terraces will be of timber. The landscape architect has also proposed harvesting rainwater at the rooftop. “We can store the rainwater and reuse it to irrigate the plants in the development,” says Therry. “We are reusing what nature gives us.”
These efforts resulted in The Giverny Residences attaining the highest accolade in sustainability, a BCA Green Mark Platinum rating.
The outdoor deck and pool on the third level (Picture: Robin Development Pte Ltd)
Lian Huat Group has engaged celebrity designer Peter Tay of the eponymous Peter Tay Studio to create the virtual walkthrough of the interiors of the different units. “When I looked at the floor plans done by Warren [Liu of A D Lab], and the architecture and landscape design, I liked its simplicity,” says Tay. “It’s about creating an immersive experience, incorporating elements of exclusivity and sublimity.”
Tay created a video walkthrough and renderings that reflect that immersive experience: “It’s about being wrapped around by the space and the greenery,” he says. “I used my signature reflective ceiling to capture the external spaces and greenery outside and the luxury of the internal spaces.”
Tay, whose clientele includes tycoons and celebrities from Singapore and overseas, highlights that The Giverny will appeal to foreigners. “They like large units,” he says. What is appealing about the design is the fact that “there is no clear boundary between the internal and external space,” he observes. “Open your glass door and enjoy your private enclosed space. Even the external garden and pool provided by the developer become part of your private space.”
The outdoor landscaped space and pool provided by the developer range from 380 sq ft to 1,133 sq ft, as every floor has a unique landscape design. “It’s like having your private pool and garden, but managed by the MCST [management corporation strata title] board in the future,” says Lian Huat’s Kho.
Outdoor spaces will enjoy a double-volume ceiling height. The living and dining area and all the bedrooms will have a 3m ceiling height.
The interiors will feature marble flooring, top-end brands in fittings and appliances such as Miele kitchen appliances, quartz kitchen countertops from Caesarstone, Poliform wardrobes and cabinets, bathroom accessories and fittings from Gessi and Laufen. All the bedrooms will be en suite, with the master bedrooms provided with an en suite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe.
Rendering of a master bedroom on the fourth level of The Giverny (Picture: Robin Development Pte Ltd)
At The Giverny Residence, prices of units will start from $5.5 million for a three-bedroom; and upwards of $9.5 million for a four-bedroom. Kho reckons the average price is likely to be $3,500 psf.
The appointed marketing agencies are PropNex and Huttons Asia. Interest from ultra-high-net-worth individuals has been for bulk purchases, says Dominic Lee, head of the luxury team at PropNex. The developer has indicated $48 million as the price tag for the entire project to a sole buyer.
“We had multiple enquiries about buying all six units in the development,” adds Lee. Other enquiries included acquiring the two units on the second level and amalgamating them, while others are looking at acquiring units on two consecutive floors.
In recent months, Lee has seen more interest from overseas family offices looking to purchase property in Singapore. “We are seeing an increase in enquiries, particularly from China and Taiwan,” he says.
There are very few large-format residential units for sale today, says Daniel Lim, director of project sales and marketing at Huttons Asia. He sees the four-bedroom units at The Giverny drawing buyers. “Besides occupying an entire level, each unit has its own dedicated sky deck and pool accessible from their patio”, he adds.
According to Lim, some wealthy families want to buy an entire development for personal use. He highlights Swire Properties’ sale of all 20 units at Eden at 2 Draycott Park to the family behind snack F&B manufacturer Want Want Holdings for $293 million ($4,827 psf) two years ago.
“Unlike buying an investment property, buying a home has more considerations,” says Lim. “This is because many of them want to personalise their own space. We understand from the developer that they are happy to listen to some design requirements and customisation. Given that it’s a boutique development, it’s easier to customise the space for the owner’s use.”
Check out the latest listings near The Giverny Residences, Robin Drive, 8 Hullet, CanningHill Piers, One Pearl Bank, 15 Holland Hill, MeyerHouse