The Development
DEVELOPER
CDL Perseus Pte Ltd
ARCHITECT
MVRDV / ADDP Architects LLP / Ecoplan
PERCENTAGE OF UNITS SOLD
67.59%
The main draw of this condominium, comprising two 36-storey towers with a champagne gold pixel-patterned façade, is its strategic and well-connected location near the upcoming Great World MRT station and Orchard Road shopping belt. This project places much emphasis on nature (over 75% of the site area is filled with lush greenery), flexible spaces and smart home features.
CDL has commissioned world-renowned Rotterdam-based architecture practice, MVRDV(concept architect), ADDP(design architect) and Ecoplan (landscaping architect) as the architects for this mid-size luxury project. Some of the prominent local projects worth noting by MVRDV include the old iconic Pearl Bank Tower, Westwood Tower, Holland Village and the new Rail Corridor. The Dutch firm has also won hundreds of accolades for their work across the globe.
ADDP was one of the BCI Asia Top 10 Architectural Firm between 2005 - 2019 in Singapore, and has won more than 170 awards under their belt.
Location
REGION
Core Central Region (CCR)
ADDRESS
Block 2 & 6 Irwell Bank Road
Connectivity
Located in one of the most prestigious districts in Singapore, Irwell Hill Residences is surrounded by luxury developments with great accessibility to town.
The development is situated within walking proximity to Great World Station (TE15) that can provide quick accessibility to all major MRT lines. Great World station is on the Thomson-East Coast line and a 2-stop ride will allow transfer onto the East-West line and North East line.
The hassle-free transfers will give residents easy access to anywhere in Singapore and we feel that such connectivity is one of the key highlights of this project. Future owners of the property will be happy to hear that the Great World station is targeted for completion and opening in 2022, which is well before the completion of Irwell Hill Residences.
Residents can also find bus services from a wide selection (5, 14, 16, 54, 65, 75, 175, NR5) at the bus stop 95m away, which can take them to diverse destinations including but not limited to Raffles Boulevard, Woodlands, Bukit Merah, Bedok, Tampines, Pasir Ris, Tiong Bahru, Buona Vista, Clementi.
The bus stop at Riva Lodge which is 170m away will bring you to Orchard station in just 1 stop. A quick 10 mins ride via Bus 195 will bring you to Dhoby Ghaut Station which is the interchange station for the North South, North East and Circle lines.
As the residence is located in the heart of central, it is just a 2 to 7 minutes drive to Orchard Road or the CBD area. The location will pose as a convenience if you are working within the central district - however, if your work area is situated in the extreme east or west, it will take at least 15 mins to drive to work.
Amenities
CONNECTION
NEAREST
DISTANCE
SHOPPING MALL
Great World City
0.45 KM
HAWKER CENTRE
Zion Riverside Food Centre
0.6 KM
GROCERY STORE
Cold Storage
0.45 KM
PRE-SCHOOL
Safari House Pre School
0.18 KM
PRIMARY SCHOOL
River Valley Primary School
1.0 KM
SECONDARY SCHOOL
ACS (Barker Road)
4.9 KM
CLINIC
Twin City Medical Centre
0.35 KM
HOSPITAL
Gleneagles Hospital
2.1 KM
Having a major mall and a shopping belt(Great World City) within walking distance provides you with more than essential daily necessities. Be it gastronomical, educational or recreational, most of your needs can be fulfilled without really stepping onto a mode of transport other than just walking.
The development is surrounded by a few prestigious schools like River Valley Primary, Anglo-Chinese School (Junior), Singapore Management University and other well-known international schools.
At a quick glance on the map, you will find that the residence is surrounded by major shopping malls like Plaza Singapura, 313@Somerset, Takashimaya and Great World City which are all within 2 -7minutes car ride. The nearest hospital (Gleneagles Hospital) is also just a 4 minutes drive from the residence.
If we were to pick a downside, it can be that most services in the vicinity are relatively pricey but that is to be expected for residents who choose to live in the core central region that brings major convenience.
Layout
BEDROOM TYPE
Studio
1 BR + Study
2 BR Classic
2 BR Premium
3BR Classic
3BR Premium
4BR Penthouse
4BR Premium
5BR Penthouse
NO OF UNITS
34
102
135
167
33
33
2
33
1
SIZE SQFT
398-614
452-667
603-764
657-829
861
1270
2228
1539-1582
2605
STARTING PRICE*
$1,148,000
$1,410,000
$1,606,000
$1,834,000
$2,344,000
$3,232,000
$9,335,000
$4,050,000
$10,945,000
UNITS AVAIL
10
19
53
42
4
16
1
19
1
SIZE RATING
-
85%
65%
70%
55%
85%
-
85%
-
* subject to changes/availability
Best Unit Highlight: 1 Bedroom + Study
For this unit type, there are a few different layouts where the study is placed differently in the unit. For such smaller units, it is important to maximize space usage and focus on the essential living needs and we feel that the developer has catered well in this aspect.
Considering the buyers’ profile for such units, communal dining space has been de-prioritized and this has presented extra space for more useful utility cabinetry right beside the entrance.
In compensation, a foldable tabletop built into the kitchen counter can be used for meals and then be stowed away, allowing versatility with limited space. A Jack and Jill entrance for the master bedroom toilet is also a nice touch for when guests come over, giving access without having to pass through the master bedroom.
Best Unit Size
In terms of comparison to all other developments, the best unit type goes to the 1 BR + Study, 3BR Premium and 4BR Premium units for its size. The 1BR + Study is also one of the most popular unit types for this development, having sold 82% of its units to date.
Although the 3BR Classic is comparatively smaller in size, it has sold 87% to date. However we will need to take into consideration that the development has only offered a total of 33 units for this particular layout.
Appliances & Furnishing
BATHROOM
Shower Mixer - Gessi
Vanity Cabinet + Mixer - Gessi
Basin - Geberit
Wall mounted water closet - Geberit
KITCHEN
Stainless Steel Sink - Blanco
Mixer - Geginox
Built-in oven + steam oven - Miele
Gas hob, Cooker Hood, Fridge - Miele
Dishwasher - Bosch
YARD
Washing machine + dryer - Bosch
FLOORING
Living + dining room - Marble
Each unit comes with marble flooring in the living and dining room. You will find bathrooms finished with fittings from Gessi and sanitary ware from Geberit, and a kitchen equipped with appliances from Miele and Bosch. The 4BR Premium also comes with a bath tub in its Master Bath.
Within every unit, a Smart Hub gateway is also available to connect to smart provisions, allowing residents remote control via an app on mobile devices. These include Smart Aircon, Smart Lighting, Smart Smoke Detector, Smart Voice-Control, Smart Booking, Smart Parcel, Smart Notifications, Smart Invite.
Irwell Hill Residences has also been awarded the BCA Green Mark GoldPlus award for its sustainability efforts from designing sun shading elements to reduce direct sunlight penetration, use of environmentally friendly certified products, energy efficient air-conditioners and lifts with regenerative power feature to water efficient fittings.
Siteplan
UNIT PER LEVEL
8 units per level
PARKING
540 carpark lots including 4 handicap lots
Both blocks have the same orientation where units' windows are either facing North-Northwest or South-southeast. The former units may encounter slight afternoon sun during certain time of the year but it is generally mitigated by facing pre-dominantly North.
What the architect has done well is to position the blocks such that they are not in line and thus not facing each other, allowing residents to have better unblocked views no matter which unit they acquire. To fully utilize the large land area, a large portion has been allocated to the middle pool and facilities section. While this provides a overall spacious feeling, it also reduces the setback of the residential towers to the project perimeter.
As the project is surrounded on roads on 2 sides, some residents (especially south facing units in Blk 6) may face noise pollution from River Valley Road during weekdays peak hour. However, we must say that the effort to minimize such noise contamination is evident by the fact that towers are not facing the busier Irwell Bank Road, and certain facility structures have been placed between block 6 and River Valley Road.
Facilities
As mentioned, 75% of the land area has been used for facilities and recreational space. A good part of this area has been allocated to open lawns, which provides a stark contrast of tranquility and nature, seeking to provide residents a respite from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Apart from the standard facilities that most condominiums today have, one of the facilities worth highlighting is their Irwell Sky Roof Terraces at the top of both towers. There is a dedicated fitness area to allow residents to enjoy the city view while working out, as well as hammocks and a lounge that turns that rooftop into a stargazing space at night for relaxation.
Animal lovers would rejoice to know that there is also a Pet's Play area for pet owners to spend quality time or mingle with fellow pet lovers alike.
Level 24 at each block also holds Irwell Vista, which is a sky terrace that has a co-working space that transform into a chill out area for entertainment at night with Grill and Gourmet elements provided.
The bespoke workstations at Vista Co-Work are equipped with WiFi, charging points and a lovely view of the sky framed by the greenery.
Maintenance Fee
MAINTENANCE FEE (per share value)
$65
MAINTENANCE FEE
$325 - $585
The estimated maintenance fee ranges from $325/mo for the Studio unit to $455/mo for the 4BR Premium unit that comes with a private lift. This means that except for the penthouses, the maintenance fee for all other units are lower than $500. For a luxury development, the fees are considered reasonable taking into consideration the slew of residential services provided.
Pricing
The PSF pricing on average is attractive considering its well-connected locality and its location in core central region. The relatively low average purchase price quantum also provides buyers a very affordable entry price into owning a property in prime location.
Investors may be delighted to know that a lower entry price can help enhance rentability as they are able to offer more attractive rents to tenants compared to other projects in vicinity or enjoy higher rental yield.
Price Comparison
PROJECT NAME
Midtown Modern
Kopar at Newton
The Avenir
The M
One Bernam
TENURE
99 Years
99 Years
Freehold
99 Years
99 Years
PSF
$2,766
$2,403
$3,118
$2,693
$2,508
STARTING FROM (lowest)
$1,456,000
$1,298,000
$1,499,000
$1,421,000
$1,698,000
As we can see, in terms of PSF(per square foot) pricing, Irwell Hill Residences takes a middle spot amongst some other currently launched projects in the CCR. Of course this excludes the ultra-luxury projects which command more than 4000psf in order to provide a more realistic apple to apple comparison.
It is quite apparent why Irwell Hill Residences will not be the cheapest in terms of PSF with the advantage of having a good and convenient location compared to the other listed entries. Having said that, given that location is one of the most influential factors used to qualify a property project, one might actually expect having such an advantage to accord a higher PSF premium.
A low land cost at the time of land acquisition has allowed developers to be able to give a more attractive pricing. Based on current availability of units, Irwell Hill Residences also provides a lower entry price into the CCR than the other listed projects.
Upcoming Developments
1. Great World MRT Station (TE15)
This underground station will be built underneath River Valley Green, providing connectivity to amenities in the area such as schools and malls. The station will provide train services towards Gardens by the Bay via Havelock, as well as towards Woodlands North via Orchard.
2. Plans by the Government to rejuvenate and transform Orchard Road
Back in 2019, plans to enhance Orchard Road as a lifestyle destination was unveiled, with some of the top priorities being having a wider selection of offerings (from green attractions to easy access to local brands), elevating visitor experience (higher walkability and better landscaping) and following market trends more closely (frequent pop-ups, themed lifestyle experiences and developing a highly walkable green corridor).
3. Great World City Revitalization
Ahead of the completion of Great World MRT Station, Great World City underwent a major facelift in 2018, which included an addition of 50 new tenants. F&B offerings are beefed up, and better connectivity for office tenants and shoppers were provided.
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