This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on October 14, 2024 - October 20, 2024

Avaland Bhd (KL:AVALAND) is unveiling the 13.4-acre master plan of its Avenue25 integrated development located in USJ 25, Subang Jaya, on Oct 12.

Currently, only the first residential project at the development has been launched. Sitting on 2.68 acres of freehold land with a gross development value (GDV) of RM551 million, Alora Residences offers two towers with a total of 770 serviced apartments. The built-ups range from 568 to 1,457 sq ft with a starting price of RM580,000. Tower A was launched in August 2023 and is 70% taken up.

The developer is gearing up to launch Alora Residences Tower B before the end of the year.

Both CEO Apollo Bello Tanco and chief operating officer Aw Sei Cheh believe this is the right time to unveil the master plan and highlight what the development has to offer.

“Avenue25 is one of the more important projects for us because of its sheer size, not only physically but also in terms of contribution. The site is divided into four parcels which we have master planned. The development is mainly residential but of course we have integrated some retail components, offices and a transport hub to make it more convenient for the residents,” says Tanco.

Apart from offering convenience and ease of connectivity to future residents, the developer also plans to create an “urban rainforest” at the development, says Tanco.

“We plan to put in a lot of greenery to harmonise urban living with nature. We are trying to develop an urban rainforest.”

He adds that the entire development will have 3,000 residential units in total, which will generate an estimated GDV of about RM3 billion.

“[This project] is quite important for us over the long term as it will contribute significant value to the company.”

To ensure that Avenue25 is well connected, Aw says the developer is putting in a big investment to upgrade the infrastructure and improve traffic conditions around the project.

“The project is already well connected by three major highways — Kesas, LDP and Elite. [As it is] a mixed development, we want to do a bit more for the community. There are altogether 13 infrastructure upgrading works [around Avenue25], which will cost about RM120 million, committed by Avaland,” he says.

The works are ongoing and will continue until 2034.

One of the projects is an elevated, covered pedestrian walkway that will connect to the USJ 21 LRT station. It will be completed in 2027, the same time as Alora Residences.

Avenue25 will have a transport hub component that is inspired by One Ayala in Makati, the Philippines, says Aw. One Ayala is developed by Avaland’s parent company Ayala Land.

“We were inspired by One Ayala, which is a much larger-scale development and has a complete bus hub. We have plans to learn from One Ayala and later construct a bus hub in Avenue25, as we want it to be equipped with public transport.”

One Ayala, located in the Makati Central Business District, is a 2.8ha mixed-use development with retail, hotel and office components as well as a 20,000 sq m, three-storey transport hub for northbound and southbound buses, the future Bus Rapid Transit system and jeepneys. The transport hub also offers direct connection to the MRT (Metro Rail Transit) system.

Aw says the improved infrastructure and good connectivity around Avenue25 can lead to economic growth in the area. “It is located near Puchong, Bandar Sunway and the Elite Highway.”

Aw and Tanco believe that along with its retail component, which will offer a total of 100,000 sq ft of net lettable space to cater for locals and tourists alike, Avenue25 can help boost the local economy.

“We want to [position Avenue25] with the three C’s: connectivity, convenience and community,” says Tanco.

Aw and Tanco highlight that the project’s green features will make it sustainable and easy to maintain. In fact, the developer is aiming for all of its components to be GreenRE Gold certified.

Some of the sustainable elements, they explain, are based on the sponge city urban planning model, where the development will have an abundance of trees, parks and green infrastructure to absorb, store and utilise Malaysia’s abundant rainfall in an eco-friendly manner that will also prevent floods.

“Around 30% of outdoor floor materials will be constructed with porous materials. So all the rainwater can return naturally to the ground. There won’t be extensive concrete surfaces. Also, we are going to plant about a thousand trees, which is equivalent to 17 tonnes of CO absorption every year,” Aw explains, adding that about 70% of the trees will be easy-to-maintain native species.

There will also be a rainwater harvesting system that will be able to cover 90% of the irrigation requirements, he says. Eco-friendly water fittings will be used to help save water.

Another aspect of sustainability that will be incorporated into the development is resource efficiency to ensure low energy consumption. This will be achieved, according to Tanco and Aw, with passive cooling measures where 60% of indoor spaces will be naturally ventilated, using low thermal conductivity wall material, a low window-to-wall ratio and tinted glass.

These efforts will contribute to a residential envelope thermal transmittance value, which is a measure of heat entering a building, of 19.75 W/sq m, lower than the benchmark of 22 W/sq m, Aw points out.

“We also have six acres of green [spaces] in the development, be it on the podium or ground [levels] of the entire Avenue25,” he adds. “Also, 50% of the outdoor area will be covered with landscaping and 80% of our common area will be naturally lit during the day, resulting in 37% of electricity savings per year.

“And with careful selection of fittings and rainwater harvesting system investment, we will save 61% of water every year. Last but not least, 89% of the common area is naturally ventilated. So when a place is naturally ventilated and lit up, we can bring the energy consumption down. So in short, in Avenue25, a lot of focus has been to bring the energy cost down.”

To ensure that the buildings within the master development will qualify for GreenRE Gold certification, Avaland has produced a handbook that sets the sustainability targets for all parties involved in the building and construction of Avenue25.

Despite the high initial cost of building sustainably, Tanco says there will be long-term savings in terms of lower energy consumption and maintenance of the buildings. Careful and mindful planning, he adds, has also helped ensure that the offerings are priced competitively and are suitable for the target market.

“The target market for Avenue25 is the mid- to high-end market and new families living in this area.”

Aw, meanwhile, says: “All this effort has direct benefits [for the residents], be it visually or energy wise. [For example, energy and water will cost less] because of all this mindful planning.”

Both men concur that saving energy and other resources is vital nowadays due to the increasing cost of living, with Tanco pointing out that there is a growing demand for homes that are built sustainably and fitted with energy-saving components.

As the interview draws to a close, Tanco provides updates on the company’s plans.

He says Avaland plans to launch three to four projects every year.

“We continue to plan to grow the company over the long term. Right now, we are very [focused] on residential developments. The plan is also to diversify into commercial and industrial developments.

“Next year, we plan to launch a commercial and residential development in Cybersouth. We don’t have a name yet. [In addition] we are prospecting for industrial development within the Klang Valley. Also, we will be launching [high-rise development] Aetas Taman Desa in the second half of 2025.”

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