Work, live and play at Guoco Midtown
By Charlene Chin
/ EdgeProp Singapore |
SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - Property developer GuocoLand is making its mark in the Beach Road neighbourhood. Construction is well under way at Guoco Midtown, a 950,600 sq ft, mixed-use development that comprises residential, retail and office components. By 2021, the developer is also set to launch Midtown Modern, comprising one- to four-bedroom apartments. Separated by Beach Road, both projects are within minutes’ walk from each other.
Through the sheltered walkways, Midtown Bay residents will be able to walk to Raffles City, City Hall, Marina Square and Suntec City (Credit: GuocoLand)
For residents living at Midtown Modern and Midtown Bay (the residential component of Guoco Midtown), the developer has planned for convenience at their doorstep. GuocoLand Singapore’s general manager (residential) Dora Chng describes Midtown Bay as a “business home”, which is a “unique hybrid of home and office targeted at modern cosmopolitan professionals and entrepreneurs, perfect for those with family offices”.
Chng says Midtown Modern is targeted at “people who enjoy living in the heart of the city and who are also very focused on their family’s wellness and well-being. She adds: “They desire for nature and tranquillity, but also convenience as well as being in a highly liveable development.”
Guoco Midtown comprises one 30-storey office tower, a social and business club called Network Hub, over 30,000 sq ft of retail and entertainment space, and Midtown Bay, a luxury condominium with 219 units (Credit: GuocoLand)
Pushing the boundaries of building-use
To create synergy between the office and residential components at Guoco Midtown, the developer has created shared spaces for residents and office tenants. Midtown Bay’s residents will be offered membership at its Network Hub, which houses facilities such as networking lounges, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) amenities, collaborative workspaces and venues for private dinners, gatherings and social parties. This will allow them to “tap into the community and network of the many corporates there”, she says.
At the Network Hub, office tenants will be able to take up a short-term workspace, under a “flex and core” leasing concept. The idea is for the Network Hub to function as a “members-only business and networking club for the executives of the corporations occupying the office to hold business meetings and events”.
Employees working out of Guoco Midtown will also be able to enjoy lifestyle amenities. “One of the firsts for office concept is that we have incorporated recreational facilities like a swimming pool, jogging track and fitness areas for the exclusive use of the office tenants,” Chng adds.
Units at Midtown Bay have been designed for work-from-home use (Credit: Samuel Isaac Chua/ The Edge Singapore)
There will also be spaces for people to unwind. For instance, a new internal street — Midtown Walk — will be flanked by two large sheltered public plazas, Midtown Garden and Midtown Market. GuocoLand describes the former as a relaxed place for social interaction, while the latter is an interpretation of a street market.
Midtown Walk can be closed to traffic so that it can link up the various public spaces to host large-scale community events during weekends, accommodating up to 500 people. From Midtown Garden, one can also access the office lobby and underground pedestrian network directly.
GuocoLand has also planned for gardens and public spaces throughout the development. Although Guoco Midtown occupies over 3.2ha of land, “we have provided 3.8ha of gardens and public spaces of different levels of privacy”, says Chng. In total, there will be around 20 gardens of different sizes at the development, with many of them accessible to the public.
These include a Therapeutic Garden — with different sections such as the Fragrance Zone, Biodiversity Zone, Edibles and Medicinal Zone, Colours and Texture Zone and Interactive Zone — which the developer says is the first of its kind in the CBD.
Other gardens will boast a selection of ferns, coastal species and an epiphyte collection (which will contribute to its hanging gardens). There will also be a Native Garden, featuring an outdoor botanical library of native plants and orchids.
Guoco Midtown's larger duplex units comprise two floors that each span 3.2m in height (Credit: GuocoLand)
Flexible layouts and furnishings
The homes at Midtown Bay have also been designed for work-from-home use. Most of the 219 units at the residence are one- and two-bedroom units, while 40 of them are exclusive duplex suites that come in two- and three-bedroom layouts. The larger duplex units have two floors that each span 3.2m in height.
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Chng says that the first floor of each larger duplex unit could be rented out to a tenant and the second floor kept for personal use. The lower floor could also be converted into a small home office. If there is a need to accommodate a family, the owner of the unit could occupy both floors instead.
The wardrobe doors provided for in Midtown Bay units are of a reflective finish, and could be used as office cabinets instead, should the owner choose to convert the bedroom into a home office. The living and dining areas are also large enough to be converted into conducive workspaces, says GuocoLand.
The wardrobe doors provided for in the Midtown Bay units are of a reflective finish and could be used as office cabinets should the owner choose to convert the bedroom into a home office (Credit: Samuel Isaac Chua/ The Edge Singapore)
Looking to the future
Despite the pandemic and the challenges it has brought on globally, GuocoLand is optimistic about the year ahead. “Singapore’s property market has shown to be resilient during the pandemic,” says Chng. “The luxury residential market has also been proven to be historically resilient as evidenced by how it has performed during previous crises.”
“Our view is that buyers will still be interested in investing in properties. Those buying for their own stay will be looking for properties that are high in liveability, taking into consideration how their needs have changed since the pandemic started, for example, the ease to work from home and access to the outdoor greenery,” she continues.
“With a vaccine now in sight, borders may slowly open up and overseas buyers are likely to return and look at Singapore as a place to buy properties,” says Chng. “While some overseas buyers may have bought properties via virtual viewings in the last few months, we believe that most are waiting till when they are able to physically view the properties or showflats before they decide which property to buy.”
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