City & Country: Developer looks beyond Putrajaya

GOING green is our mission,” says Ahmad Ridzal Ahmad, the CEO of Putra Perdana Development Sdn Bhd.

The company’s latest project, Danau Mutiara in Putrajaya, is being sold as a lifestyle development and will have the green concept seen in its previous projects.

Putra Perdana is the property development and investment arm of soon-to-be-relisted Putrajaya Perdana Bhd.

Putra Perdana Development developed the 7-storey Diamond Building in Precinct 2, Putrajaya — the first building in the country to obtain Malaysia’s Green Building Index platinum rating and the first outside Singapore to obtain the republic’s Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark platinum rating.

The building, which houses the headquarters of the Energy Commission of Malaysia, was also named the most energy-efficient at the Asean Energy Awards 2012.

The developer also built Danau Point, a commercial property that incorporates elementary green features such as skylight roofs and building-integrated photovoltaic panels.

“Everyone can sell houses, but we are selling homes with this concept. For Danau Mutiara, there will be a large landscaped area around the lake, and we will be adding more greenery,” says Ahmad Ridzal.

He also notes the project is surrounded by garden features such as lakes, wetlands and parks, and other nearby developments are of low density.

Danau Mutiara, which was launched on Saturday, consists of nine bungalows, 38 semi-detached houses and 34 zero lot units. Sitting on 12.03 acres of freehold land, the density of the project is nine units per acre.

The houses have built-ups of between 4,218 and 5,456 sq ft and are priced between RM2.6 million and RM4 million. The bungalows were fully booked prior to the launch, according to Ahmad Ridzal.

The zero lot units, which have built-ups from 4,218 to 5,154 sq ft, are selling for RM2.3 million to RM3.2 million. The semidees have a built-up of 4,218 sq ft and are priced between RM2.3 million and RM2.7 million.

Facing the Putrajaya Lake, this project, which has a gross development value (GDV) of RM213 million, is near Alamanda Shopping Mall and the 35-acre Taman Warisan Pertanian in Precinct 16.

Top: For Danau Mutiara, there will be a large landscaped area around the lake, and we will be adding more greenery. — Ahmad Ridzal Bottom left: An artist's impression of the lake in Danau Mutiara Bottom right: The semidees are priced between RM2.6 million and RM4 million

More launches

Precinct 16 is about 84% developed. Government lots take up 8% while 3% of the area is being developed. Putra Perdana Development will launch its final three projects in the precinct by the end of the year.

It plans to launch a condominium project in August. To be built on 7.66 acres of freehold land, it will consist of two 10-storey blocks with a total of 420 units.

The condos will have built-ups of between 753 and 1,506 sq ft, and will be priced at RM600,000 and above. This project (GDV: RM252 million), is slated for completion by August 2017.

Ahmad Ridzal says this development is targeted at all groups, from single professionals to families, as the units come in different sizes. “Some 60% are studio units while the rest have built-ups of 1,200 sq ft and above. The project is open for registration and will be the first green condominium in Putrajaya.”

There will also be a retail component within the development, but Putra Perdana Development has decided to retain and manage it. It is looking at getting retailers that offer wellness services to complement the existing healthy living and green concept in Precinct 16.

Putra Perdana Development will unveil its last bungalow development in the area by October. The project (GDV: RM96 million), which is yet to be named, offers only 24 bungalows on a 4.77-acre parcel.

The bungalows will have built-ups of between 3,579 and 4,473 sq ft, and the indicative selling prices are RM4 million and above.

“We are designing our last bungalow project very carefully,” he says. “It is going to be a nature and environment-friendly development.”

With the last parcel in Precinct 16 to be launched by November, he says all the developments there will be completed by 2017.

The final development, Parcel 25, will consist of 13 zero lot units and 16 semidees. The built-up of the zero lot units is 3,850 sq ft and their indicative selling prices are between RM2.2 million and RM2.5 million.

The semidees will have built-ups of between 3,980 and 4,100 sq ft, with selling prices of between RM2 million and RM2.2 million. Facing the Putrajaya Lake, the concept of this 4.4-acre project will be similar to that of Danau Mutiara. It has since received 10 bookings.

Moving outside Putrajaya

Putra Perdana Development will also focus on other developments outside Putrajaya this year. It has a landbank of more than 300 acres located in Perak, Melaka and Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

In February, Ipoh City Development Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Putrajaya Perdana, signed a memorandum of understanding with Menteri Besar Inc to develop a green township — Kinta Lake District in Perak.

The company plans to launch the 264-acre development near Tronoh in Batu Gajah in the next quarter. The project (GDV: RM2.18 billion) will be developed on former mining land in 13 phases over 15 years and is set to be a landmark in the state.

It will consist of affordable homes, terraced houses, apartments, condos and an educational institution. The commercial component will include shopoffices and a mall.

Ahmad Ridzal says the company will continue with its green and eco-friendly concept, and will have two launches by the end of the year. To be built on a 15.36-acre parcel, the first phase, which will comprise 238 affordable houses with a built-up of 1,200 sq ft, will be launched in July.

Phase 2, which is known as Retirement Village, will be launched in October. It will have 104 semidees with a built-up of 994 sq ft and 96 apartments with built-ups of between 566 and 1,108 sq ft.

“This is an eco-friendly development targeted at people staying in Perak,” he says. “There are 13 lakes and we’ll take advantage of this water feature and enhance the township with green features.”

Kinta Lake District is part of the Perak Amanjaya development blueprint, which is set to steer the state’s social, economic and regional development to become fully developed.

Putra Perdana Development is also planning to develop its 22-acre parcel in Bukit Katil in Melaka by the end of the year, but Ahmad Ridzal declines to give more details.

Meanwhile, the development in Bukit Jalil will be launched by early 2016.

He says the company is still looking to acquire more land in the country.

The property development and investment arm contributes 10% to the revenue of Putrajaya Perdana.

Its construction arm, Putra Perdana Construction, contributes the bulk of the group’s revenue. It was recently awarded a contract to develop eight blocks of 5-storey commercial buildings — Arcadia — in Desa ParkCity, KL. Its other completed projects include ParkCity Medical Centre and Menara Felda in KL.

Putrajaya Perdana’s concession business is run by Putra Perdana Expressways Sdn Bhd.


This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on May 5 - 11, 2014.