It's green for go as Belgravia gets state-of-the-art facelift
There's a quiet revolution on the domestic front in Island South - and it's just one of the ways in which the owner of Belgravia apartments hopes to clean up. Executives at Kerry Properties say the refurbished apartments in South Bay Road boast the first centralised vacuum-cleaning system of its type to be used in a residential building in Hong Kong.
Each of the 50 apartments also has a Swiss-made air purifier which adds to the clean, fresh atmosphere. The IQAir system can be seen as a nod to the complaints of many multinational company executives who say Hong Kong's poor air quality has deterred them from working in the territory. While the wheels of government legislation grind slowly towards cleaning up our air, some private developers seem to be addressing the situation on behalf of homebuyers and lease holders.
'When we refurbished the building, residents' health and a good environment were at the very core of our plans, so we provide good air quality as much as possible,' said Anders Lee, Kerry Properties' residential sales manager, who added that the IQAir system was also used by the Hospital Authority.
This drive towards a high-quality living environment extends to the centralised vacuum-cleaning system. Vacuum inlets in the living rooms, corridor and bedrooms are connected through hidden pipework to the central vacuum cleaner's filtering device stored in the utility area. The system ensures polluted air is passed to a filter bag before being discharged to a unit outside the building without contaminating the apartment.
'Fine particles can be just as bad as more visible dust. This way it's all brought out of the premises,' Mr Lee said. 'The cleaning is done using a simple-looking tube without the hassle of storing a vacuum cleaner and lumbering it from room to room.'
Extensive internal work has given the building, which overlooks Middle Bay with views of nearby Stanley, a 'contemporary luxury' feel. Many would see this as a welcome change from the classical European themes, replete with images of residents in ballgowns and horse-drawn carriages, that have graced the marketing of developments by Hong Kong's big players over recent years.
'We believe the concept of contemporary luxury in South Bay is what's right for our residents. They are more sophisticated and what they see at the Belgravia is more their cup of tea. From the responses, we believe what we have guessed is quite right,' Mr Lee said. 'For luxury apartments, details are everything. Most of the specifications were already carried out by us, but we also outsourced to outside designers.'
The Belgravia building started life in 1989 with apartments mostly leased. Substantial refurbishment began about two years ago, with the external walls retained as an in-house design team outsourced for ideas. This ensured the details, ranging from the cleaning system to kitchen appliances, had the full attention of the property management team.
'With design aspects such as dimmer lights, we believed we could do it better with some practical lighting effects such as intensity control with wireless remote controller for living/dining rooms and corridors,' said Mr Lee.
The Belgravia's first 24 residential levels consist of two apartments with balconies. One apartment has a gross floor area of 2,390 sqft with three bedrooms and two en suites, while the 2,790 sqft apartment has four bedrooms and three en suites.
Two duplex penthouses on the 29th and 30th floors have yet to be put on the market as Kerry observes how the global financial crisis plays out. But any buyer can look forward to four bedrooms and a rooftop jacuzzi, with one penthouse having a gross floor area of 3,675 sqft and the other 3,845 sqft.
Mr Lee said Kerry was weighing market sentiment before releasing the two duplex penthouses.
The most recent deal saw a 2,790 sqft apartment sold for HK$51million, or about HK$18,280 per sqft - and that was without the car park. As was often said during the boom years in luxury retail outlets from Rodeo Drive to Mayfair: if you need to know the price, then it's likely you can't afford it. But, for the curious, a Belgravia parking space fetches anywhere between HK$800,000 and HK$1million, which is considered 'competitive' for Island South.
Mr Lee said he expected the tenant profile to reflect the multinational mix seen across Repulse Bay. Occupants began to move in from the middle of last month.
'Buyers have been mostly local who have bought for investment and we expect units to be later rented to expats as well as locals,' said Mr Lee. 'Local people come to view our product and find that they like the rooms and how the refurbishment shows a different direction. The renovation has been very substantial, with most of the fixtures new.'
The secluded Middle Bay beach is just below the apartments and the larger - and busier - Repulse Bay beach is also walking distance away.
Adding to the leisurely feel is a gym which, Mr Lee says, is not huge, 'but big for a building with only 50 units'. The adjoining clubhouse features a leisure deck, barbecue area, coffee bar, guest function room and a lounge.
'All details, down to the gym with its separate male and female changing rooms, are not just a provision - we believe it's something special for the residents. Our job is to make it happen,' said Mr Lee.
Kerry Properties is the sister company of SCMP Group, publisher of the South China Morning Post.
