Dr Sky Seah, academic director at the Department of Real Estate, NUS Business School, National University of Singapore (NUS), is a first-time judge at the EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards 2023.

For Seah, it was a positive experience. "You have a microcosm of professionals representing  different fields in the real estate sector coming together," she says. "Most things we looked at are tangible — the design, landscaping, location, site and community."

However, there are intangible aspects, too, notes Seah. "I look at what the architect and designers have created in a project and how that translates to value for the home buyers and the developer."

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Reading about a project when it was first launched and seeing the completed product gave Seah a new perspective. "I like to see and hear about the difficulties on the actual site and how the developers dealt with them. So, I like seeing the reality versus the plan."

She says that City Developments’ (CDL) Whistler Grand, the 716-unit private condo at West Coast Vale, off West Coast Road, epitomises how high-quality projects can also be affordable.

Another project that stood out for Seah was the 820-unit Piermont Grand completed in January. The executive condo (EC) by CDL and TID (a joint venture between Hong Leong Holdings and Mitsui Fudosan) fronts the Punggol Park Connector and My Waterway @ Punggol.

"It demonstrates how a project can engage with the neighbouring developments and still distinguish itself," she notes.

Piermont Grand's site elevation and tiered landscaping helped soften the landscape, continues Seah. The development complements the surroundings and adds vibrancy, with the residents' communal facilities located parallel to the park connector and waterway.

Far East Organization's Parksuites was another project that surpassed her expectations, as she had seen the former development, Henry Park Apartments. "Parksuites is seamlessly integrated with the park in front of it," she observes. "The design is thoughtfully executed, particularly in how the playground was chosen to complement the colours of the neighbouring Henry Park Primary School."

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Newly completed this year, Parksuites has 119 apartments and 22 retail units. "I like how the architect has positioned the retail units closer to the park," Seah says. "It's convenient not only for Parksuites' residents but also for the general public and those living in the Holland Grove neighbourhood. Such mixed-use developments can foster vibrancy and sustain the property's value."

At One Draycott, Seah admired how SDB Asia, the property arm of Selangor Dredging, and its architect, JGP Architecture, tackled the site constraints and excelled. "The architectural design and landscaping were well executed," she says. "The outcome is a meticulously designed luxurious project."

The typical units at One Draycott were two-bedroom units of 732 and 797 sq ft. "They reflect contemporary living in the metropolis," says Seah. "Given the rising population density and escalating land prices in the Central area, constructing more compact apartments is a sustainable way to maintain liveability and affordability."

Like her fellow judges, Seah commended Blossoms by the Park for developer EL Development's integration of the one-north Park with the site. She was impressed by how the developer and its architect, ADDP Architects, planned the public walkway running through the site and arrayed the retail units along the pathway to generate footfall.

EL Development intends to sell the whole retail podium to a single owner rather than the individual units. "This way, the new landlord can curate a tenant mix that will enhance footfall in the area and create a strong retail identity," she says. "With the right retail operator, it will work."

Likewise, GuocoLand is also curating the tenant mix at its integrated development, Lentor Modern. Besides its 605 residential units, the project has a 96,000 sq ft shopping mall, including a 12,000 sq ft supermarket and a 10,000 sq ft childcare centre linked directly to Lentor MRT Station (on the Thomson-East Coast Line).

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"With a strong developer and landlord like GuocoLand curating the tenant mix, and with anchor tenants secured, it will ensure the stability of the business for the mall and benefit the residents in the area," Seah notes.

In the hospitality segment, Seah was captivated by the originality of the concept at Garden Pod at Gardens by the Bay: shipping containers stacked on each other to create double-storey suites. "It's mobile; you can just dismantle and relocate it," she says. "In terms of sustainability, it is going in the right direction."

The five-star, 347-room Pan Pacific Orchard by UOL Group is a redevelopment of the former Negara Hotel on Claymore Road. The architect Woha created a "green, porous high-rise hotel development" with outdoor terraced gardens and cascading water features. "Achieving such a design, especially in an area as built-up as Orchard Road, is truly commendable," says Seah.

lyf one-north Singapore, by CapitaLand Ascott Trust, a co-living property set within Nepal Park in one-north designed by Woha, was also an exciting concept. It offers co-living and co-working spaces and areas for events and social interaction. "With the trend towards multi-hyphenated lifestyles, real estate, in mirroring life, is evolving to offer more flexible spaces," notes Seah.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed herein are those of Seah and do not represent the views and opinions of the National University of Singapore or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates