AWARDS: The Orient — A touch of Shanghai

/ EdgeProp Singapore |

October 13, 2018 7:10 PM SGT

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The Orient, a boutique development located on Pasir Panjang Road, was completed last December. It won the award for Top Boutique Development (Completed Project) at the EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards 2018.

Befitting its name, The Orient’s design is a contemporary interpretation of “Shanghai in the 1920s”, says Michelle Yong, director of Aurum Land, the project’s developer. Aurum Land is a subsidiary of the privately held, family-owned construction and civil engineering firm Woh Hup Holdings, founded in 1927.

Inspired by the ornate screens of Chinese homes, the façade of the development is wrapped by a geometric frame with lattice design (Credit Picture: Aurum Land)

Inspired by the ornate screens of Chinese homes, the façade of the development is wrapped by a geometric frame with lattice design. The intricate lattice design can be found in the interiors too. The project is designed by Formwerkz Architects, which has carved a niche for itself in the design of private houses and boutique residential developments.

The Orient consists of two five-storey blocks on a freehold site of 20,042 sq ft. Yet, it manages to pack in many communal spaces into the landscaped grounds, including a lap pool, sun deck, Jacuzzi, gym, relaxation corner and dining pavilion.

Units are a mix of one- to three-bedroom apartments, two-bedroom dual-key apartments as well as three- and four-bedroom penthouses. Designed as loft-style apartments, compact one-bedroom units start from 388 sq ft and two-bedroom units from 592 sq ft. Adding to the feeling of luxury is the lofty ceiling height of 3.5m.

Communal spaces include a lap pool, sun deck, Jacuzzi, gym, relaxation corner and dining pavilion (Photo credit: Aurum Land)

The dual-key apartments provide flexibility — for investors who want to rent out part of the unit; for multi-generational families who still want privacy; or for those who want a home office. “These versatile units are the perfect solution,” says the developer.

The Orient was launched in 2015. Owing to the slew of property cooling measures, the market was soft then, Yong recounts. However, when the market started to recover last year, sales took off. “The project is doing really well,” she adds. The average selling price achieved is $1,832 psf, and the project is fully sold.

In terms of location, The Orient is situated within walking distance of Haw Par Villa MRT station. It is also near Mapletree Business City, VivoCity and the HarbourFront precinct, and within a short drive of Tanjong Pagar and the CBD.

Continuing legacy

Aurum Land was founded in 1982 and focuses on boutique developments, while Woh Hup handles construction of high-profile, large-scale developments such as the upcoming Jewel Changi Airport, designed by acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie; Far East Organization’s Woods Square, an integrated office development with Grade-A office space, SOLO (small office, loft office) units and retail space; as well as GuocoLand’s 1,024-unit Sims Urban Oasis, which was completed last year.

Since taking the helm at Aurum Land in 2007, Yong, who is a fourth-generation director in the family business, has overseen the launch and development of several boutique projects. She has focused on acquiring free- hold sites in established and prime residential neighbourhoods. “All our projects have different themes,” she says.

The first project that Yong was involved in from the start was 1919, a 75-unit development on Sophia Road, inspired by the shophouses and colonial black-and-white houses. It was sold out within five days of its launch in mid- 2012 and completed in 2015.

The Orient was launched in 2015 when the property market was still soft but is now fully sold (Photo Credit: Aurum Land)

The launch of 1919 was followed by that of the 65-unit Three 11 at Upper Thomson. The development has “a luxury safari experience”, in- spired by the nearby MacRitchie Reservoir Park and Nature Reserve. Launched in 2013, units at Three 11 were quickly snapped up as well.

Two other launches followed: The Orient in 2015, and The Asana, a 48-unit freehold condominium, in 2016. The Asana is located on Queen’s Road, off Bukit Timah Road and Farrer Road, and the project was completed in 2017.

Upcoming projects

The recovery in the property market last year spurred Aurum Land to acquire sites. In Sep- tember last year, the developer purchased the freehold site at 12 Amber Road for $58 million ($2,545 psf). The 22,800 sq ft site has a plot ratio of 2.8, with a gross floor area of 63,840 sq ft. Given its location in Katong, the project will be named Nyon, and its design will have Peranakan influences.

The gym at The Orient in Pasir Panjang (Photo Credit: Aurum Land)

In May this year, Aurum Land made a bulk purchase of eight units at Balmoral Gardens for nearly $83 million. It then amalgamated the site with that of the adjacent 11 Balmoral, which it had acquired en bloc for $73.8 million in November last year. The site at 11 Bal- moral is about 30,200 sq ft.

Aurum Land’s new condo project at Balmoral will have more than 100 units. It will be a luxury condo named The Hyde, inspired by “Hyde Park in London”, according to Yong. The project will comprise three-bed- room units.

Both Nyon and The Hyde are expected to be launched sometime in 1Q2019.

Beyond property development

Besides property development, Yong has been growing Aurum Group — with investments in Hmlet, a co-living platform, via Aurum In- vestments; and venturing into co-working with Collision 8 as well as a collaborative fit- ness-wellness space, Core Collective, over the past two years.

Yong is exploring the possibility of offering these services to the future residents in her new projects at Aurum Land. “There are a lot of synergies in the various businesses,” she says. “We are reinventing ourselves at Aurum; we are not just a property developer but a space and business innovator.”

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