[UPDATED] CSC Land’s Verdale banks on greenery, previews on Sept 5
By Cecilia Chow
/ EdgeProp Singapore |
SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - CSC Land Group and COLI Singapore will preview their joint venture project, Verdale, on Sept 5. CSC Land Group is the property development arm of China Construction (S.P.) Development Company. COLI Singapore is a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed China Overseas Land & Investment. Both China Construction and China Overseas Land Investment share a common parent company, namely China State Construction Engineering Corp.
Scale model of the 258-unit Verdale which has seven blocks arrayed around courtyard gardens and a 50m swimming pool (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
For COLI, the 258-unit Verdale will be its maiden project in Singapore. For CSC Land, it will be the group’s second development. Its first was the 520-unit Twin Vew at West Coast Vale which should be completed sometime in the coming months. Since the project was launched in May 2018, 92% of the units have been sold, based on caveats lodged to date.
COLI and CSC Land had won the site for Verdale in September 2018 with a bid of $215 million or $1,002 psf per plot ratio. The 153,224 sq ft, 99-year leasehold site is located on De Souza Avenue, just off Jalan Jurong Kechil in the Bukit Timah area in District 21. The attraction of the site is its location in a quiet, low-rise, private housing area, close to both Bukit Batok Nature Reserve as well as Bukit Timah Hill and Nature Reserve.
The development is also near the Beauty World area, where the Beauty World MRT station is located amid mixed-use complexes built in the 80s, such as Beauty World Plaza, Beauty World Shopping Centre and Bukit Timah Shopping Centre. However, this area is set for rejuvenation under the Master Plan 2019.
Landscaped courtyard garden at the sales gallery to give visitors a sense of the landscaping they will enjoy at the actual site (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
In June, URA launched the sale of a large residential and commercial site at Jalan Anak Bukit. The site will be integrated with a new bus interchange that will be linked to the existing Beauty World MRT station, creating an integrated transport hub. The site at Jalan Anak Bukit is expected to have up to 215,278 sq ft of commercial space, of which 80,729 sq ft is designated for restaurants and shops. Meanwhile, the residential component can be a mix of serviced apartments and flats. The tender, which was launched in June, is dual-envelope and will take into consideration both design and bid prices. The tender will close in March 2021.
“It will be more vibrant in the future — with the upcoming residential and commercial development at Jalan Anak Bukit integrated with the transport hub,” comments Choy Meng Yew, director of P&T Consultants. “We’ve seen how the integrated transport hub in Jurong East and the new developments in the vicinity have revived the area.”
‘Forest bathing’ concept
P&T Consultants is the design architect for Twin Vew and Verdale. According to Hsu Minn-Chih, director of P&T Consultants, the design of Verdale was inspired by the Japanese concept of “forest bathing” or shinrin-yoku, which simply means immersing oneself under the canopy of trees. “We wanted to create a distinct quality for Verdale, with an emphasis on wellness and serene lifestyle,” says Hsu. Hence, she designed the entrance to the development as “a grand portal”, to signify “a transitional space for homeowners to leave behind their hectic lifestyle when they enter the quiet, calm sanctuary of their home”, she adds.
Artist's impression of one of the landscaped features at Verdale, which was inspired by the Japanese concept of 'forest bathing' (Picture: CSC Land)
Verdale comprises seven, low-rise five-storey blocks arrayed around a central landscaped courtyard where the central feature is a 50m swimming pool. The courtyard is split into two levels to follow the terrain of the site, and is divided into intimate corners and areas. The clubhouse is also set within one of the courtyards and enjoys a view of a waterfall, while the other courtyard features a sunken pod for residents to enjoy “forest bathing”.
P&T also worked closely with Index Design on the interior design and layout of the units. Typical units range from one-bedroom of 463 sq ft to four-bedroom of 1,410 sq ft. About 57% or 147 units are two-bedders, with the majority comprising two-bedroom deluxe units of 700 to 753 sq ft. Three-bedroom and three-bedroom deluxe units sized from 947 to 1,033 sq ft make up another 54 units, while four-bedroom apartments account for 22 units.
Units on the ground floor, which range from one- to four-bedrooms, will come with a ceiling height of 4.3m. This gives owners the flexibility of creating a mezzanine level if they wish, says a CSC Land spokeswoman.
Showflat of a typical two-bedroom deluxe unit, which make up the majority of the two-bedroom types at Verdale (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
There are 12 duplex penthouses in the development, which are designed as “landed homes”, according to P&T’s Hsu, to allow future residents to enjoy views of the surrounding greenery and the security as well as facilities of a private condominium. Nine of the 12 duplex penthouses have four bedrooms and a family room, with sizes ranging from 1,518 to 1,528 sq ft; while the remaining three are 1,873 sq ft in floor area, and contain five bedrooms and a study. “We put in a lot of effort in creating storage space within the units, which is very important for home owners today,” says Hsu.
Units at Verdale are designed with large windows so that the interiors are bright and airy, says Angelena Chan, managing director of Index Design and the interior designer for Verdale.
Storage and transformational spaces
While the apartments are designed with space efficiency in mind, the lifestyle of the residents are also taken into consideration. “We imagine how people would use the space, how they want to live, work from home, and interact with the rest of the family,” says Chan. “We also wanted the space to have the flexibility to be transformed for different purposes.”
Showflat of a 1,410 sq ft, four-bedroom unit - there are only 22 such units at Verdale (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
For instance, the one-bedroom units are designed such that the partition to the bedroom can be fully opened like a studio to create more space. The four-bedroom units come with a built-in kitchen island or “atelier” that comes with power points. This gives the homeowner the flexibility to use the island as a workspace and also a juice bar, according to Henry Yew, associate director of Index Design.
The kitchen of the three-bedroom deluxe, four-bedroom and duplex penthouses will come with an “armadio”, an additional storage space created at the window ledges. This creates an additional surface for placing the rice cooker, flask or other kitchen appliances, freeing up the kitchen countertop for food preparation.
The master bedroom also comes with an “armoire”, a built-in dresser that comes with powerpoints, mirror, lighting and storage space. The armoire will be provided for two-bedroom deluxe, three-bedroom, three-bedroom deluxe and four-bedroom penthouses.
The kitchen island or atelier in the four-bedroom units (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Meanwhile, the area around the distribution board has been turned into a storage area called the “alcove” as it comes with little niches as well, which are ideal for putting keys, mobile phone or other knick knacks.
All the units will come with natural marble for the flooring of the living and dining area, walnut timber strips for the bedrooms, while the kitchen is fitted with durable quartz countertop and muted colour palette for the kitchen cabinets, says Index Design’s Yew. Kitchen appliances and even the washer-dryer are of the upscale French brand, De Dietrich.
Meanwhile, the bathrooms come with large panelled mirrors, sleek vertical shelves and even shelves next to the water closet. Bathroom sanitaryware and fittings feature top-end brands Villeroy & Boch as well as Grohe. “We put ourselves in the homeowners’ shoes and try to imagine what they would like to have in their homes,” adds Yew.
The bathrooms come with large panelled mirrors, sleek vertical shelves and even shelves next to the water closet (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Demand beyond Bukit Timah enclave
Buying interest is expected to come not only from residents in the Bukit Timah and Hillview areas, but from further afield, says the CSC Land spokeswoman. This is because the integrated transport hub is expected to make the area more accessible, she adds.
Recent launches in the Bukit Timah area of District 21 have seen strong buying interest. At Daintree Residence on Toh Tuck Road, 232 units at the 327-unit , 99-year leasehold private condo have already been sold, with an average price of $1,676 psf. Hence, the project is 71% sold since its launch two years ago.
Just across the road from Daintree Residence is the 633-unit Forett at Bukit Timah. The freehold development was launched by Chinese developer Qingjian Realty on Aug 8. To date, 205 units have been sold at an average price of $1,929 psf.
“There’s quite a lot of interest in the upcoming preview of Verdale,” says Alvin Tan, executive director of PropNex International, one of the joint marketing agents of the development along with ERA Realty Network and OrangeTee.
Prices are expected to start from $791,000 for a one-bedroom unit and from $998,000 for a two-bedroom unit.
Check out the latest listings near Twin Vew, Beauty World Plaza, Verdale, Daintree Residence, Forett at Bukit Timah.
For price trends, recent transactions, other project info, check out these projects' research page: Twin Vew, Beauty World Plaza, Verdale, Daintree Residence, Forett at Bukit Timah
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