GuocoLand to set new benchmark with launch of Lentor Modern, ‘the only integrated development’ in Lentor area
By Cecilia Chow
/ EdgeProp Singapore |
Lentor Modern has three 25-storey towers, a 96,000 sq ft retail mall and is linked underground to the Lentor MRT station (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - GuocoLand’s Lentor Modern, the first project and the only integrated development in the up-and-coming Lentor Hills estate, will preview on Sept 2. The development will have 605 residential units across three 25-storey residential towers as well as a retail mall. The entire development will be linked underground to the Lentor MRT Station on the Thomson-East Coast Line.
The 96,000 sq ft retail space at Lentor Modern has a prominent frontage at street level. Due to the slope of the terrain, the mall has one floor at one end and three floors at the other end. While the shops and F&B outlets are on the first level, a 12,000 sq ft supermarket sits on the second level and a 10,000 sq ft childcare centre is on the third. “The project is designed such that residents can have direct access to all the amenities in under one minute — from the MRT station to the shops, groceries, dining options and the childcare centre,” says Dora Chng, GuocoLand general manager (residential).
The Lentor Hills estate may be a new residential area with nothing but vacant land at the moment. However, it is located within an established private housing enclave, and accessible via Yio Chu Kang Road and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5. “The Lentor area is an interesting, affluent neighbourhood, surrounded by private housing estates,” says Cheng Hsing Yao, CEO of GuocoLand. “It’s close to nature, but what it doesn’t have is a hub, a centre where the surrounding community can gather.”
Lentor Modern, which has a public plaza fronting the mall, is positioned as the new hub for the neighbourhood. “There will also be public spaces for people to gather,” adds Cheng. “It will be positioned as a chic retail and social village.”
Lentor Modern, an integrated development with 605 residential units on top of a mall with 96,000 sq ft of retail space (Picture: GuocoLand)
‘New way of life’
He sees Lentor Modern introducing “an exciting new way of life” in the Lentor area. “That’s why we are using it as the ‘Modern’ series.” Lentor Modern will be the third iteration of the series after Martin Modern at Martin Place near Robertson Quay and Midtown Modern in the Beach Road-Bugis area. Lentor Modern marks GuocoLand’s third collaboration with ADDP Architects in the Modern series, and its second collaboration with landscape architect Ortus Design, which was also involved in Midtown Modern.
Sitting on a 186,000 sq ft, 99-year leasehold site, Lentor Modern fronts a hillock, that will become the Lentor Hillock Park in the future. “While designing Lentor Modern, we studied the history of the area, and we learnt that the site used to be part of Lentor Forest, and there was a stream running through it,” says GuocoLand’s Chng. “So we asked the architect, ADDP, to create a development that celebrates the history of the site.”
This led to the creation of a series of interconnected waterbodies of more than 200m on the fourth level of the development. The waterbodies include a leisure pool, a 50m lap pool, another 25m lap pool, and spa and jacuzzi pools. Facilities include a clubhouse with a business lounge, games room and dance studio, as well as entertainment spaces, pavilions, indoor and outdoor gyms, and a children’s playground.
There are four bridges that span across the waterway, says Tang Kok Thye, associate partner of ADDP Architects. The landscaping and facilities account for about 66% of the site area and GuocoLand is also introducing more than 100 species of plants into the landscaping.
“We spent a lot of time and effort in beautifying the landscaping and making it look more natural and less manicured,” says Tang. “The façade of the building with the bark-like texture and darker tone was also designed to mimic nature, given the location of the site. We avoided putting too much reflective glass for the sake of the birds. As for the balconies, instead of using glass, we are using railings for the same reason,” he adds.
Showflat of a 'flex room' that has been turned into workspace for two (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Catering for hybrid work
Besides the fourth floor, there are also amenities on the 14th floor of each residential tower. The landscaped spaces will have dining rooms for entertaining and naturally ventilated work corners as well as an air-conditioned club lounge.
In addition to these work corners and the club lounge on the 14th level, there are also multiple pavilions on the fourth level where residents can hold private calls, meetings, private tuition classes or study groups. Booths for hotdesking and meeting areas are also available within the clubhouse.
“The landscaped spaces on the 14th floor are an extension of the residents’ living rooms, and cater to those who want to work from home but do not wish to stay within their apartment,” says Chng.
The 'flex room' next to the master bedroom can be used as a nursery, a study, walk-in wardrobe or a bed loft (Picture: GuocoLand)
Residential units with ‘flex room’
The 605 units at Lentor Modern are a mix of one- to four-bedroom units. The two- to four-bedroom units come with an additional “flex room” that caters to a multitude of uses. It can be used as a nursery, a playroom, a study room for two people, a walk-in wardrobe or even a small guest room. “That flex room is one of the ways we support adaptation of spaces, not just on a daily basis but also through time,” says GuocoLand’s Cheng.
Units at Lentor Modern will be priced from $1,880 psf, according to GuocoLand.
One-bedders of 527 sq ft make up just 10.4% of the units at Lentor Modern, with prices from $1.088 million ($2,065 psf). Two-bed- room units have dumbbell layouts and sizes of 678 and 732 sq ft. They make up 38.2% of the units. Prices of the two-bedders start from $1.388 million ($2,047 psf).
Three-bedroom units account for 41% of the units at Lentor Modern and they have the widest range from 969 sq ft to 1,130 sq ft. Prices start from $1.878 million ($1,938 psf). Four-bedroom units are spacious at 1,528 sq ft, and they make up just 10.4% of the units at Lentor Modern. Prices are from $2.918 mil- lion ($1,910 psf).
GuocoLand is providing Smeg kitchen appliances for all units. The common bedrooms are designed to fit a queen-sized bed while the master bedroom can fit a king-sized bed.
Showflat of a 1,528 sq ft, four-bedroom unit. Such units make up just 10.4% of the total at Lentor Modern (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
‘Pole position’ at Lentor
The Lentor Modern site is considered the most premium in the new Lentor Hills estate as it is the only one that is connected to the MRT station, according to Lee Sze Teck, Huttons Asia senior director (research). GuocoLand beat eight others to win the site in July 2021 with a bid of $784.1 million or $1,204 psf per plot ratio (psf ppr).
“When we buy land, we always want to be in a pole position — we like to be right at the centre of the action — you see that at Guoco Tower in Tanjong Pagar, Guoco Midtown on Beach Road and now at Lentor Modern,” says GuocoLand’s Cheng.
Next door to Lentor Modern is a residential site, Lentor Hills Road (Parcel A), which a joint venture comprising Hong Leong Holdings (40%), GuocoLand (30%) and TID (30%) won in January with a bid of $586.6 million ($1,060 psf ppr).
Three more sites at Lentor Hills were launched for sale via the government land sales (GLS) programme in May. The land tender for Lentor Central and Lentor Hills Road (Parcel B) will both close on Sept 13. Two other sites are on the reserve list, namely a residential parcel at Lentor Gardens and another site at Lentor Central.
The URA has released six sites on the Government Land Sales programme (Source: EdgeProp Landlens)
Including the two sites that have been sold, URA has released a total of six development plots in the Lentor Hills area to date. There are another five sites in the pipeline for launch, bringing the total to 11 in the estate. “Of the 11 plots, Lentor Modern’s is the nicest plot,” says Ken Low, managing partner of SRI. “It also has the highest plot ratio as some of the other residential plots have a plot ratio of just 1.4. The Lentor Modern site is also the second biggest plot in the area.”
Low sees Lentor Modern transforming the Lentor area. “It will make the neighbourhood more upmarket,” he says. “There is more excitement about the area now that GuocoLand has gone in, given their track record when it comes to transforming neighbourhoods.”
ADDP Architects’ Tang considers the Lentor Modern site as “the best” in the area too. Given the orientation of the site, Lentor Modern is overlooking the private housing estate, which is low rise. “You can enjoy unblocked views above the fourth floor,” he adds.
Lentor Modern will be integrated with the Lentor MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line (Photo: Albert Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
Connectivity with Thomson East Coast Line
With Lentor Modern scheduled for completion in 2026, one year after the scheduled completion of Phases 4 and 5 of the Thomson-East Coast Line, residents will have all the amenities in place when they move in, says SRI’s Low.
The Lentor MRT station is connected to the Thomson-East Coast Line and the rest of the MRT network, says Huttons’ Lee. “There are five interchanges on the Thomson East Coast Line, allowing commuters to transit to all the other MRT lines in Singapore. This will bring residents to different parts of the island like Botanic Gardens, Orchard Road, Marina Bay.” There will also be two more parks in the area in the future: Hillock Park and Linear Park, adds Lee.
The last major launch of a project in the Outside Central Region (OCR) was AMO Residence in July. Located at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, 98% of 372 units were snapped up on the first weekend of launch. The average price of units sold was about $2,100 psf.
The public launch of Lentor Modern is scheduled for Sept 17. Property agents are estimating the average launch price to hit the “$2,200 to $2,300 psf range”.
Ismail Gafoor, CEO of PropNex, says: “Given that Lentor Modern is an integrated development, and people are willing to pay a premium for the convenience of having an MRT station or shopping mall at their doorstep, it is expected to achieve marginally higher average price than AMO Residence.”
The dearth of new supply of non-landed residential units in the OCR is also likely to lead to strong sales. Gafoor expects Lentor Modern to see sales “above 70% — in line with what was achieved at Piccadilly Grand and Liv @ MB”.
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