Your Porsche In Your Living Room

Source : The New Paper, May 31, 2007

Units in upcoming 30-storey luxury condo on Scotts Road to come with car porches.

IF you had a Porsche, wouldn’t you like to spend every single waking moment polishing and admiring it?

And if possible, park it right in your living room, instead of some basement carpark?

Well, wish granted.

Soon, you can drive into your estate, then get whisked from the ground level to your apartment by a car lift and reverse right into your unit.

You step out and you’ll be right inside your living room.

And if you do own a Porsche, what a great conversation piece it will be compared with, say, a boring antique table.

This private carpark in each unit is likely to be the most talked-about feature in a proposed 30-storey condominium on Scotts Road.

The yet-to-be-named project will be built on the former Hotel Asia site and will be the tallest development encompassing ‘car porches’ in the world, said developer Hayden Properties.

The loading limit for the car lift will be about two tonnes, and it will be big enough to accommodate a Rolls-Royce.

A normal four-door sedan weighs just over a tonne.

Hayden Properties director Leny Suparman said they first heard about the concept in New York and Dubai.

She added: ‘It’s high time that Singapore enters into a bold, new dimension of world class affluence living like… in New York and Dubai.

‘This is something ultra luxurious for home-owners and something they can relate to. It’s like living in a bungalow and it’s great for car lovers who want to be close to their prized possession.’

There will be 54 units and two penthouses in this development, which will be launched later this year.

Each three-bedroom unit will be about 3,000 sq ft, including the car-porch space of 400 to 450 sqft - big enough for two cars, said the developer.

Each 5,700 sq ft penthouse will have two car-porches.

The price will be about $4,000 psf, said the developer, so expect to pay about $12 million for the three-bedroom units.

The car porch and the living area will be separated, possibly with glass.

That is because not many will appreciate choking on exhaust fumes in the living room.

There will be two car lifts and two passenger lifts.

And for those who prefer their cars on solid ground, every unit will also be allocated parking space in the basement carpark, said the developer.

There will be a valet service for those who prefer the passenger lift and want someone to park their car for them.

What happens if the car lift breaks down?

Then the home-owner may not be able to move his car till the lift is fixed.

But the developer said the condo would have a lift maintenance system with 24-hour service.

The company said it has received a provisional planning permit from the Urban Redevelopment Authority and construction is expected to start at the end of this year.

The developer has not worked out the maintenance costs per unit yet.

Though the project has not been launched, prospective buyers, attracted to the concept, have begun calling.

Chesterton International research director Colin Tan said it’s the first time he has heard of such a concept for a residential property here.

There are mechanised carparks in commercial properties such as Peninsula Shopping Centre and Thomson Medical Centre.

LIKE LANDED PROPERTY

Said Mr Tan: ‘One of the best things about living in a private condo is parking right next to the lift lobby and taking the lift right to your doorstep. This takes it one step further.

‘This is a premium, a plus point for the development. It’s like living in a landed property.’

But Knight Frank research director Nicholas Mak wondered if such extravagance was necessary.

He said: ‘Do you really need to bring your car into your living room? If you argue that it’s for the purpose of security, you can always have garages with locks. I wonder if buyers will accept it.’

Businessman Leonard Wee, 49, liked the idea though.

He said: ‘It’s every car enthusiast’s dream to have your car parked right inside the living room. And what better way to show off your Ferrari? It’s like having your own car showroom.’