THE STAR, SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER 2015

special

SOUTHERN PROPERTY:HIGH RISE

Market
aims
higher

THE STAR, SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER 2015

2 southern property: high rise

recently launched the muchanticipated Ibrahim International

Business District transformation
plan, which will see the
redevelopment of 250 acres
(101ha) within the area.
According to Tan and other
property experts, this will increase
demand for accommodation in the
city centre in the coming years.
Oversupply of specific property
types can be avoided if
development is carried out in
planned stages to meet current
demands.

Heeding a tall order

Steady rise
of the south
By THERESA BELLE
HIGH-RISE residences are a
modern favourite, especially for
young people and new families in
urban areas.
It is easy to see why
apartments and condominiums
have more to offer to this
demographic in terms of security,
facilities and overall livability,
especially in busy, congested areas.
Datuk Seri Dr Vincent Tiew,
managing director of Andaman
Property Group, observed a trend
where those with luxurious taste
for high-end landed property
began to move into high-rise
residences in recent years, citing

Mont Kiara in Kuala Lumpur as

one of the areas where this trend is
pronounced.
Acccessibility is undoubtedly a
huge part of the preference for
apartment or condominium
lots not only accessibility to
surrounding amenities and points
of interest, but also within the
complex itself.
Developers constantly outdo
each other with their offerings:
around-the-clock security,
gymnasiums and sports facilities,
halls, gardens, parks, swimming
pools and Jacuzzis are just some of
the facilities that capture the
interest of high-rise fans.
It has come to a point where

these things are no longer selling

points, but expected components
when purchasing an apartment or
condominium unit.
I feel the future of high-rise
development lies in providing the
soft facilities and not just relying
on the usual landscape or
gymnasium, says Tiew.
By soft facilities, Tiew is
referring to plus points that are not
immediately apparent but play
some part in matching the needs of
todays buyer.
For example, immediate
availability of high-speed
broadband Internet is one of the
features he feels developers should
pay greater attention to.

Matching property needs

HIGH-RISE properties come in
different types studio, twobedroom or three-bedroom
apartments, condominiums
or penthouses.
High-rise projects at different
locations serve different purposes
and target markets. For example,
developments next to educational
institutions may be used as
student hostels while those in
a resort area may be used for
short-term tourist
accommodation.
High-rise projects within
central business district areas
could cater to expatriates or
young families, says Datuk Seri
Dr Vincent Tiew, managing
director of Andaman Property
Group.
Therefore, high-rise home
owners could be real estate
investors or homebuyers
intending to live in their
purchased space.
Tiew points out that high-rise
property is widely accepted

because of its attractive rental

yield. In fact, investors are
known to favour apartments or
condominiums in prime areas of
major cities.
They find suitable tenants
in students and young
professionals, for example, who
flock to these areas and seek
temporary accommodation.
If you are a first-time
homebuyer looking to purchase
an apartment or condominium in
a prime location whether for
yourself and your family or to
kick-start real estate investment
here are some things you should
look out for when surveying
units:

l Location Your apartment

or condominium of choice should
be well-connected with major
aspects of your life. Units closer
to places of interest or public
amenities may be more
expensive, so you should decide
what you are willing to pay for.

l Function Will you be

moving in or renting out? Is
it a long-term home or a
temporary investment? A point to
remember is that serviced
residences built on commercial
land will be billed as commercial
lots, which means you could end
up paying double the amount
that you would pay for a
residential unit. Do your research
and do not rely on first
impressions alone.
l Appreciation Even if you
are not looking to purchase for
investment purposes now, your
choice should show strong
potential for value appreciation
and high-rise units often do.
However, there are some
indicators that may give you an
idea of what the complex will be
like in years to come such as the
state of facilities and their
upkeep, responsibility of
community members and safety
of the environment.

Although generally well-received

in major cities such as Kuala
Lumpur, the high-rise segment has
been fraught with speculations of
oversupply this past year,
including in the south.
Southern Property: High Rise
examines reports down south and
what they mean in todays context
and considers why this trying
period does not spell the end of the
high-rise property popularity in
Malaysia.

High standards appeal

The National Property
Information Centre (NAPIC) reports
for the third quarter of this year
show that for the southern region,
slowdown in this segment is most
apparent in Johor, possibly because
too many units were being
launched around the same time
with the rapid expansion of
Iskandar Malaysia.
In neighbouring states such as
Negri Sembilan and Malacca,
however, high-rise options are only
just beginning to flourish.
Statistics comparing numbers of
residential property transactions in
both states show improvements in
the third quarter of this year
against the same period last year.
However, NAPICs Property
Market Report for the first half
of this year did indicate a lower
demand for property in Johor
compared with last year, which
Samuel Tan, executive director
of KGV International Property
Consultant Sdn Bhd, attributed
to the transitional stage Johor
Baru in particular is going
through.
In an interview published in
iProperty.com Malaysia magazines
December 2015 issue, he explained
that buyer sentiments have taken a
negative turn post-GST, especially
in the current economic climate.
In the city centre of Johor Baru,
Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar

Developers know that location is

an important determinant of a
projects success.
The projects surrounding the
Malaysia-Singapore Second Link
will be worth exploring for
potential investors with deep
pockets or long sustaining power,
as well as Johor Baru city itself,
which is within 10km from the
Customs, Immigration and
Quarantine Complex such
proximity is fundamentally
sustainable in view of existing
commercial activities with a
mature, steady population,
opines Tiew.
Iskandar Malaysia is in
advanced stages of development,
but the southern boom is not
limited to this location.
Urban residential developments
in Negri Sembilan and Malacca,
such as Seremban 2, Bandar
Seri Sendayan, Bandar Ainsdale
and more have proven imperative
in supporting the Klang Valley
and Greater Kuala Lumpur
spillover.
Under the 11th Malaysia Plan,
the Government announced the
Malaysian Vision Valley (MVV)
project, which will occupy more
than 108,000ha of land in
Seremban, Nilai and Port Dickson.
The mega-development will be
rolled out over the span of 30
years, and should further spur
regional transformation in Negri
Sembilan, much like the
development corridors previously
created in the country.
MVV is expected to accrue
billions of ringgit in investment,
which will create new employment
opportunities and drive up
demand for housing.
As seen in Iskandar, many
developers prefer to fulfil this
demand with high-rise offerings,
which may be a method to
maximise use of land in
up-and-coming areas.
The year has not been without
challenges for this property type,
though.
Strict loan approval regulations
make it harder for the average
Malaysian to purchase a home at
all, much less a high-rise
residential unit.
In these challenging times,
the property market has
understandably taken a hit.
The future of high-rise
residences and the property
market in the country, however,
will depend on how the economy
and sentiments (of developers and
buyers alike) in the country
recover from this point on.

> SEE ALSO PAGE 8

THE STAR, SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER 2015

THE STAR, SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER 2015

4 southern property: high rise

UDA LAND (South) has been a

mainstay of the property
development market in Malaysias
southern region for some time
now.
Currently, it is focusing on mass
development concepts in Johor,
where the aim is to meet the
combined residential and business
needs of its consumers by creating
complete communities.
For UDA Land, the main
advantage of this locality is that
its developments are surrounded
by mature townships that offer
a bulk of amenities, making it
easier for the new townships
and developments as well as
the company to face market
challenges.
Competition in the southern
region is tough but still healthy.
UDA Land faces market challenges
by ensuring it continually comes
up with unique and up-to-date
development concepts.
This philosophy is working so
far; UDA Lands commercial
development in Bandar UDA
Utama, Neuvo Centro, is doing
exceptionally well.

Everything you need

Located in the central
commercial area of Bandar UDA
Utama, Neuvo Centro is
strategically placed within a high
population catchment area and
mature development area.
The three-storey shop office
development can be directly
accessed from Taman Perling,
Taman Nusa Bestari, Taman Tan
Sri Yacob and Taman Sutera
Utama.
In fact, it sits in a highly
accessible location close to various
hypermarkets (such as Tesco and
Aeon Big), several banks, schools
and two big malls Perling Mall
and Sutera Mall.
Further, Johors prime
recreational destinations of
Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club,
Legoland Malaysia, Puteri Harbour,
Sanrio Hello Kitty Town, Johor Golf

An artists impression of Neuvo Centro, UDA Lands commercial development in Bandar UDA Utama.

Success for commercial

development
& Country Club, and Ponderosa
Golf & Country Club are nearby.
Its accessibility from all major
roads and highways brings it even

An artists impression of the various shoplots available at Neuvo Centro,

strategically placed within a high population catchment area.

Neuvo Centro
Modern design with clear
and direct frontage of Jalan
Persiaran Perdana
Column-free at the ground
floor corridor giving sizeable
seven-foot wide walkways
Full-glass frontage on first
and second floors
Natural lighting and
ventilation with big windows
that can be opened

closer to the city.

For Neuvo Centro, UDA Land is
targeting a mixed trade of
businesses such as banks, cafs,
mini marts, tuition centres,
hardware stores, restaurants and
other businesses that are linked to
local communities.
The commercial development
is perfect for these types of
businesses, as it offers modern
designs with clear and direct
frontage with the main road Jalan
Persiaran Perdana.
The units are column-free at the
ground floor, giving them sizeable
seven-foot (2.1m) wide walkways.
They also have full-glass frontages
on the first and second floors,
providing natural lighting. The

windows can be opened, which

enables plenty of natural
ventilation as well.
UDA Land offers the most
compact sales package with the
easiest ownership sales process.

Highest-quality
standards
UDA Land has made sure that
Neuvo Centro conforms to the
strictest quality standards.
The developer has maintained
a good track record with its
residential and commercial
developments since its inception
in 1975, and Neuvo Centro is no
exception.
The developer takes pride in
always maintaining and measuring
its standards through extensive
customer surveys.
It always maintains a customer
satisfaction level of more than
80%.
It is this quality that has
garnered the loyalty of its
consumers, and UDA Land
maintains this relationship by
ensuring that its developments are
sustainable to local communities
by virtue of being all-inclusive and
self-contained.
Residents of UDA Lands mixed
residential and commercial
developments have access to
everything they need and are able

to foster good family relationships

in an environment of vibrant
community living.

More to come
UDA Land will soon be
introducing new projects the
third phase of Rosa Terraces and
Plumeria, a development of
double-storey terraced houses.
The second phase of Neuvo
Centro is also in the pipeline, as
well as a high-rise project called
Madeira Riverside. This is a
31-storey serviced apartment that
will be launched next year.
The developer is looking forward
to developing its first high-rise
property in the south.

n For more information,

visit www.uda.com.my

Specifications
Number of units: 33
Lot size: 1,650sq ft
(153.3sq m) or 22ft x 75ft
(6.7m x 22.9m)
Built-up area: 4,950sq ft
(459.9sq m)
Price: From RM1,461,646
(inclusive of GST)
Land type: Freehold

THE STAR, SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER 2015

THE STAR, SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER 2015

6 southern property: high rise

STANDING proudly in one of the

most sought-after residential areas
in the southern state, Arc@Austin
Hills, Johor Baru, is a freehold
serviced apartment that offers
convenience and prestige to its
residents.
The high-end residential
property is developed by Casa
Andaman Sdn Bhd, which is also
the mastermind behind the
successful Casa Subang project in
USJ Subang Jaya, Selangor, and
recently completed Diamond
Square Shops and Diamond
Residence commercial and
residential projects in Seri
Kembangan, Selangor.
Designed to ensure comfort for
residents, the development offers
spacious two- and three-room
units that have a built-up area
between 650sq ft and 900sq ft
(60.39sq m and 83.61sq m). The
three-block serviced apartments
have carefully planned internal
and external features plus a highend faade with plenty of glass
glazing.

Convenient lifestyle
options
The Arc@Austin Hills overlooks
the beautiful 18-hole
championship golf course of the
neighbouring Austin Heights Golf
and Hotel Resort, enabling
residents the luxury of waking up
to spectacular scenic views of lush
foliage and manicured greens.
In addition, the development
provides a secure living
environment and has a wide
range of facilities to cater to the
various lifestyles of its residents.
Homebuyers can rest assured
knowing their families are safe
within the compounds of the
development, thanks to the
24-hour multi-tiered security
measures implemented.
These include card access for all
residents and CCTV cameras at
strategic locations such as on the
perimeter fencing.
After a long and tiring day at
the office, Arc residents have
every opportunity to make full use
of the recreational facilities on this
5.11-acre (2.07ha) development.
They can spend countless hours
outdoors socialising with fellow
residents at the specially made
barbecue pits, or relaxing and
admiring the beautifully
landscaped outdoor sky garden,
wellness garden and Japanese
garden that features a koi pond.
Health-conscious individuals
can exercise and unwind at the
apartments squash courts,
Jacuzzi, Olympic-sized swimming

Arc@Austin Hills,
Johor Baru
Type of development: Serviced
apartment
Room Type A (2 rooms):
650sq ft (60.39sq m) builtup area
Room Type B (3 rooms):
850sq ft (78.97sq m) builtup area
Room Type C (3 rooms):
900sq ft (83.61sq m) builtup area
Pricing: RM270,000 to
RM450,000
Expected completion: First
quarter of 2019

An artists impression of the Arc@Austin Hills freehold serviced apartment in Johor Baru, which overlooks an 18-hole golf course.

Luxury in prime locale

An artists impression of the apartments gymnasium, which encourages

residents to lead an active lifestyle.

Desirable location
An artists impression of the kids playground, where families can enjoy the
outdoors together.

pool, gymnasium and sauna or

play with their children in the
kids playground, wading pool
and splash pool.
Residents will also have access
to 3,336 parking bays, the games
room, multipurpose hall and
laundry room.
Access to Singapore TV
channels and a Satellite Master
Antenna Television (SMATV) point
is a bonus.

Surrounding amenities
Besides the facilities available
at the apartment, convenience is a
key selling factor. There is a large
number of amenities in the
developments surrounding areas.
Parents will be spoilt for choice
when determining where to send
their school-going children
The options include Austin
Heights Private and International
School, Foon Yew 5 Primary
Chinese School and Fairview
International School that are

located in the vicinity.

Young adults will also be able to
find quality higher education at
the nearby Sunway College and
KFCH International College.
Weekly grocery shopping is also
made easy with Aeon Tebrau City,
Tesco Tebrau City and Econsave
Taman Daya that are located
within a short distance from the
development.
Apart from the education
institutions and shopping
destinations, other amenities
include main banks, Hospital
Sultan Ismail and the Austin
Heights Water and Adventure
Park that opened recently.
With a below-average selling
price compared to neighbouring
high-rise developments in the
township, Arc@Austin Hills is an
attractive property for property
buyers.

n For more information,

call 07-330 1888 or visit
www.austinjb.com.my

Located within a 17-minute

drive from the Johor Customs,
Immigration and Quarantine
Complex, Mount Austin is a selfcontained township that is
booming in activity and
population.
Popularly known among
locals as the Bangsar of Johor
Baru, this upmarket residential
area is a short distance from the
city centre and has many
commercial centres with wellpatronised shops and trendy
restaurants.
This prime residential locale
is also attracting the nations top
property developers who add
vibrant colour and lustre to
the townships skyline with
modern, sophisticated and
prestigious high-rise
condominiums and apartments.
One of the reasons for the
townships popularity is the
array of convenient facilities
and amenities available.
The surrounding amenities
include a hospital,
hypermarkets, primary and

secondary schools, international

colleges and main banks.
Within the developments
immediate vicinity, there is an
established internationalstandard golf course called
Austin Heights Golf and Hotel
Resort that has been in
operation since 1995 and
the Austin Heights Water
and Adventure Park that
opened recently.
The Ponderosa Golf and
Country Club and the Starhill
Golf and Country Club are also
only a short drive away.
With such amenities in the
surrounding areas, residents at
Mount Austin are assured of a
well-balanced lifestyle.
Visitors from Kuala Lumpur
and the more northern regions
can access the township via the
North South Expressway and
Kempas.
Upon exiting the Kempas toll
plaza, Austin Heights lies less
than 10 minutes drive away
from the Bandar Dato Onn/
Adda Heights interchange.

THE STAR, SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER 2015

THE STAR, SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER 2015

8 southern property: high rise

By ANUSHIA KANDASIVAM
MODERN cities do not just sprawl
outward; they climb high into the
sky. Building vertically is more
sustainable when space becomes
scarce.
One of the more futuristic
concepts of a city of skyscrapers is
the Vertical City a collection of
ultra tall buildings that together
make their own complete
ecosystem. Just as with a
traditional city, everything a citizen
needs will be contained within the
city, so leaving it is unnecessary
unless the citizen wants to.
The concept of Vertical City was
put forth by architects Kenneth
King and Kellogg Wong in their
book Vertical City: A Solution for
Sustainable Living.
In it, King and Wong present the
idea of a healthy, sustainable
environment and dignified living
for all creatures living in harmony
with people in our only world.
The Vertical City concept may
call to mind dense and drab
concrete living as in the dystopian
metropolis of the 2012 film Dredd,
but King and Wongs idea is quite
different.
Basically, the city is made up of
one megastructure with multiple
towers, each as high as 1.6km.
Along with the tall buildings, the
design includes parks, schools,
hospitals, restaurants and other
amenities required for comfortable
and convenient modern living,
even at the upper levels.
The city is split into multiple
levels. The bottom parts are
reserved for the circulation and
parking of vehicles and above that
is a space for pedestrians and
bicycles.
Above that, a first level contains
utilities and infrastructure such as
water, sewage and power storage
plants. Further up are entrances to
all buildings (including a mega
mall) at what is considered the
street level.
Then there are sky lobbies with
bridge connections where people
will shop, socialise and exercise
these areas are the village
centres.
One of the major factors that
make the Vertical City sustainable
is that it generates its own energy

construction capabilities, but are

megastructure green high-rises
such as Vertical City really viable?

Changing urban fabric

An artists rendering of Vertical City, a sustainable super high-rise structure designed to be a self-contained city.

Future of
sustainable living
from renewable resources and
uses building materials such as
graphene and bioconcrete.

Higher and greener

Sustainable, green buildings
have become popular with
mainstream consumers that most
developers find that pushing the
greenness of their developments
makes good business sense. But
with consumers becoming more
knowledgeable and discerning,
developers now have to walk the
talk and actually deliver on their
sustainable promises.
Green buildings focus on
efficiency of resource use in terms
of energy, water and materials
while reducing the impact on the
health of humans and the
environment during the buildings
whole lifecycle.
The overall aim of green
buildings is to sustain and improve
the quality of human life while
maintaining the capacity of local

Shanghai Tower, one of the worlds

tallest buildings, is currently the
closest thing to a complete high-rise
ecosystem.

Whats
in store?

and global ecosystems.

Building higher does make sense
for sustainability, which is why
Vertical City is considered viable in
theory. Research by the University
of Illinois School of Architecture
found that the increased density of
high-rise residential buildings in an
urban environment meaning
residences, goods and services
concentrated into a smaller land
area is commensurate with
sustainability goals when coupled
with green building design.
This research paper was
published in 2008 and also stated
that the green building criteria in
the United States at the time, which
had been written primarily for
commercial and institutional
buildings, required a review before
they could be effectively applied
to multi-family residential
buildings.
Current standards and
certification systems for high-rise
buildings are certainly more up-todate with government policies and

RESULTS of the recent

iProperty.com Asia Property
Market Sentiment Survey for
the second half of this year
painted a positive picture
for the property market next
year but also highlighted the
main impediment to its
improvement rising property
prices.
The survey polled 15,000
respondents, 24% of which
identified as first-time
homebuyers.
According to iProperty
Groups managing director
and chief executive officer
Georg Chmiel, the young
labour force in the range
consisting of 21- to 30-year-old
citizens are looking to get into
the property market but are
hindered by high property
prices.
Government schemes have
proven to be insufficient to

Though vertical cities are great

in theory in that they support a
growing population while
preserving horizontal spaces for
food production and nature,
detractors call to question the
resilience of building construction
and the social consequences of
living vertically.
Super high skyscrapers are,
however, already becoming a
norm. China is the best example
of this phenomenon one in three
of the worlds buildings that stand
more than 150m are in the country.
Construction of the worlds
second tallest building, the 632m
tall Shanghai Tower, is more or less
complete; it should be open next
year. The 300m-tall Gate to the East
in Suzhou, a city in an eastern
Chinese province, was completed
last year.
Shanghai Tower may be the
closest thing yet to an actual
vertical city; it was specifically
designed and built to accommodate
a dense population while still
retaining liveability.
It contains homes, shops, offices
and multiplexes stacked on a
vertical plane, and one-third of the
site is green space.
According to Antony Wood, the
executive director of the Council
on Tall Buildings and Urban
Habitat, a non-profit organisation
that keeps the worlds largest
database on skyscrapers, Shanghai
Towers commitment to public
space is what elevates it to be a
potentially fantastic building.
But developers and architects
seem to agree that design for real
vertical cities need to be more
radical than what current
skyscrapers offer to provide
sustainable vertical urbanism.
As the global population rises
and space becomes more scarce,
urban living will have to evolve to
accommodate needs of the people
using the best modern technology
and practices.
It seems then that vertical
cities, though they still may be
theoretical, are the best bet.

support this growing

demographic.
The rising cost of living
and current socio-political
climate are also deterring
homebuyers, but this effect
is not anticipated to last.
The survey reports that
as a result of these factors of
instability, many are simply
cautious and opting for a
wait-and-see approach for
one to two years.
There is good news for highrise property developers too as
close to half of the respondents
are looking for property in the
RM500,000 to RM1mil range,
with condominiums topping
the list.
Chmiel says that these
respondents are probably only
holding back from purchasing
while they save up.
Malaysia is still a key player
in the Asean real estate

market, and Chmiel says this

is because local prices are
considered affordable Even
if property prices here were
to double, they would still be
affordable.
From an outside
perpective, you can spend a lot
in Hong Kong and Singapore,
or spend a fraction in
Malaysia.
The survey found that
Singaporeans were more keen
to purchase property now
compared to six months ago
because of lower prices,
greater investment
opportunity and expectation
to migrate or retire in
Malaysia.
All things considered, the
survey concluded that the
property market should pick
up next year and high-rise
developments look likely to
lead the way.