Advertisement
Advertisement

Hip retreats

Houses are getting bigger as fortunes are piling up in the delta, and designs are becoming more tasteful

Size still matters for buyers of luxury homes in the Pearl River Delta. But increasingly, architects are also finding it to be a promising market for their more creative and inspirational talents.

Regal interior designs remain in the mainstream. Huge fireplaces, spiral staircases, libraries, wine chambers, twin kitchens and spacious master bedrooms are de rigeur for the newly affluent looking to adopt lifestyles of the rich and famous. Imported marble and wallpaper with artistic designs are still commonly used materials.

Driving the latest trends are mainland residents, who are fast catching up to their compatriots from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other overseas Chinese from southeast Asia. Most have made their money in manufacturing.

Generally, they are looking for much bigger houses. Whereas two years ago a villa of 200 to 400 sq m would have been considered top of the market, now anything less than 700 sq m simply will not do.

Hong Kong architect Kenneth Ko Man-on reckons it is not bigger egos that are driving this demand, but genuine interest among home-buyers to pack new features into a home.

'People are looking for space to include more functional facilities like gym equipment, steam baths and a sauna room -- all surrounded by a beautiful garden,' he says.

Mr Ko, who has done design work for projects in Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhuhai, Panyu and Shenzhen, says rising demand for bigger houses was forcing developers to rethink their plans. For instance, a resort project in San Xiang, Zhongshan City, recently decided to cut in half the number of units it was planning to sell so that it could build just 50 villas on the same space, each measuring more than 500 sq m.

Moreover, buyers are rewarding developers that pay more attention to the quality of the community they are creating. Clubhouse facilities, landscaping, and management services all need to be top-notch.

Exclusive luxury projects are usually low-rises surrounded by a vast landscape, with many of the most popular set near or next to a golf course. Large-scale developments encompass a wide range of units for different categories of buyers from small-sized apartments for the mass market to luxurious detached houses for the rich.

Such demand has naturally created a rush of supply, as local developers have learnt quickly from their Hong Kong counterparts' experience in design, construction and marketing.

Gone are the days when local developers would simply copy the names of famous Hong Kong housing estates. Now they must focus on creating their own unique identities.

The advantage in the delta is space. Although many areas are heavily industrialised, it is easy to carve out large pieces of land to create communities that offer buyers a sense of being in an oasis from their surroundings.

Barrie Ho Chow-lai, a Hong Kong contemporary architectural designer, calls this trend the creation of a 'hip retreat' lifestyle. Home is now being projected as a place to escape the 'hectic nature of city life', he says.

Mr Ho has employed this concept in developments in Huiyang, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, and he sees it catching on very fast.

The idea of a hip retreat makes use of an architectural language to create a unique spatial experience for both buyers and investors, he says, explaining that in practical terms, what this involves is a fusion of hip styles from the west, commonly Europe, with resort styles found throughout Southeast Asia.

Hip retreats are also very focused on building a natural and ecological environment through carefully designed landscaping.

It seems to have worked from a business perpsective, too. Hip retreats have become a model within the industry, Mr Ho says.

It has been a win-win situation all round. While the designer and property developer have profited, end-users have benefitted by seeing their quality of life improve, Mr Ho says.

Post