Model development

Friday May 4, 2012
EARLY BIRD BY JOHNNI WONG

Developer sets out to take home ownership to the next level with terraced houses offering lap pools and environment-friendly features in a ‘green’ township.

WHO would have thought that one day, swimming pools would be a common feature of terraced houses aimed at middle-class property buyers? That day will soon be upon us when the developer of the KEN Rimba project in Section 16, Shah Alam, starts handing out keys next month.

Developed by Kenny B.K. Tan of KEN Holdings Bhd, the mixed-development spans a total of 24.3ha (60 acres) and is located just off the Federal Highway, near the Padang Jawa KTM train station.

Your own pool!: The Legian phase will have 26 units with pools, while there will be 24 houses in the Jimbaran phase with pools.

 

Comprising 496 terraced houses, two condominium phases of 240 units and 679 units, 109 shoplots and another proposed commercial lot, the freehold development is hailed as the first “green” township in the country.

According to executive director Sam C.S. Tan, the double-storey terraced houses are in two phases. And they represent the company’s efforts in bringing property development in Malaysia to the next level with greater comfort at an affordable price.

Legian and Jimbaran
The Legian Residences which offer 328 units have mainly been sold. The typical units sold for RM548,000 while the corner units were priced at nearly RM1.3mil, with certain units still available. There are 26 units with pools.

 

Miniature: Sam Tan with a scale model of the Legian terraced houses. 

The soon-to-be launched Jimbaran Residences will have 168 units with 24 houses with pools.Incidentally, the names “Rimba”, “Legian” and “Jimbaran” were chosen to connote the same kind of serendipitous feeling when venturing into a typical village in Bali and then, discovering a wondrous resort development in its midst. In any case, Section 16 in Shah Alam will never be the same when the whole KEN Rimba is completed in about five years.

Sam said, “We hope to launch Jimbaran by the third quarter of this year and the intermediate units should be from RM700,000 and the corner units from RM1.4mil upwards.”

The latest phase of houses will have greater improvements in terms of design concept, materials and green features. Among the unusual initiatives including the planting of trees and cow grass in all the back lanes, turfed mounds and ponds next to walkways as well as hedges and more trees between the rows of houses. Even the mini roundabouts are each planted with a single raintree to offer shade when mature.

For the first phase, each unit has built-up space of between 1,840 sq ft to 2,215 sq ft. The standard units have a lot size of 20 ft by 65ft and come with four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Pool size
The premium corner houses are 24 ft by 65ft and come with extra land for the lap pool that comes equipped with filtration equipment. The property even has timber-like fencing made of recycled rice husk and shielded by a hedge.

“The pool size is three metres by six metres and the corner lot has an extra 20 feet of garden space by the side, as the actual lot size is 44 ft by 65ft. The house is 24 feet wide for the corner units,” explained Sam, during a site tour.

Cosy: The standard units have a lot size of 20ft by 65ft and each comes with four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

“Ken Rimba is the first landed home development in the country to be awarded the Singapore BCA Green Mark Gold (Provisional) Award.”

Referring to the 109 shoplots, he added that the commercial centre also received a BCA Green Mark Certified (Provisional) Award.

Airy: Special panes from Australia are used for the louvred windows to facilitate better ventilation.

What makes the project truly green is the planning and conscious efforts to deploy technology and materials that are already available. According to Sam, special adjustable glass louvred windows from Australia were used to facilitate better ventilation — especially when it rains — compared to the use of casement windows.

And in order to capitalise on natural air flow to cool the houses and utilise natural sunlight without unnecessary high levels of heat, the rows of houses are oriented in a north-south direction.

“The correct orientation for your new home could also mean huge savings in cooling and lighting bills, as well as a huge increase in the comfort level,” pointed out Sam, while opening all the doors and windows of a unit to prove his point.

Rainwater harvesting
For Green-conscious property buyers, each of the houses will be equipped with rainwater harvesting tanks with enough capacity for gardening and washing the car porch without using potable water. Each porch of a typical unit has space for two cars while the driveway outside the gate, has space for another two vehicles.

Other Green features include:

  • Water-efficient fittings with sub-metering to monitor every dwelling;
  • “Breathable roofs” to allow heat to escape from the roof attic;
  • Low VOC and heat-reflective paint for the external walls;
  • Thermal-insulated and powder-coated for aluminium frame;
  • Green-rated gypsum plasterboard;
  • Simulated planks for the main gate using recycled material; and
  • Internal green planter under a skylight for natural lighting.

The vision, said Sam, is to change the existing landscape and perception from that of an industrial area to a young, thriving township brimming with energy.

The development is poised to drive traffic and visitors from Klang, who would not normally venture into Shah Alam, with the promise of a tranquil, green township. This could be partly achieved with the introduction of a cosmopolitan food and beverage scene. Even the road leading into the development is a tree-lined avenue, more typical of upscale developments of bungalows or resort condominium projects.

Green Tour

Talking about green initiatives, Rehda Youth, a wing of the Real Estate Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia, will be conducting its second Green Tour on May 22. The tour will cover four outstanding green-rated developments in the Klang Valley:

  • KEN Rimba, Legian Residences in Shah Alam
  • S11 House in Section 11, Petaling Jaya
  • 11 Mont’ Kiara or MK11 in Mont’ Kiara
  • Sime Darby Idea House in Shah Alam

The projects have acquired Green certification, either from Malaysia’s Green Building Index (GBI) or Singapore’s BCA Greenmark.

The objective of the Rehda Youth Tours is to allow people to understand the work and thinking behind green developments. It offers participants the opportunity to study the buildings by spending time in them and learning from the creators and designers of the buildings.

Participants will be assigned to four small groups to ensure each group will be able to experience the tour on a more intimate level. Participants will be ferried in buses for the duration of the tour.

The inaugural tour last year covered 1First Avenue, Challis Damansara, GTower and Ken Bangsar. For details of the upcoming tour, contact Rehda secretariat at 03- 78032978.

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