广州新电视塔塔顶 将建世界最高摩天轮

Source : 《联合早报》March 18, 2009

（广州讯）广州新电视塔塔顶将建世界最高的摩天轮，并在明年中国国庆节（10月1日）前投入使用。

与一般竖立的摩天轮不同，广州新电视塔摩天轮的16个水晶观光球舱，不是悬挂在轨道上，而是沿着倾斜的轨道运转。

《广州日报》报道，与一般竖立的摩天轮不同，广州新电视塔摩天轮的16个水晶观光球舱，不是悬挂在轨道上，而是沿着倾斜的轨道运转。游客的登舱平台将分设上、下客区，边缘将设置可随球舱移动的1.2米高安全移门，以确保游客游览的有序和安全。

每个观光球舱直径3.2米，可容纳多达六名乘客；球舱壳体采用新型高分子材料，晶莹剔透，让舱内游客对塔外景色一览无余。

400多米高的摩天轮，如何保障它的安全？由于椭圆轨道平面与水平面成15度，为使略微倾斜的球舱在运转过程中保持平稳，有关部门为球舱装上了“调平机构”，通过机械和结构的组合，让球舱水平度实时调整；16个球舱之间通过柔性索连接成环，在动力车的推动下作同步运转。

据悉，定位和抗倾侧装置将保证在八级地震、12级台风下系统依旧“安然无恙”。

摩天轮每20分钟至40分钟转一圈。

广州新电视塔建设公司负责人表示，“观光球舱围绕天线‘公转’一周为20分钟至40分钟，游客能够从各个角度观赏广州市容”。由于“站”在450米的广州新电视塔之上，它将是世界上最高的摩天轮。

据介绍，该设计方案将在4月完成审查，11月开始安装，明年2月完成安装，8月完成调试验收，在明年国庆节前有望投入使用。而原计划的“速降吊篮”项目已在洽谈之中。

摩天轮的中央控制室和管理室，采用大面积透明围护材料，工作人员在操作的过程中可对露天平台和登舱平台情况一目了然。

为了预防雷电，新电视塔的外筒各钢柱顶端沿轨道法线方向装有3.5米长防侧击雷避雷针，顶部桅杆也将装上避雷针。

广州新电视塔总高度（包括塔尖）达580米至600米之间。

Third Costliest In Office Rental

Source : The Straits Times, March 18, 2009

OFFICE rents here fell by 22 per cent last year, but Singapore is still the Asia-Pacific's third costliest city for business tenants, according to Colliers International's latest review. Hong Kong and Tokyo were No. 1 and No. 2 respectively.

The global office real estate review tracked office costs in 172 cities worldwide for the first and second halves of last year. It found that Singapore's office occupancy costs, defined as the annual average gross rents of central business district Grade A office space, fell from US$125.06 psf (S$191.17) in the first half of last year to US$97.07 psf in the second half.

Across the Asia-Pacific, 16 other cities also registered declining rents. Nine of the 20 cities surveyed saw rents plummet more than 20 per cent during the year. Beijing and Taipei were the only two cities in which rents rose.

Despite remaining third costliest in the region, Singapore's office occupancy costs were 45 per cent cheaper than those of Hong Kong's at the end of last year, up from last June's 41 per cent, and 24 per cent cheaper than Tokyo's as compared to just 3 per cent last June, said Ms Tay Huey Ying, director of research and advisory at Colliers International.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.

Villa Sold For US$30m

Source : The Straits Times, March 18, 2009

SHANGHAI - A SHANGHAI villa has sold for 205 million yuan, or US$30 million (S$45.9 million), in the most costly residential real estate deal yet for mainland China, the property's developer said on Wednesday.

Shimao said the 205 million yuan deal was the costliest so far for a mainland Chinese residential unit. --PHOTO: Shanghai Shimao Sheshan Villas

But despite the stunning size of the transaction, the outlook for the market remains murky, those working in the industry say.

Shimao Property Holdings would not disclose any details about the identity of the buyer of the fully furnished, 4,000 square metre villa in its Shanghai Shimao Sheshan Villas development.

Jing Furong, a staffer in Shimao's investor relations department, confirmed the deal but would not comment on a report on Wednesday in the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post saying the buyer was not a mainland Chinese passport holder.

Another villa at Shimao Sheshan, a scenic area in Shanghai's western suburbs, sold for 155 million yuan, the company said.

Shanghai Shimao's shares jumped by the daily 10 per cent limit on Wednesday following the news to 10.38 yuan.

Shimao said the 205 million yuan deal was the costliest so far for a mainland Chinese residential unit. But at 51,000 yuan, or US$7,500, per square metre, it was less expensive than homes in downtown Shanghai's Tomson Riviera, a luxury complex where a smaller, but still spacious, apartment sold earlier for 130,000 yuan, or more than US$19,000, per square meter.

Although the villa's price is astronomical by Chinese standards, it's way below the most expensive in the world. The most expensive market, according to Global Property Guide's 2009 list, is Monte Carlo, averaging US$45,000 per square meter.

Prices for prime properties in Shanghai, Beijing and several other big Chinese cities are beyond the reach of most Chinese families, though. And despite a recent uptick in transactions in some cities, many in the industry are forecasting bleaker months ahead. -- AP

UK March House Prices Down 9%

Source : The Business Times, March 17, 2009

(LONDON) Asking prices for houses in England and Wales were 9 per cent lower than a year ago this month, slightly less than February's record 9.1 per cent annual drop, property website Rightmove said yesterday.

Average asking prices rose by 0.9 per cent in March, less than the usual increase for the time of year, and new listings were 57 per cent lower than last year at 79,000, Rightmove said.

'Traditional spring impetus (is) limited as . . . lending remains restricted as banks are only now facing up to declaration of toxic debt,' the survey said.

Rightmove said there seemed to be buyer interest in properties priced at around 25 per cent below peak levels, and that sellers who initially overpriced their homes risked heavier losses later.

'Rightmove advised sellers in March last year to 'get smart' and price sensibly rather than chase prices down in a deteriorating market. Those that acted smartly may well have sold at half the discount that those who over-priced are now facing,' said the website's commercial director, Miles Shipside.

The average property asking price in March was £218,081, compared with £216,163 in February.

February data from mortgage lenders Halifax and Nationwide showed that house prices have fallen around 20 per cent from their peak in late 2007. - Reuters

S'pore Takes Fifth Spot In Global Ranking

Source : The Business Times, March 17, 2009

INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY OCCUPANCY COSTS

It moves up from 12th place due to rents falling in some European countries

SINGAPORE has emerged as the world's fifth most expensive location for industrial property occupancy costs in the latest 2009 ranking by Cushman & Wakefield, up from 12th position in the 2008 ranking.

Cushman & Wakefield Singapore managing director Donald Han said: 'Singapore's rise up the world ranking is partly due to countries which used to be more costly moving down. In terms of rental growth, Singapore remained stable in 2008.




















'However, with Singapore being an export-reliant economy, we expect demand for industrial space to be reduced significantly in the next 12 months, leading to a fall in rental rates. We are already experiencing a huge fall-off in non-oil domestic exports to the USA and China in the first month of 2009 - about 50 per cent contraction in both markets.'

Cushman's data showed that Singapore posted zero growth in industrial property rent in local currency terms last year.

It noted that the industrial property market started 2008 as the best performing sector in the wider property market within Singapore.

'However, the slowdown with the closely linked US economy started the deterioration of the domestic economy and by the end of the year, the market had slowed significantly.

'With rents falling in the final quarter of the year, the rental growth seen in the first quarter virtually disappeared by the end of the year,' the report noted.

Occupancy of industrial property deteriorated throughout the world in all but a handful of markets in 2008 and global rental growth slowed to 2.4 per cent, down from 6.1 per cent in 2007.

The more mature markets of North America and Western Europe were the first to underperform early in 2008 but by the year's end, all regions of the world had been affected by the global economic downturn, Cushman said.

Industrial commercial property markets in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and South America were the best performing globally in 2008. Annual rental growth in CEE was 6.7 per cent in 2008, almost the same level as in 2007. The Polish and Ukrainian markets were both very active over the year, for example, with considerable demand for a relative shortage of quality accommodation. Rents increased in Poland by 28 per cent and in Kiev, Ukraine, by 25 per cent.

In South America, industrial rents rose by 12.4 per cent over the year with the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, market recording the highest global rise in rents of 46 per cent.

Most Western European countries saw rents hold firm in 2008 as occupier demand steadily declined over the year.

'In fact, the global downturn in rents is really demand-led, as many industrial markets remain undersupplied in terms of modern space.

'Falling take-up is a trend evident across most global industrial markets and one that is expected to continue well into 2009,' Cushman said.