Pinetree Hill: How a next-gen luxury condo is transforming an ageing neighbourhood
By Cecilia Chow
/ EdgeProp Singapore |
At Pinetree Hill, 88% of the site area has been freed up for landscaping and facilities (Photo: UOL Group/Singapore Land Group)
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Three years from now, the Pine Grove neighbourhood will be transformed by a new generation of private condos, starting with the 520-unit Pinetree Hill. Developed by UOL Group and its wholly owned subsidiary, Singapore Land (SingLand) Group, the condo is scheduled for completion in 2027 and construction is underway.
Designed by renowned project architect P&T Consultants, Pinetree Hill sits on a 242,563 sq ft, 99-year leasehold site perched on a 10m hillside. The three 24-storey condo towers are raised a further 12.6m or about four storeys above ground. Residential units start from the second storey, which is equivalent to the eighth storey of a street-level apartment block. The towers are also oriented in a north-south direction to maximise cross-ventilation and views of the greenery.
The towers occupy a footprint of just 12%, freeing up 88% of the site for landscaping. Acclaimed landscape architect Henning Larsen drew inspiration for its landscape design from the neighbouring Clementi Forest and the surrounding greenery.
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The promenade of flowering trees and shrubs inspired by the wavy design of Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Calcada landscaped beachfront boardwalk (All pictures from UOL Group and Singapore Land Group)
Luxury in landscaping
The landscape has been organised into three different zones. The first zone is the main arrival plaza with a double-volume waterfall and landscaped pond. Beyond the arrival plaza is the “flower swathe”, a promenade of flowering trees and shrubs inspired by the wavy design of Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Calcada landscaped beachfront boardwalk.
Taking centre stage is the 50m lap pool, flanked by the gym and social space at one end and a floating pavilion at the other. There are also recreational pavilions set amid reflective pools designed for entertaining. The family zone has two more swimming pools — the recreational and children’s pool — which are organic-shaped. Around the poolside are function rooms where residents can host gatherings and parties.
The zone fronting Ulu Pandan Road takes on a forest theme, with a children’s play area set amid majestic conserved Angsana trees. The pièce de résistance here is the set of suspended “Pinetree Nest pavilions” nestled against the 10m hillside, offering an uninterrupted view of Clementi Forest across the road.
Unsurprisingly, Pinetree Hill has won the Landscape Excellence Award at the EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards (EPEA) 2024. It bagged the Sustainability Excellence Award as well as the ultimate price of Top Development. Hence, the project garnered three awards on the evening of Oct 30.
Pinetree Hill embodies UOL’s new-generation projects, which share the following characteristics: abundant greenery, emphasis on wellness and generous outdoor amenities.
The pool pavilion at the 50m lap pool
Forefront of sustainability
UOL is at the forefront of sustainability. Hence, it also won Top Sustainability Developer at EPEA 2024. The developer was among the first in Singapore to embrace prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction (PPVC) and prefabricated bathroom units (PBU) construction methods, where residential units and bathrooms are assembled in modules off-site. The interiors of these modules are completed with interior finishes, such as fittings and plumbing fixtures.
By using integrated digital delivery (IDD) and building information modelling (BIM), consultants and contractors can coordinate technical issues digitally ahead of construction, thereby minimising wastage and abortive work downstream.
The result is a clean and contemporary architectural design, with the façade featuring a solar shading device to cut out the sun’s glare.
To promote green transport, the developer will be providing electric vehicle charging stations in the basement carpark and dedicated bicycle parking bays at Pinetree Hill. The developer is also providing shuttle service for residents to the two nearest MRT stations, Buona Vista interchange (for the East-West and Circle Lines) and Holland Village (for the Circle Line). Covered walkways to side gates provide easy access to the bus stops along Ulu Pandan Road.
The three 24-storey residential towers at Pinetree Hill have a north-south orientation and are raised 12.6m above ground
Renewal of an ageing neighbourhood
The 520-unit condo has a mix of unit types, from one-bedroom-plus-study to five-bedroom premium units. The project is expected to rejuvenate the Pine Grove neighbourhood, which is currently dominated by two ageing private condos.
One is the 623-unit Pandan Valley, built in 1978 and sitting on a sprawling 865,000 freehold site. The other is Pine Grove, the privatised 40-year-old HUDC estate with 660 units spread across an 893,219 sq ft, 99-year leasehold site from 1984. Pine Grove has made five collective sale attempts since 2008. The latest was in February when the reserve price was lowered to $1.78 billion from $1.95 billion a year ago.
The last new private condo launched in the vicinity was 15 years ago — the 289-unit, freehold The Trizon on Ridgewood Close. The project was developed by SingLand and completed in 2012.
Seizing the opportunity to transform the Pine Grove neighbourhood in prime District 21, the UOL-SingLand joint venture beat five other bidders to win the Pine Grove (Parcel A) site in a government land tender that closed in June 2022. Its winning bid was $671.5 million or $1,318 psf per plot ratio.
The suspended "Pinetree Nest pavilions" nestled against the 10m hillside will offer an uninterrupted view of Clementi Forest
Best-selling RCR project of 2024
Pinetree Hill was launched in July 2023, with the first phase of 400 units released. About 63% of the units were taken up by the end of August.
In September, UOL-SingLand launched the remaining 120 units as Phase 2. These are the premium, high-floor apartments across various unit types with unobstructed views of the greenery in the neighbouring Clementi Forest and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
“The units in Phase 2 represent ‘modern living in a new era’ and capitalise on the rejuvenation of the Holland Road precinct,” says Liam Wee Sin, UOL Group CEO. “The refreshed showflat features an upmarket Holland Road lifestyle and has attracted buyers who identify with that lifestyle.”
The developer also capitalised on the Built Environment Transformation (BET) incentive scheme, which gave an additional 2% gross floor area (GFA) to enhance unit layouts. “The additional space is highly valued as upsizing makes them more liveable,” adds Liam.
In the Phase 2 launch, returning buyers viewed the additional GFA as “a distinct difference to the quality of the home”, notes Liam, thereby propelling the overall take-up rate of Pinetree Hill to 72% as at Oct 22.
The release of the second phase of higher-floor units also pushed up the average transacted price for units sold to $2,506 psf since September, from $2,426 psf before.
Pinetree Hill has also set a new price benchmark and elevated the property values of the entire neighbourhood. Based on units sold in 2024, Pinetree Hill emerged as the best-selling project in the Rest of Central Region (RCR), with 214 units moved as of Nov 5. “That’s a spectacular result for a post-launch project,” says Ismail Gafoor, CEO of PropNex.
The double-volume waterfall and landscaped pond at the main entrance
New generation of homebuyers
The project has also captured a new generation of younger and more affluent homebuyers. Based on PropNex’s analysis of its database of buyers at Pinetree Hill, about 46% were aged between 30 and 39, with another 38% between 40 and 49 years old. Those aged 50 and above comprised 12%, while those 29 and below accounted for 4%.
About 48% of the buyers at Pinetree Hill had private condo addresses, with another 38% possessing HDB addresses, and 14% with landed housing addresses.
These buyers were drawn to the location’s proximity to lifestyle enclaves such as Holland Village and Dempsey Hill, as well as the Orchard Road shopping belt. Employment clusters such as one-north, the CBD and the upcoming Jurong Lake District are also nearby.
According to Ken Low, managing partner of SRI, Holland Village is just a four-minute drive from Pinetree Hill, while Dempsey Hill is a nine-minute drive away.
“Pinetree Hill has also ushered in a new generation of projects with a focus on understated luxury, featuring top-notch materials in a matte finish, functional unit layout, views of greenery and proximity to nature,” observes Ken Low, managing partner of SRI.
The project is also near amenities, such as Clementi town, and within 1km of two popular primary schools, Henry Park Primary and Pei Tong Primary, notes PropNex’s Gafoor. Tertiary educational institutions nearby include Singapore Polytechnic, the National University of Singapore, and the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
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