Refer to Verdi.

Not only the Park, the developer has also put in a lot of thought on the apartment itself ie alignment of the blocks to ensure ventilation and lighting, the way the rooms are orientated etc. The more I talk, the more gatal I get..

The Window is the size of 3 apartments, and there are 3 of them....is going to be breathtaking...those that can afford it, just do it or you will miss the boat to own a great property.

Wow, it should be very nice. Unbelievable!

I think they meant that 2.7 mil of potential loss due to the 'window' taking up 3 apt lots. Surely can't cost that much to just build a hole.

Haha, u got a point..

Don't look at it as just a big hole, look at it as nature Windows that bring the beauty of nature into your viewing for relaxation and enjoyment....this may worth the 2.7 mil...and is for life

Is Carsten Huttche from Enviro Pro Green Innovations work on the wotp trees and plants?

This post has been edited by HELLO HELLO: Nov 11 2013, 03:44 PM


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SDB has been living by their motto of giving quality home to their customers. They engaged reputable consultants for their projects, mostly from Singapore....that is why thier prices are on the higher side.

SDB engage CKOA from Singapore for landscaping. Additionally, they have hire Prof Jason Pomeroy also from Singapore as consultant for the green planning and sustainable of WOTP. Heard from SA, SDB now even hire the previous desaparkcity landscaping engineer for wotp. Looks like they are really serious to deliver good job...so many professional to deliver this job. I guess this is first development that have such massive greens...

Go to CKOA website at ckoa.com.sg and dowload their brochure and see what they hv done for SDB project Park Seven, Ameera ,5 Stones, 20trees.....wow...extremely beautiful.....very pleasing to the senses!

SDB

http://www.goingplacessingapore.sg/people/...spx#prettyPhoto

A practice in contemplation
Dr Colin Okashimo, an artist and landscape architect, talks about creating a sense of calm in a city of millions.

Every Tuesday, without fail, a small group of aunties, probably in their sixties, can be found meditating in Telok Ayer Park, right beside Tanjong Pagar MRT station. With their legs crossed and eyes sealed, their intensity tells passing commuters that they are serious about what they are doing. In return, the commuters mostly leave them alone, save for the cobbler who seldom turns the volume of his radio below the level of “too loud”. Sometimes, a cleaner will come by with a leaf blower going off at full speed. The aunties sometimes look visually affected by the noise but, for the most part, they remain unfazed. Perhaps they like to test their inner peace by meditating in the busiest part of the Central Business District, or maybe they’ve simply ran out of peaceful, contemplative places.

Many of us assume that, with over 7,000 people packed into every square kilometre and nearly a million vehicles on the roads, finding and achieving nirvana is more difficult than ever in a place like Singapore. However, for Dr Colin Okashimo, sculptor, landscape architect and principal of Colin K. Okashimo and Associates (CKOA), serenity isn’t just a state of mind. It is the spirit of the place.

The artist
You wouldn’t be able to tell from the humdrum façade of the building which houses its office along Beach Road, but the Singapore-based landscape architectural firm is actually all about sculpting landscapes and sculptures in gardens and environments, with projects in Singapore, China, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles and Thailand. These gardens and environments are not merely green spaces either. CKOA specialises in environments of contemplation, meditation and reflection, or places where people can elevate their thoughts from the usual mundane ones.

Around Okashimo’s office, you will find experimental sculptures right alongside an assortment of rock samples arranged in an orderly chaos. It should come as no surprise, though, since Okashimo considers himself an artist first and a designer second. “Between the two, I am an artist first and foremost. [I believe that] design is about solving problems such as how one creates a living environment for the expected population of that particular site. Art, on the other hand, is about raising the right questions, provoking people to sit up, take note and perhaps ask questions like, ‘Why is this here and what does it mean?’”

Okashimo’s interest in tranquility began when he took a sculpture course as an undergraduate in landscape architecture. He realised he enjoyed sculpting as much as he did designing, and that led him to a Master’s degree in fine arts. He then decided to merge his practice as a meditator with that of a sculptor and completed a doctorate degree that encompassed studying the works of the late Japanese–American artist Isamu Noguchi. Over the years, this would resonate with Okashimo, whose current Zen-influenced aesthetic as a sculptor takes after Noguchi’s.

A quiet beginning
When we talk about construction sites, the first image that comes to us is probably that of wrecking balls and jackhammers, tearing down old buildings to make way for the new. At CKOA, though, the landscape design of a site usually has a calmer, more collected beginning.

For each project that involves designing the landscape and creating the sculpture, Okashimo and his team spend weeks researching the site. And “researching” doesn’t just mean studying the history of the site and the kind of environment in which it is set. In fact, one of the first things that the team does is to engage in “experiential research,” which involves meditating for hours on the site, preferably during dawn and/or dusk. “The practice of mediation and the practice of creating landscapes for me are inseparable and very personal. The calming of the mind allows one to distil the essence of the place.”

By answering questions such as “What does this place feel like?” and “What’s the true experience of this place?”, Okashimo and his team are then able to identify the site’s “quiet eddies,” or places where people congregate to reach a better, more in-depth understanding of the place. It could be anything from a temple to a private garden. From there, Okashimo will adapt aspects of these quiet eddies to suit the landscape and sculpture of the project.

This doesn’t stop once the construction is underway. Throughout the project, Okashimo and his team continue to conduct experiential research, ensuring that tranquility is maintained every step of the way. The true completion of a project is marked when the team can test for themselves whether a sense of calm has been achieved through a final mediation within the environment and the sculpture.

Asia’s changing landscape
To the uninitiated, this may all seem a step too far. After all, we’ve been conditioned to appreciate landscape environments that “just work” rather than those that “work on a spiritual level.” In a city where much of its architecture is either sheer utility or jaw-dropping fantasy, it is sometimes difficult for the common man to run away from such misconceptions. But the times are changing.

In recent years, Asia has reached a point at which purely commercial projects are not only commonplace—they are mainstream. Resort and spa operators, for example, are leaning towards more organic, contemplative designs and master plans, such as the ones seen at the Shiseido Spa and Spa de Constance in Seychelles. For this project, CKOA was in charge of 7,000-square-metres of tropic garden environment, populated by warm and cool jacuzzis, water lounges, water cascades, yoga pavilions and reflexology paths. Patrons are able to stop, breathe and relax around the central reflecting pool (the focus of the spa), with a clear view of the mountain range in the distance. Again, it is the human-oriented design that sets CKOA’s projects apart from the rest.

Okashimo feels that spectacle-driven projects with ‘wow’ factors are no longer testimonies to what developers and clients want to leave behind as their legacy. Instead, he believes that developers now want to find ways to make a difference rather than just dollars.

Using the landscape to evoke a sense of calm in non-urban locations such as Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Bhutan is easy enough, but the same cannot be said for Singapore. Creating a serene and contemplative landscape in a city-state is a challenge on an entirely different level.According to Okashimo, there are many ostentatious structures in the Singapore skyline, hence it is difficult for one to say that Singapore is calm. “It is a country continually under construction, which comes with both external and internal noise and distractions.”

That’s why, when designing a landscape in any major city, it is about designing something that reinforces the spirit of the place, thereby revealing all their splendour and beauty. “The ‘wow’ factor [in architecture] implies the notion of ‘been there, done that,’” Okashimo says. For example, one of CKOA’s projects in Singapore is a 1.7-hectare landscape garden at Paterson Residences along Orchard Road, a project by Ideal Homes Pte Ltd. Instead of populating the poolside and garden with obtrusive décor and numerous sculptures that scream for attention, it focuses on being simple and memorable in a natural, intuitive way. Here, CKOA combines sculptures and lighting to great effect, thus creating a calming and liberating space for residents.

At the end of the day, CKOA is all about memorable quiet landscapes and designs that gradually reveal their meaning over time. Even in a bustling, future-driven city such as Singapore, these so-called “quiet eddies” can still be designed to engage, intrigue and, most importantly, encourage people to take a breather.

This post has been edited by HELLO HELLO: Nov 13 2013, 05:47 PM


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Finally, today received letter from SDB to inform bank to release first 10% for completed stage 2a as per SPA - Completion of the work below ground level of the said building comprising the said parcel including foundation of the said building (Block C). 😄... Seem progress slow.... Since from July 2012 launching until now....

yeah today drove by saw the block C pillars up and higher compare to last week.

This post has been edited by HELLO HELLO: Nov 13 2013, 10:49 PM

I don't think there will be any doubts pertaining to SDB quality of work. It is my first property and I'm proud of this investment.

However, what worries me are the future tenants in WOTP. I am just hoping that they are responsible enough to keep the place clean and be a more concern tenant by looking out for one another.

ya hor... future tenants problem... lucky the block c sibeh expensive...lol... finger cross.

maybe SDB will OT so that they can deliver by 2015 ..if not they just have to bayar intrest to us for late delivery

Owners of high end condo hv to be selective of who they rent to, if there are too many tenants that create a lot of nuisance and problems to the community, it will certainly drive down the property value there.

For Block A owners, did your bank managed to release the payment on time to SDB? Did anyone kena charged late intrest

This post has been edited by leongvanessa: Nov 14 2013, 05:14 PM