SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - Property developer Hong How Land intends to launch Claydence, its boutique condominium at the corner of Still Road and Koon Seng Road, on Feb 11. This will mark “Hong How Group’s return to residential projects after over 15 years”, says Teo Teck Weng, director of Hong How Land, a joint venture between Hong How Corp (60%) and Marrion Capital (40%). He owns the companies together with his elder brother Daniel Teo, chairman and managing director of Hong How Group; their children are also shareholders of the companies.

Read also: Lian Beng Group to sell commercial building at Joo Chiat Road for $42 mil

The 28-unit Claydence sits on a 23,541 sq ft, freehold plot, the result of the amalgamation of three adjacent sites that Hong How purchased two years ago. One site is the former 29-room Malacca Hotel at 97 and 99 Still Road, while the second site is the adjacent two-storey apartment block at 137 Koon Seng Road, which the hotel operator used as a workers’ quarters and for its administrative work. Hong How purchased the two sites en bloc for $21 million in a deal brokered by CBRE at the close of the tender at end-March 2021. (See potential condos with en bloc calculator)

Hong How followed up with the purchase of the third site at 133 Koon Seng Road for $14.5 million in a private treaty deal four months later. On the site of 133 Koon Seng Road is a five-storey apartment block with 10 units. Teo learnt that the family owning the property was looking to sell. Hence, it made sense to purchase the site for amalgamation as “the Malacca Hotel site was too tight”, says Teo.

The former Malacca Hotel has since been demolished. The five-storey apartment block at 133 Koon Seng Road is the next building headed for demolition. With excavation works underway on the site, the sales gallery for Claydence is located at #01-09/10 in Wilkie Edge at 8 Wilkie Road. Completion of Claydence is scheduled for April 2026.

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Mix of one- to four-bedders

Typical apartments at Claydence range from one- to three-bedroom units. One-bedroom units are 614 sq ft, with two-bedroom units of 786 sq ft and two-bedroom-plus-study units ranging from 872 sq ft to 915 sq ft. Three-bedroom units are 1,076 sq ft, with three-bedroom-plus-study from 1,206 to 1,313 sq ft.

There are four duplex penthouses on the fourth and fifth floors: a two-bedroom penthouse of 980 sq ft, three-bedroom of 1,475 sq ft, a four-bedroom premium of 2,185 sq ft, and four-bedroom-plus-study of 2,164 sq ft.

“We have positioned Claydence to appeal mainly to owner-occupiers seeking the vibes of nearby Joo Chiat, and proximity to desirable schools and East Coast Park,” says Teo. Popular schools in the vicinity include CHIJ Katong Primary and Tao Nan School. It is also less than 800m from Eunos MRT Station, which is just one MRT stop from the Paya Lebar Interchange Station for the East-West and Circle Lines.

DS Architects is the appointed architect for Claydence with Wallflower as the design consultant. The architects’ inspiration for the design of the project came from “the New York brownstone”, notes Teo. “Theirs is a modern interpretation — distilling the Brownstones’ iconic colours to the brick façade features.”

Complementing the brick-tiled façade are the floors and walls which will be finished in European porcelain tiles made from white clay. The name “Claydence” was inspired by “clay being the predominant material coupled with residence”, says Teo.

Landscaping, facilities

Landscaping at Claydence by landscape architectural firm Coen Design International includes tropical and heritage trees and shrubs along Still Road and Koon Seng Road to cushion any traffic noise. All units will have aluminium-framed glass panels leading to the balconies. These aluminium frames by Belgian aluminium-maker Reynaers Aluminium  “will have wind load resistance and noise reduction features”, according to Teo.

The basement carpark will have 27 parking spaces to serve 28 units. This will alleviate any anxiety residents have of not being able to secure a parking space — “a common frustration of residents in boutique developments with limited first-storey parking”, says Teo.

Communal facilities on the attic level include an elevated swimming pool shaded by trees and shrubs, a pool deck bar, jacuzzi, an edible garden and indoor gym. On the ground floor are different themed gardens, such as Chin Chow Garden, Ulam Garden and Ylang Ylang Garden, along with a multi-purpose room and barbeque deck.

‘Joo Chiat’s vibes’

Located at the edge of Still Road, Claydence is also within a short walking and cycling distance of Joo Chiat Road. “Joo Chiat is the new Tiong Bahru,” quips Teo. Famous eateries in the Joo Chiat area include Fei Fei Wantan Mee, Joo Chiat Place Char Kway Teow and Kim Choo Kueh Chang, as well as Spanish Grill Asadore and Italian restaurant Cugini Trattoria Pizzeria.

Some of the sleepy coffeeshops that used to dot the Joo Chiat area have been replaced by artisanal bakeries and cafes, from Tigerlily Patisserie to Tiong Bahru Bakery and Kings Cart Coffee Factory, as well as Apiary ice-cream store, The Cheese Shop, wine shop Bound By Wine and Japanese butchery Ginkakuji Onishi.

“In time, those now-quiet shops along Still Road (towards Eunos) and a few along Koon Seng Road might undergo gentrification, extending Joo Chiat’s vibes to the doorstep of Claydence,” says Teo.

Commercial developments 

Before Claydence, Hong How’s developments over the past decade and a half were mainly commercial. They include a pair of four-storey conserved shophouses at 36 and 38 Armenian Street, built in the Art Deco style between the 1930s and 1950s. The shops have a mix of F&B and art galleries on the first level and Soho-style office units on the upper floors.

Another development by Hong How is at 292 Joo Chiat Road, a restored four-storey commercial conservation building. Hong How purchased the building in 2016. Back then, it had shops on the first storey, with a student hostel on the upper floors. The previous owner was OCBC, which had operated a branch there since the 1950s. (Find Singapore commercial properties with our commercial directory)

Hong How restored the building at 292 Joo Chiat Road and its anchor tenant IWG signed a 10-year lease from April 1, 2020, to operate a 20,000 sq ft, co-working space. The architect and builder for 292 Joo Chiat Road are the same ones for Claydence, namely DS Architects and Boon Tian Contractor.

Hong How also project-managed two office buildings at 48 and 50 North Canal Road for Maybank-Kim Eng Securities. The firm developed, and continues to hold, B1 industrial buildings for rental income.

‘Resort-style’ developments

The last residential development by Hong How is the 51-unit, 99-year leasehold boutique condominium Lighthouse located in Pasir Ris near the Pasir Ris Park and the beach. Launched in 2001, the project was completed in 2004. Back in 2001 when the project was first launched, average price was $483 psf, based on caveats lodged with URA Realis.

In 2022, the average price of units sold in the resale market was $900 psf. It hit an all-time-high of $971 psf when a 1,195 sq ft, three-bedroom unit on the second level of the four-storey development changed hands for $1.19 million last September.

Meanwhile, Claydence will have prices ranging from $1.582 million ($2,577 psf) for the 614 sq ft, one-bedroom unit; to $5.353 million ($2,450 psf) for the 2,185 sq ft, four-bedroom penthouse. The “blended price will be $2,500 psf,” says Teo.

While Claydence is targeted at small families, Teo sees the project attracting singles, couples and investors too, given the unit sizes. Variations in unit sizes and bedroom types, including dining spaces for work from home, will have a unique appeal, he adds.

Teo reckons Claydence will appeal to foreign buyers too, given its spacious interiors and resort-style facilities, “including pockets of breakout spaces within lush greenery”.

Check out the latest listings near Claydence, Lighthouse, Still Road, Koon Seng Road, Joo Chiat, Armenian Street, North Canal Road, Eunos MRT Station, CHIJ Katong Primary, Tao Nan School

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