My first apartment was only 700 sq ft and it comes with 3 rooms. Actually, it’s pretty liveable and I stayed with my wife, my sister and my brother-in law for many years before moving to a bigger condominium. However, where size is concerned, it’s always good to buy as big as we could afford. These days, most of the affordable projects are slightly below 900 sq ft in size. If you are still looking / waiting for an affordable apartment which is bigger than 850 sq ft, there’s another upcoming choice by Sime Darby Property Bhd. It is developing Harmoni 1 which is located within the City of Elmina in Shah Alam. It will be complemented by shop offices. Total gross development value for the whole project is RM155 million. The price will range from RM200,000 to RM250,000. Yes, considered affordable but location is not exactly a popular one when compared to the usual names. The actual location of City of Elmina? Please refer to Google Map image. It is definitely nearer to Sungai Buloh than to KLCC’s Jalan Ampang. Still interested? Read on.
Two prototypes for the project would be completed by middle 2017 before starting the project in Q3 2017. If you qualify, it’s time to register with the Selangor Housing and Property Board. The qualified buyers list would then be forwarded to Sime Darby Property. Now for the EXTRA. Its managing director Datuk Jauhari Hamidi said the project would be the first of its kind in Malaysia to adopt the Divergent Dwelling Design (D3) concept. The total completion period for construction is about 24 months compared to 36-42 months using the conventional concept. D3 involves pre-fabrication and mass production of components for residential units that enable cost-saving, higher product quality, reduction of on-site labour and minimised wastage. Yes, pre-fabrication should be great because once all the components are ready, we only need to assemble them. Something like Lego.
Have you seen some videos about the potential of these pre-cast / fabricated construction? Here’s one where a hotel was completed within 15 days. It’s 30 storeys by the way. We have yet to see this go big in a meaningful way yet. Let’s see if Sime Darby’s project can be a catalyst for many more to come? I think if it’s really where quality meets affordability, it should be the norm in future. Happy waiting to view the prototypes within a few months time.
written on 25 Jan 2017
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