Chan Soo Khian’s take on luxury

/ The Edge Property |

July 22, 2015 10:00 AM SGT

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The man behind the design of some of the most upscale and talked-about luxury condos in Singapore’s premium addresses discusses his latest and largest project, Leedon Residence by developer GuocoLand.

When you enter Leedon Residence, the way you feel about space changes — from the moment you arrive at the driveway and head straight to the basement carpark. From there, you enter a plush lift lobby where a private lift takes you straight to your apartment. When the lift door opens, you are suddenly greeted by the wide expanse of space in the living room with its 7m ceiling height that overlooks a private pool.

This element of surprise when one emerges from a narrow passageway to an expansive room or a courtyard is what defines a project designed by Chan Soo Khian, principal of SCDA Architects. “Design is very much like choreography — the way you experience space,” he says. “The sense of arrival is very important.”

Even though there are 381 units in Leedon Residence, in 11 twelve-storey blocks, Chan designed them as “bungalows”, with many of the units being L-shaped simplexes with private lift access, double-volume ceiling height in the living room and exterior spaces with private pools for the groundfloor units. He says, “It has the feel of a very exclusive residential project and not a largescale development.”

Leedon Residence is not just the biggest luxury-condominium project Chan and SCDA have in their portfolio to date, it is also one in which he was involved in all aspects of the design — from landscaping and architecture to the interior spaces, including customising the kitchens for all the units and customising the furniture for the four-bedroom show suite.

“Architects designed furniture in the old days,” says Chan. “Not anymore. Today, architects have disbursed their responsibilities to everybody else, from lighting consultants to interior designers. The role of the architect has been eroded to that of coordinator and administrator. We are trying to bring that back.”

Tastemaker Chan has always dabbled in furniture design, and has even created a line of furniture under his own Soori brand for Poliform, an international furniture brand. His pieces are available at Space Asia. He also designed the Alila Villas Soori in Bali, a luxury resort with 48 pool villas that opened in 2010 and of which he is also the owner. He recently launched the upscale Soori Bistro on Teck Lim Road, which has the same design aesthetic as the residential projects that he designs.

In recent years, Chan has been making waves in New York City with his design of three luxury-condo projects, including one of which he is also the developer — the Soori High Line, with 27 units, each of which has a private pool. He was recently ranked among the “Top 20 People in Real Estate in NYC” by The New York Post.

“What I do in New York I do for my clients here,” says Chan, a Singaporean who was born in Penang. “I’m very design-focused. Having worked with developers for a long time, I’ve always had an intuitive understanding of what a developer needs to do, and what the barriers are, in terms of timing and marketing a project. And now that I’m on the other side of the fence, it certainly helps me become even more empathetic about what developers have to go through.”

Over the past 15 years, Chan’s name and that of his firm have become synonymous with luxury residences in Singapore. They include The Ladyhill on Orange Grove Road, The Boulevard Residence (BLVD) at Cuscaden Walk, The Marq on Paterson Hill, Nassim Park Residences and TwentyOne Angullia Park.

These condos have set new benchmarks in terms of luxury offerings and prices and are coveted by the rich, famous and infamous. For example TwentyOne Angullia Park was in the news recently when it emerged that the buyer behind the purchase of the 7,718 sq ft triplex penthouse and the 2,260 sq ft, three-bedroom unit located directly below it was none other than Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho, or “Jho Low”, who is embroiled in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) saga. He had set a record price for both units two years ago when he paid $42.9 million ($5,560 psf) for the triplex penthouse, which was the largest in the exclusive 54-unit, 36-storey tower, and $11.53 million ($5,099 psf) for the three-bedroom unit on the 33rd floor.

The Marq on Paterson Hill by developer SC Global Developments, which was completed in 2011, still holds the record for the most expensive luxury condo in Singapore to date, in terms of price psf. It was achieved when a mainland Chinese buyer paid $20.54 million, or a jaw-dropping $6,840 psf, for a four-bedroom unit in November 2011, according to a caveat lodged with URA Realis. The unit is located in the Premier Tower, where all the units are about 3,000 sq ft.

The other tower at The Marq, the Signature Tower, contains units of more than 6,000 sq ft that come with a private 15m lap pool. In terms of absolute price, a historic high of $31.4 million ($5,100 psf) was set in 2007, when a 6,157 sq ft unit was sold to a foreign buyer. The most famous resident at The Marq is billionaire and co-founder of Facebook Eduardo Saverin, who is now a Singapore citizen and who recently got married.

The 100-unit Nassim Park Residences by UOL Group, Kheng Leong and Orix Corp was completed in 2011 and fully sold. The project hit an all-time-high price of $4,120 psf in 2010, when a 3,466 sq ft unit was sold for $14.28 million.

Benchmark pricing Most of these projects achieved their top pricing either before or within months of their completion. Likewise, Leedon Residence has set a price benchmark for the Leedon Heights-Farrer Road enclave, says Phylicia Ang, executive director of Savills Residential. She foresees sales will pick up, given that the project has just obtained its Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) this month.

“Very often, projects that have just obtained TOP are very attractive to foreigners, as they can see the quality, the space and the design,” says Ong Choon Fah, CEO of DTZ. “And at Leedon Residence, SCDA was not just the architect, but also the landscape designer and interior designer. The whole design flows very well. And the location speaks for itself. Not surprisingly, there has been a spike in interest just before and after TOP.”

Directly across the road from Leedon Residence is the massive 1,715-unit d’Leedon by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid, The project’s towers rise up to 36 storeys high and dwarf many of the low-rise condos in the neighbourhood.

Nevertheless, Leedon Residence is able to stand on its own. And it has to do with its inward- looking design. “The way we have designed the feature walls and the canopy draws your eye away from the buildings,” explain SCDA’s Chan, gesturing towards d’Leedon across the road. “It’s a very Japanese way of looking at space.”

Leedon Residence also appeals to people who live in the Good Class Bungalow neighbourhood nearby — at Leedon Park, Swettenham Road and Holland Road — who want to downsize, says Savills’ Ang. Demand is also coming from the grown-up children of these GCB owners who want to live near their parents, she adds.

Given that many of these buyers — about 70% of whom are said to be Singaporeans — are looking for a unit for their own use, the four- and five-bedroom units are the ones that have been the most sought-after.

Repeat buyers Chan also has a group of repeat customers or followers — clients whose private homes he designed or who purchased units in some of the earlier condo projects he had designed. “I have some friends who signed on [at Leedon Residence],” he says. “From time to time, I do bring people unannounced to show them the project. Many of these are my overseas clients. When they hear about my latest project, they request a personal showing.”

And that is how Chan has morphed into an influential pitchman for the projects he designed. He recently introduced one of his friends, a French national who is currently living in one of the GCBs he designed on Swettenham Road. The latter agreed to buy the biggest five-bedroom unit on the first level of one of the blocks at Leedon Residence. The only condition for his purchase of the 8,051 sq ft unit is that Chan designs the landscaping for the private enclosed space of about 4,000 sq ft. The unit is a duplex apartment with a 7m ceiling height and the master suite is located on the second level with a balcony view of the first level as well as views of the outdoor space.

Size matters Leedon Residence is a redevelopment of the former Leedon Heights, which GuocoLand purchased in 2007 for $835 million. The project was conceived in 2007, when luxury condos with spacious units were in vogue. Even though some developers had gone back to the drawing boards and sized down their units to make them more palatable following the global financial crisis, GuocoLand stuck to its plan of building spacious units with a bungalow feel.

There are only 54 two-bedroom units at Leedon Residence, and these are 1,044 sq ft, which is the size of a three-bedroom unit in a typical condo today. Three-bedroom apartments that range from 2,110 to 2,131 sq ft number 120 units. There are only nine three-bedroom-plus-study units, and they are 2,088 to 4,047 sq ft. Four-bedroom apartments make up 40% of the units (154) at Leedon Residence and they range from 2,486 to 5,285 sq ft. There are only 30 five-bedroom duplex units, which range from 4,704 to 8,051 sq ft.

The triplex penthouses range from 5,694 to 7,719 sq ft and number only 12. They contain five bedrooms and come with a private roof terrace, swimming pool and lift access to every level.

According to a GuocoLand spokesman, potential buyers have shown interest in the project, with an increase in enquiries and visits in the last few weeks. So far, 163 units at the Leedon Residence have been sold. Based on caveats lodged with URA Realis, the average price of units sold is $2,000 psf.

Uptick in luxury-home sales Transactions of non-landed homes priced above $4 million in districts 9, 10 and 11 have seen an increase over the past six months. According to DTZ Research, average sales of non-landed homes priced above $4 million ranged from 46 to 58 units per quarter in 2014. In 1Q2015, the number jumped to 68 units, and in 2Q2015 to date, it was 57 units.

The 210-unit freehold Goodwood Residence, also by GuocoLand, was designed by another acclaimed Singapore-based architectural firm, WOHA. The project has also seen strong sales since it was completed two years ago. So far, only 18 units remain unsold. Based on caveats lodged, the average price of units in the project is $2,449 psf. The development comprises three- and four-bedroom apartments as well as penthouses.

For developers’ sales of luxury condo units priced from $4 million, Goodwood Residence tops the list, and even Leedon Residence is ranked among the best-sellers, according to DTZ Research.

If one wanted to buy a brand-new luxury- condo unit in a project designed by Chan or SCDA in Singapore, there is nothing in the pipeline after Leedon Residence. “For me, this [Leedon Residence] is the latest luxury condo,” says Chan. “I don’t think there are many luxury-condo projects at the moment because of the market.”

Just as Chan and SCDA have travelled to other major metropolises such as Bangkok, Tokyo and New York in order to bid for luxury - condo projects, buyers in search of a brandnew launch designed by SCDA will have to do likewise. If not, there is always Leedon Residence in Singapore.

This article appeared in the City & Country of Issue 683 (June 29) of The Edge Singapore.

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