The centerpiece wall of black forest stone slabs with a matte leather finish at the arrival and drop-off area

Whistler Grand was on an impressive run of success in the EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards (EPEA) 2023. It won prizes for Landscape Design, Innovation, Design and Sustainability, as well as the overall Best Development award.

SORA showflat enjoys an ideal position in a residential zone under URA guidelines.

The private condominium includes 716 units arranged over twin 36-storey towers. It is situated on area of 210,883 square feet on a leasehold site. The project was developed through the listed property huge City Developments (CDL), the project went live in November of 2018 and was fully sold by the end of October 2021 with a Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) being obtained in April 2022.

Whistler Grand will be the 3rd and most recent private condominium in the new residential enclave West Coast Vale, off West Coast Road. The first two developments at West Coast Vale were the 752-unit Parc Riviera, first launched in November 2016, and completed in the year 2019; and the Twin Vew, a 520-unit development. Twin Vew which was launched in May 2018 and completed in 2021.

The condos for private owners in West Coast Vale totals 1,988 units. It is constructed in 99 year leasehold sites bought by developers through the government’s land sales (GLS) bids. The condos are a part of the URA’s Master Plan 2019 to rejuvenate the Clementi Planning Area and provide new housing options in Clementi, Sunset Way and West Coast.

Outside of housing, there’s new amenities available in the area. For example, CDL has incorporated pedestrian links from both the main entrance and the side access to Whistler Grand to the existing Ulu Pandan Park Connector, that runs through the Pandan River and permits residents to take in the lush landscape and river views.

Its Ulu Pandan Park Connector is connected with the Western Adventure Loop and other park connectors, including Bukit Batok East Park Connector and Hillview Park Connector. The waterway of the Pandan River will also be transformed under the Active, Beautiful & Clean (ABC) Waters Programme, creating a leisure and recreation corridor that will bring residents closer to the nature.

A number of trails for walking and cycling are planned for Sunset Way and West Coast Park in the near future that could connect together with Coast-to-Coast Trail, Rail Corridor, Round Island Route and Pasir Panjang Linear Park. It will be a link to other tourist attractions throughout the island.

The proximity of the Jurong Lake District
Alongside West Coast Vale, the government is planning to introduce more housing options in Clementi Avenue 1. A brand new GLS site located at Clementi Avenue 1 that could produce 500 housing units was put up to tender in June with the bid closing on the 7th of November.

It is located in the Clementi Planning Area is close to the Jurong Lake District (JLD) which URA has envisaged for the future as a second CBD since the Master Plan. The announcement of the 6.5ha master developer site in June by URA is designed to launch the next stage of development of JLD.

“The implementation of JLD has brought the entire region more alive, and made it has made the West Coast area more attractive because of its proximity” Says Tang Kok Thye, associate partner of ADDP Architects and a judge on the EdgeProp Excellence Awards 2023.

Design and design aspects
Residents of Whistler Grand will be able to avail JLD’s amenities, JLD Tang, says Tang as JLD is only a 10 minute drive from the. It is interesting to note that ADDP Architects was the design architect for Whistler Grand and also had Coen Design International as the design architect and construction firm Woh Hup, as main contractor.

One of the appealing features of the design in Whistler Grand is the extensive landscaping that is ground-level, considering the fact that parking is situated in the basement, while these two towers sit on top, according to ADDP’s Tang. The central position between the blocks and the distance to setback away from Ayer Rajah Expressway as well as the extensive landscaping create a sufficient buffer.

The two towers of Whistler Grand are orientated such that the residents of the higher-floor units are able to enjoy uninterrupted perspectives of the city and the lush greenery in the Bukit Batok, and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, or Pandan Reservoir and the sea.

But, everyone have the opportunity to take in the stunning panoramas from both Sky Club on the 24th floor, Sky Club on the 24th floor as well as at the Star Club on the 30th floor of both towers. “The sky terraces provide residents with an opportunity to see the surrounding area,” says Tang. “Whistler Grand was the first to introduce lots of greenery due to the gardens that are landscaped in the lower floors, as well as those sky terraces located on floors 24th and 30th.”

To Angela Lim, director and co-founder of SuMisura and SuMisura, who is on the jury panel for the 2023 EdgeProp Excellence Awards the thing that made an impression in the event at Whistler Grand is the dropping-off, with its huge feature wall of dark forest stone slabs that have a matte leather finishes.

Another reason to visit was the landscaping, featuring a large area for events and an the lap pool of 88m, which Lim states is a characteristic in all of CDL’s condominium developments.

For the landscape architects Yvonne Tan, director of DP Green, Whistler Grand was a top pick in terms of landscaping design, not only for its aesthetics, but for its utility. “You can see people enjoying the facilities” says Tan who has served on the jury for the past six years. “There are even ramp for wheelchairs leading into the swimming pool. It’s the tiny aspects that count.”

“Reality against the plan”
Professor Sky Seah, academic director and senior lecturer in the Department of Real Estate at the National University of Singapore Business School as well as on the judging panel for this year’s awards, loves to observe “the actuality versus the concept”.

After reading the submitted proposal and touring the property, Seah gained a fresh perception of the project. “It shows how an developer can combine affordability with the creation of a distinctive quality project,” says Seah.

CDL is not new in its home in the West Coast area, having constructed the 493-unit neighboring Botannia as well as the 300-unit Monterey Park Condo and the 396-unit Hundred Trees over the last 18 years. The three condos are located on leasehold for 956 years sites. The three projects are all 12-storey structures in contrast to Whistler Grand which is a 36-storey high-rise development.

The apartments at Whistler Grand vary from one bedroom to five bedrooms, ranging of 441 sq ft up to 1,442 sq ft. They accommodate all kinds of different lifestyles. There are three bedrooms, four- and five-bedroom apartments come with flexi spaces and dual-key configurations. There are two penthouses available at Whistler Grand, and they each come with five bedrooms and flex space which is 2,217 sq. ft. and 2,422 square feet, respectively.

The prices of Whistler Grand have soared over the last five years. When the resort was first announced in November of 2018 the median price from the 160 units that were sold on the opening week of sale was $1,380 per square foot. Since its completion the units have traded hands for $1,838 psf to $1,983 per sq ft, in accordance with caveats that were lodged between June and September.

The highest value of $1,983 per sq ft attained during the time of Whistler Grand was recorded in September, when a 958 sq ft three-bedroom home on the 31st floor traded hands for $1.9 million.