This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on December 11, 2023 - December 17, 2023

Travilion Group of Companies CEO Datuk Seri John Lau comes across as a genial grandfather — from his warm handshake to his friendly smile, he radiates joviality. But behind his affable nature lies a steely determination to succeed in all he does. Accompanying him at this interview is his son and co-chief operating officer (COO) Peter Lau and they talk about their latest venture, Parq Residence in Kuching, Sarawak, and the group’s plans.

Founded in 2000 by John, Travilion Group’s core business is property development. John is also a practising architect with over 40 years of experience, having founded his practice Arkitek KDI Sdn Bhd in 1977.

Supporting him at Travilion Group are his two sons. Peter, who had worked as a lawyer and analyst, joined the developer in 2003 and oversees matters related to accounting and finance, tax, legal, human resources, and sales and marketing, while Sam, who is also an architect as well as a COO in the company, looks into the technical aspects of all its development projects.

Travilion Group’s portfolio of projects include industrial factories, apartments, shophouses and gated-and-guarded communities in Kuching and Sibu. The total gross development value (GDV) of these completed projects is about RM1.5 billion.

Fronting Jalan Padungan, the RM425 million Parq Residence development was launched on Dec 8 and sits on just over one hectare, or 2.56 acres. The mixed-use project will have two 32-storey towers with 275 residential units each, as well as five levels of office space with a net usable area of 36,231 sq ft and 1½ storeys of commercial space with 54,315 sq ft of net usable area.

The residential towers will sit atop a parking podium with 1,314 parking bays. Units in the towers will comprise 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom and ­dual-key apartments with built-ups of 775 to 1,265 sq ft; executive suites (with private lift lobby) of 1,469 sq ft; and eight penthouses with built-ups of 2,498 sq ft. The units are priced from RM571,000 to RM3.299 million, or from RM560 psf.

Once completed in 2Q2027, Parq Residence will be one of the tallest residential buildings in Kuching, according to the developer.

John says the inspiration for the building’s design comes from a Sarawakian delicacy. “It is inspired by this very unique Sarawakian cake called kek lapis Sarawak or layer cake, which has vertical and horizontal lines,” he says of the building’s facade.

The two residential towers will be slightly diagonal to each other, allowing for space on the podium for landscaping. “We will link the towers with the Sky Link Bridge and form a gateway. This is really the gateway to the Kuching South city centre,” he continues.

The building’s design will include passive and active sustainability elements. “We are mindful of the comfort of the residents, so we always have cross ventilation in mind. The building must be able to function without air conditioning. So, the building is cross ventilated, allowing air to move from one side to the other.

“Also, we are mindful of climate change and sustainability, so we’re going to install double-glazed glass for all the units. They give you heat insulation and also sound insulation, so I think that will cut down on a lot of the heat from the outside. We will provide sun shading for areas that may get the afternoon sun,” explains John.

While the residential units are for sale, other components of Parq Residence will be kept by the developer for recurring income — unless there is an offer John and Peter cannot refuse.

“We will have 1½ storeys of retail on the ground and first floors, and five levels of offices on the side of the building. We will keep the commercial parts of the development. The offices, we want to keep for the time being, but if there is a bank that wants my office space, we can sell it en bloc,” says John.

He adds that they want to control the tenant mix in the retail component to ensure that there isn’t too much of one product. They would like to have a child care centre, laundrette, grocery stores and other conveniences, including a fine-dining area.

Facilities at the development will include a 50m infinity pool, Jacuzzi, wet deck, sun deck, pool pavilion, covered playground, multipurpose room, yoga deck, panoramic view deck, meditation garden, kitchenette, parcel drop-off area and barbecue area. The maintenance fee, excluding the sinking fund, is 22 sen psf while the sinking fund is 10% of the management charges.

There will also be a four-tier security system and a direct link to Jubilee Park.

“We are next door [to Jubilee Park]. Thirty acres of land, very beautifully manicured. Kuching city hall has spent millions to look after this park, keeping it in pristine condition. And the biggest selling point for Parq Residence is really this park because this is like your backyard. There are all kinds of facilities in the park such as an outdoor gym, children’s playground, jogging track, hockey stadium, and even a racetrack for track and field events,” says John.

He highlights that the council is looking to develop a “gastronomical centre” at the park and believes that the restaurants that will be set up in Parq Residence will complement this centre.

Moreover, within a 3km radius of Parq Residence are 10 primary and secondary schools, banks, hotels, restaurants and shops. It is 0.75km from the Kuching South City Council building, 4.9km from the Sarawak General Hospital and 9.2km from the Kuching International Airport.

The target buyers for Parq Residence are mixed, according to John and Peter. They include first-time homeowners, as the developer is participating in the iMiliki/HOPE programme; owner-occupiers such as professionals, small to large families and retirees; downsizers; investors; and purchasers from outside Kuching.

So far, demand for the residential units has been good, with a high number of bookings recorded. “Our soft launch was sometime in July and we only opened up one block. That one has about 70% bookings,” says Peter. “This is the only project of this kind in Sarawak that we are aware of where you have this public amenity (Jubilee Park) next to it and we have a link access to it, so you can use it throughout the day.”

According to John, it took time to learn exactly when to launch Parq Residence. “Kuching has a relatively small population of 711,500, as mentioned in the 2020 census, with a large land mass — it is approximately 4,560 sq km. Any development in Sarawak has to be carefully thought out. Positioning is vital, namely the right product for a particular location. There will be demand if you get it right on product and location. We have to be careful not to overbuild. There is only so much a small city can absorb.”

One of the reasons the developer decided to take the leap, launching its largest project in terms of GDV to date, is the successful performance of its first high-rise residential project — the 14-storey Kenny Hill in Kuching with 130 serviced apartments. Recognising that the population was ready for high-rise living, the group took the plunge and has been rewarded for it.

“Times have changed, not because people like [living in high-rises] … it’s a necessity. I think Kuching is like Kuala Lumpur years ago when the first condominium was built by Tan & Tan — Desa Kudalari. That was the first condo in Malaysia. People at that time still used to stay in terraced houses and landed properties,” says John.

“But then, out of necessity, because the land price had gone up by so much, people had no choice. They had to live in an apartment. So, this trend is not a trend. It’s just an unavoidable situation. This is happening in Kuching and we are at the early stage of this situation. It will take many more years for Kuching to have more apartments, mainly because there’s not as big a population. We are not Kuala Lumpur.”

He reveals that while it is exciting to build a notable project in Kuching, there are challenges that go with it. “The challenge is to get good, quality builders, contractors to do this sort of big project and to build it on time. To me, that is the most challenging part.

“And because the size is so big, we found that we needed to market the development in other towns as well. It’s not like Kuching can absorb so many units in one go. But since the soft launch, the demand has been incredibly encouraging.”

With earthworks now taking place at Parq Residence, Travilion Group has plans for a new residential project — the Staken Green townhouses in Samarahan with 168 units. According to John and Peter, estimated selling prices start from RM300,000.

“We did our first residential landed project in 2021 with 66 units of terraced houses under the first phase of the Staken Green development. The townhouses, under Phase 2, will be located next to the terraced houses,” says Peter.

Staken Green Phase 1 has a GDV of RM35.68 million and sits on 7.11 acres of leasehold land. The 2-storey terraced houses have built-ups of either 1,737 or 1,791 sq ft, with selling prices starting from RM470,000. The project is 100% sold and completed, with occupation permits issued.

Located close to Kuching, Samarahan is not ready for a high-density development as people there still prefer landed properties, John explains. However, 2-storey terraced houses have become less affordable while building 1-storey houses would underutilise the land. Hence, the developer decided to build a “compromised product” in the form of townhouses, he adds.

Staken Green is a 50-acre project but only around 11 acres have been developed. There are more phases to come but they are all in the planning stage, reveals John and Peter.

Travilion Group’s projects in the pipeline include Kenny Hill Phase 2 with 63 serviced apartments and Rantau Johan Phase 2 Townhouse with 34 units, both of which are in Kuching. The developer is in the process of master planning a 1,000-acre township in Samarahan.

The developer has a landbank of around 3,000 acres across Sibu, Kuching and Samarahan in Sarawak. It does not have plans to acquire more land at present.

John and Peter share that they have a goal of achieving a GDV of RM1 billion in the next three years. Also, they hope to be champions of sustainability as they build for future buyers.

“We are mindful of climate change and committed to ESG values. We would like to contribute towards building aesthetically pleasing and environmentally sustainable communities for all to enjoy, whether to live in, work or play,” says John.

With that, the interview draws to a close and ends with a firm handshake and a warm smile, and we leave with a lesson in perseverance and taking calculated risks to build something noteworthy.

Save by subscribing to us for your print and/or digital copy.

P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's App Store and Android's Google Play.