One Draycott Review

With an increasingly competitive marketplace, there has been the temptation – with many, many developers taking the bait – to build something bigger, taller, shinier. To take the glitz and glamour of Orchard or the CBD and mould a condo in its image. One Draycott from Malaysian developers SDB is not like that. This bespoke condominium in the mature Ardmore Draycott residential enclave shuns such gimmickry as much as it oozes class.

One Draycott is a development where the passion of its owners is displayed in every element of its design. It is evident in the choice of architects – CarverHaggard one of London’s most exciting emerging architecture practices, and in the fact they chose Anna and David Hiscock to create an exclusive sculpture for the development, a sculpture whose theme runs through the entire project.

It is unique in many respects, not least because it is a new development in this area, one that was thought to be fully developed. A look at the shape of the site, as well as its relatively small size, and you can understand why it took a while to develop. SBD has embraced that though. They have spent a lot of money on world renowned designers to ensure that the shape is not an issue, in fact it is a standout, differentiating feature of the project.

Units start on level 3 of the 18-storey tower, a tower whose open structure has no concrete struts. This not only makes it very pleasing on the eye, it is good for both ventilation and light.

Facilities include a 50m lap pool and an indoor gym.

All the facilities fall within the footprint of the building itself, and though there is not a whole host of them, that is also in keeping with the ethos of the development. As opposed to creating a large number of facilities all with spectacular and fanciful names, facilities that will look good in a brochure or on a website but in reality add very little value to those living there, One Draycott has a small number of good quality ones. Ones that the target market will both use and appreciate. There is a 50 metre lap pool, a gym and an outdoor cooking and dining area.

The Hiscock sculpture – made from marble shipped in from the Italian Alps is inspired by Singapore’s own pangolin, and the design is carried on throughout almost all areas and aspects of the condo. It is the first object that greets you when driving up to the lobby, and it is also featured on and around each of the units’ front doors. The hand-crafted designs are unique, and along with the brass fittings on the door which will all age and wear in their own characteristic way is a rallying call against the cookie cutter culture that is evident in so much of the architecture in modern condominiums.

The two different types of units (not including their respective penthouses) are best described as either a landscape or a portrait design in terms of their layout from the windows. The showflat – located on Leonie Hill – is of the landscape variety.

2 Bed Type A (797sq ft)

The private lift opens onto the front door boasting the pangolin design and brass trimmings. The door opens a full 180 degrees, and becomes a feature of the unit and private lobby as opposed to being something that is merely functional.

The units feature large living and dining areas as well as full-length balconies.

For a two-bedder unit, this is a very nice size, and you would not know the plot of land is triangular from the shape of the rooms. The large open living/dining room is easily large enough to have two distinct areas, and it opens onto the full-length balcony that is protected by a collapsible perforated screen giving you several options depending on the weather and light.

Marble flooring is throughout each unit, apart from in the bedrooms, which feature a solid timber in a very rare herringbone design. The AC is ducted in every room apart from in the second bedroom where it has its own separate unit.

The master bedroom is large, and is made to look more so by the floor to ceiling windows that are a feature of two of its walls.

The en suite is also large, containing a shower but no bath. Sanitary fittings are from Hansgrohe and Duravit.

The bedrooms come with floor-to-ceiling windows.

The second bedroom is again a very good size and it too features floor-to-ceiling windows.

The kitchen is another standout feature of the development. It is fully enclosed and has obviously been built and designed to actually serve the purpose of cooking meals in, as opposed to merely fulfilling the requirement that every home needs to have a place for a fridge and a work surface on which to open takeaways.

It features an induction hob & hood and a microwave combination oven both from Miele, while the built-in fridge and washer cum dryer are by De Dietrich. The stylish cabinet is by Italian design firm Ernestomeda.