Lentor Modern: Setting the tone for the Lentor Hills estate
/ EdgeProp Singapore |
Dora Chng (left), director, residential, and Jois Phoo, director, project & product, of GuocoLand, receiving the Design Excellence, Landscape Excellence, Innovation Excellence, Marketing Excellence and Showflat Excellence awards for Lentor Modern from Cowie Tan, chief marketing officer of EdgeProp Singapore (Picture: Albert Chua/The Edge Singapore)
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When GuocoLand launched the residences at Lentor Modern, their integrated mixed-use development in the Lentor Hills Estate, in September 2022, it garnered an extremely positive reception. On the project’s launch day, 508 out of the 605 homes available were sold, resulting in an impressive 84% take-up rate.
Being the inaugural launch in the burgeoning estate, Lentor Modern’s robust performance signifies a promising beginning for this emerging neighbourhood. “Lentor Modern demonstrated once again our acumen to spot new locations with great potential and our ability to introduce innovative and exceptional developments to anchor a new district identity,” Cheng Hsing Yao, GuocoLand’s CEO, said in a press release.
Since then, another 51 units have been sold at Lentor Modern, based on caveats lodged as of Sept 28. This means that Lentor Modern is over 92% sold with units transacted at an average price of $2,101 psf.
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The project has achieved a similarly successful showing at this year’s EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards (EPEA). The development scored an outstanding seven wins, picking up titles for Top Development, Landscape Excellence, Innovation Excellence, Marketing Excellence, Design Excellence, Sustainability Excellence and Showflat Excellence.
The 605-unit Lentor Modern is the first and only integrated development in the Lentor Hills estate (Picture: Samuel Isaac Chua/The Edge Singapore)
Activation of Lentor Hills
Lentor Modern sits on a 99-year leasehold site on Lentor Central that was awarded to GuocoLand in July 2021 through a Government Land Sale (GLS) tender. The developer beat eight other bidders for the site with a bid of $784.1 million or $1,204 psf per plot ratio (psf ppr).
The 186,001 sq ft plot zoned for residential use with commercial space on the first storey was the first land parcel sold in Lentor Hills. Situated off Yio Chu Kang Road, the area is encircled by well-established private housing enclaves, primarily consisting of mixedland housing.
The sale of the inaugural site in Lentor Hills marked the initiation of an area previously characterised by vacant land. This site witnessed robust competition due to its proximity to the recently constructed Lentor MRT Station. Part of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), the station opened in August 2021. It provides a direct route to the downtown area and will offer further connectivity to the east upon the TEL’s full completion by 2025.
After it was awarded the site in July 2021, GuocoLand unveiled its development concept for Lentor Modern a year later. As the first and only integrated mixed-use development in Lentor Hills, Lentor Modern will comprise three 25-storey residential towers above a podium. The podium houses a mall offering over 96,000 sq ft of F&B and retail shops, including a 12,000 sq ft supermarket and a 10,000 sq ft childcare centre. The development will be directly connected with the Lentor MRT Station.
Lentor Modern will be integrated with the Lentor MRT Station on the Thomson-East Coast Line (Picture: GuocoLand)
In an Aug 31, 2022 press statement, GuocoLand CEO Cheng acknowledged the project’s role in shaping the landscape of Lentor Hills. “Our vision is for Lentor Modern to transform and redefine the Lentor area into an upscale and attractive residential and lifestyle destination,” he said.
Beyond Lentor Modern, the developer plays a key role in the area’s development. In July, Lentor Hills Residences, a 598-unit condo on Lentor Hills Road by GuocoLand, Hong Leong Holdings and TID (a joint venture between Hong Leong Holdings and Mitsui Fudosan), launched for sale. Caveats lodged as of Sept 28 show that 385 (64%) of the condo’s units have sold at an average price of $2,082 psf. In April, a joint venture between GuocoLand and Intrepid Investments (a subsidiary of Hong Leong Holdings) was awarded a GLS site at Lentor Gardens for $486.8 million ($985 psf ppr). The future development at the site will have around 533 residences and include roughly 6,500 sq ft of childcare facilities.
Nature-inspired design
Lentor Modern is nestled in a natural haven, with the lush landscapes of Lower Peirce Reservoir Park, Thomson Nature Park, and Lower Seletar Reservoir Park nearby. Soon, Hillock Park will be conveniently situated just across the road from Lentor Modern.
The condo site was historically part of Lentor Forest, with a freshwater stream. Inspired by the site’s original landscape, GuocoLand wanted Lentor Modern’s design to reflect its ties to nature. ADDP Architects was brought on to design the project, together with landscape architect Ortus Design.
To emulate a winding stream, Lentor Modern features a series of interconnected water bodies on the fourth level of the development, totalling more than 200m in length. The water bodies include a leisure pool, a 50m lap pool, another 25m, and spa and jacuzzi pools.
Lentor Modern features interconnected waterbodies totalling over 200m (Picture: GuocoLand)
The landscaping at Lentor Modern was designed to embrace a natural and organic aesthetic. On the ground floor, a charming trail of greenery will be created with tree groves, and giant forest trees will be planted at the mall’s public plaza.
The nature-inspired design extends to the residential towers’ façade, which features dark, earthy tones. Entrances to the podium are also framed with greenery that mimics treetop canopies. In all, some 150 plant species will be planted at Lentor Modern.
Tang Kok Thye, associate partner at ADDP Architects, adds that consideration was given to the surrounding flora and fauna and how the development could potentially impact wildlife in the area. Less reflective glass was chosen for the project to prevent the risk of birds flying into windows, along with railings for the balconies instead of glass panels.
Spaces for rest and play
The bulk of Lentor Modern’s facilities are located along the interconnected water bodies on Level Four. In addition to the pools, there are multiple gardens, lawns and pavilions. Other facilities include indoor and outdoor gyms, a sun deck, and a mini golf area. There is also a tennis court, a playground, an allotment garden with community planters, and an area with glamping tents.
The condo’s clubhouse offers function rooms, a business lounge, a games room and a dance studio. At Level 14 of each of the three residential towers, a Sky Club offers additional open areas for exercise, two dining rooms for entertaining, naturally ventilated work corners and an air-conditioned club lounge.
The clubhouse at Lentor Modern (Picture: GuocoLand)
With the post-pandemic shift towards hybrid working, several areas were integrated to accommodate residents working or studying from home. The business lounge at the clubhouse is equipped with private booths for hot-desking and a meeting room for up to six people, while at Level 14, the club lounge and work corners provide alternative spaces to work. On Level Four, residents can pop into one of the various pavilions to hold private calls, meetings, private tuition classes or study groups.
Modern luxury living
Lentor Modern is the third project to debut under GuocoLand’s “Modern” series of residences. The first development in this collection is Martin Modern, the 450-unit development on Martin Place, which launched in July 2017 and was completed in 2021. In March 2021, GuocoLand launched Midtown Modern, its 558-unit integrated development along Tan Quee Lan Street.
According to GuocoLand, the series defines a modern luxury lifestyle through timeless and classic architecture combined with an efficient and adaptable layout design that supports living, working and entertaining at home. It also espouses a strong focus on wellness through accessibility to nature and an emphasis on social activity through shared amenities.
Showflat of a two-bedroom unit (Picture: Samuel Isaac Chua/The Edge Singapore)
At Lentor Modern, units comprise one- to four-bedroom units ranging from 527 sq ft to 1,528 sq ft. A “flex room” was incorporated into the layout for two- to four-bedroom units. The space can be adapted for various uses, such as a home office, a nursery or a hobby room. The use can also change depending on the homeowner’s lifestyle. It comes with a window for natural ventilation.
For the three- and four-bedders, the flex room is positioned near the master bedroom, allowing owners to utilise the space as a walk-in wardrobe, baby room or an en suite study.
Other thoughtful layout considerations were incorporated into the design, such as an efficient dumbbell layout for two-bedroom units, wet and dry kitchen areas in all four-bedroom units, and yard space for select three- and four-bedroom types. All units include kitchen appliances from Smeg and bathroom fixtures from Hansgrohe and Roca.
As part of the “Modern” series, residents at Lentor Modern will have access to a concierge service, which offers assistance, including parcel receiving and taxi booking.
Lentor’s transformation
As the first project to launch in Lentor Hills, GuocoLand faced the key task of introducing prospective buyers to the neighbourhood. Highlighting Lentor’s forthcoming transformation through Lentor Modern and future developments played a vital part in GuocoLand’s marketing strategy for the project.
In its marketing materials, information on the current and future development plans for the area was included, while GuocoLand’s track record in successfully executing transformative integrated mixed-use projects such as Guoco Tower and Guoco Midtown was also emphasised.
For Lentor Modern specifically, GuocoLand underscored a “One Lift Ride Lifestyle” offered by the project, where residents can take a lift from their condo straight down to the integrated mall with a wide range of retail, supermarket and F&B options. As part of a transit-oriented development integrated with the Lentor MRT Station, residents have a direct and convenient route to Orchard Road, Singapore Botanic Gardens, the CBD and Marina Bay.
The main hall of the sales gallery for Lentor Modern (Picture: Albert Chua/The Edge Singapore)
The sales gallery for the project was carefully crafted to amplify the concept and design of Lentor Modern. The sales gallery includes a main hall with a skylight that houses the scale model, while steps lead visitors to a separate area with the showflat units. Evoking the project’s design, the sales gallery utilises a dark palette combined with lush foliage and natural lighting to provide a distinct visitor experience.
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