This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on July 22, 2024 - July 28, 2024

The results of a recent in-depth survey have led Gamuda Land, the property arm of Gamuda Bhd [KL:GAMUDA], to work on a new house type in the local property market.

According to Gamuda Land CEO Chu Wai Lune, the purpose of the survey was to find out what Malaysians wanted in their homes, and the results provided a foundation on which the developer could design a new product.

Called park homes, this house type is designed to take the best qualities of terraced houses and marry them with more green spaces and community building attributes.

“Gamuda Land’s design DNA over the years has always been focused on ‘listening to the land’ and ‘when we create a place, the town works’,” Chu tells City & Country.

“That has always been the fundamental element when we plan our townships. So, whether it is Kota Kemuning or Bandar Botanic, Gamuda Gardens or Gamuda Cove, we always have a design DNA, where we focus on the central park in all our townships so that the community can gather. That is the fundamentals of our planning. The plan is not to just build a home, but to build a place where the community can spend quality time together.”

Gamuda Land chief operating officer Jess Teng Poh Fern says, “We often ask ourselves, how do we elevate further, how do we innovate further, but we don’t do it for the sake of doing it. That is why we do surveys; we hear everyone, we hear the land, we hear what customers want. We also think about how we can add value.

“We conducted a nationwide survey among various family compositions — multigenerational families, singles, pet owners and small family units. The survey highlighted that traditional terraced homes, especially intermediate units, often suffer from narrow layouts, limited natural light and minimal outdoor space, making corner units and end-lots more desirable despite their limited availability.”

She adds that the survey also shows that pet owners are rising in number, resulting in an increase in demand for landed properties and pet-friendly parks and spaces.

“We found that a seamless indoor-outdoor connection was a top preference. It relates to the biophilic design that improves the light coming in, the ventilation, the air quality. We have incorporated all this in the new house type,” says Teng.

She notes that flexible living has become important to everyone after the pandemic, as working from home is now the new norm, and this has led Gamuda Land to introduce new living spaces.

“We also thought maybe that was still not enough; maybe people have pets and children, whom they want live in a safe, secure environment. So, that is how it all evolved into what we call ‘the park homes innovation’.”

Setting a new living standard

Talking about the special features of the park homes, Teng says: “Everyone knows what a terraced house is like, a row of 12 to 16 units, with only two corner units at each end, which will always be the first to be sold out because of the garden.

“With park homes we have a cluster of eight units — four intermediate and four corner units. Each has its own private garden and the eight units share a communal garden. So, this is an added value compared to a regular terraced house.”

From the outside, the houses look like four terraced houses in a row; from an aerial view, the corner units are square in shape and the intermediate units are an “L” shape.

“We have the functional spaces — the living and dining areas — facing the private garden. As these places are where people spend the most time, we opened up the connection to nature, to look out into the garden or the outdoors. Then, from the internal garden, we spill over to the communal garden, which is gated.” 

She adds that homeowners can carry out extensions to the houses.

The private garden and communal garden component will allow parents to encourage their children to go outdoors in a secure environment. Chu says the park homes are designed to enable children to venture outside safely without the fear of oncoming cars and other dangers.

Furthermore, the private garden will be 20ft to 24ft wide, giving pets enough space to run freely in the compound, thus owners will not have to worry about pets escaping and getting lost or hurt.

In addition, the communal garden will be sizeable, measuring about 40ft wide and about 100ft long — large enough to play football in, Chu says with a smile.

Both he and Teng suggest that a large family can buy a few units so that the extended family can live next to each other while still having their own space. At the same time, they can meet in the communal garden without having to go far to enjoy the outdoors.

A key aspect of the park homes is offering homeowners a choice of layout that caters for their lifestyle. “For example, if you have a bigger family, you may want an additional room for your children or elderly parents. If you are single and work from home often, you might prefer a dedicated home office space,” says Chu.

“Our in-house digital platform allows customers to customise their home layout with fewer walls or partitions to allow them to achieve their preference to an extent, before the delivery of their home.”

He adds that park homes will be built using the industrialised building system (IBS), which will enable the developer to deliver the houses in about 18 months, barring hindrances along the way.

In addition, the new house type will be solar panel- and EV charging-ready, with reinforced roofs and built-in isolators.

According to Chu and Teng, the park homes will be offered in three of its townships — Gamuda Gardens, Gamuda Cove and twentyfive7 — and have a combined gross development value of RM1 billion.

Chu says while the launch of these new homes, to be called The Clove, will most likely be held at year’s end, registration is open. The proposed 2-storey units are estimated to have built-ups of 1,950 to 2,210 sq ft, and estimated selling prices start from RM750,000, which Chu says is a “market acceptance price”.

“While we are fine-tuning the final details, we are committed to pricing this product competitively to meet market expectations and the affordability of our target market. This ensures that our new home type not only meets the needs of modern homeowners but also offers exceptional value,” he says.

To facilitate the purchasing process, Gamuda Land has invested in technology to ensure it goes smoothly.

Says Teng, “We are innovating the customer’s buying experience. We have actively partnered with Google, where our in-house team has developed an AI (artificial intelligence) solution for the whole customer purchasing journey.

“Traditionally, you have to go to a sales gallery and someone explains the product. Now, you can ask the AI, and it can help customise the house to your lifestyle; it will give you recommendations. It is generative AI that engages. We could be the first developer to use this technology to help the customer.”

Moreover, the developer has embraced digitalisation with its GL Lifestyle app, which allows users to book facilities and amenities within the townships so that, Chu says, “everything will be on a clean single touch point”.

Always evolving

Gamuda Land’s growth as a developer has always been based on key fundamentals and innovation. Chu says, “We want to create townships that give our community a true sense of a hometown and a lifestyle that is in harmony with nature.”

This goal has been achieved by the developer’s earlier projects, where every township has a central park with lakes and pathways for people to jog, walk and cycle, surrounded by lush landscaping.

“Besides the central park, we are probably one of the few developers to put overhead cables underground. We introduced the cul-de-sac design and a low kerb so that people can park their cars safely. Then we evolved to placemaking and, in 2016, we introduced a multi-façade, biophilic design.

“We also look at technology. We moved to IBS and even next-generation IBS. From IBS, we have moved to digitalisation, where all our knowledge and lessons learnt over 30 years are in AI chatbots.”

He adds that the developer is also building strategic partnerships. “This is where we create opportunities for others and ourselves to complete the amenities and create an ecosystem. For example, our leasing team has proactively reached out to schools, grocers, F&B tenants and others to enhance the commercial areas. We also help get the tenants in and match them with the owners. So, when people move in, everything is there.”

Teng concurs: “It is how we add value or a premium to the value of the house. Previously, we focused only on the central park, but now we add value through strategic partnerships or placemaking. The appreciation is definitely there; we see more people using the facilities. They keep coming back; they see the appreciation and they value Gamuda Land. This is one of the things we have elevated from the master plan.”

The company also operates on the concept of see-to-believe, which Chu strongly believes in and which refers to building the facilities before the homeowners move in.

“For example, we build the parks first before we hand over the keys. We build the interchange, so that the connectivity is there for all our townships.

“Then, we speak about value creation, where we put all the amenities together with the strategic partnership. This will create an ecosystem. Then, we do placemaking. Over the years, we have invested a lot in facilities such as Skyline Luge, SplashMania and Quayside Mall. These are the important components that enable a community and families to spend time together.”

These factors provide homeowners with access to a more holistic lifestyle. “If I were to separate it into two contexts, the first would be the master plan. All our project phases are connected to the central park. From your house, you can walk or cycle to the central park, and the central park will take you to the commercial area. Second is amenities, where strategic partnership is important. We work with people who are good at their speciality to provide an ecosystem,” says Chu.

The response to this new house type will be interesting to observe in a highly challenging market. Chu says it is all about perspective. “Everyone needs a house … Our townships are different, our product is different. You can’t compare us with others; and we grow our townships by adding value.”

From setting up townships and, now, a new house type, Gamuda Land continues to leave its mark on the property landscape.

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