Pasir Ris 8 is an upcoming 487-unit mixed-used development located right next to Pasir Ris MRT on the East-West Line (EWL) and above the Pasir Ris Bus Interchange. Read our review here.
Continue Reading ⋅ 28 July 2021
Project Name: Midtown Modern
Developer: GuocoLand, Hong Leong Holdings and Hong Realty
Project address: 16 Tan Quee Lan Street, Singapore 188144 (Resi South tower), 18 Tan Quee Lan Street, Singapore 188105 (Resi North tower), 20 Tan Quee Lan Street, Singapore 188107 (Commercial at 1st storey)
Type: Mixed development
No. of units: 558
No. of blocks: Two
No. of storeys: 30
Tenure: 99 years (w.e.f 10 Dec 2019)
District: 7
Configuration:
168 X 1 bedroom units (409 to 474 sq ft)
139 X 2 bedroom units (592 to 721 sq ft)
139 X 3 bedroom units (904 to 1,066 sq ft)
55 X 4 bedroom units (1,432 to 1,464 sq ft)
55 X 4 bedroom Premium units (1,733 to 1,808 sq ft)
2 X Penthouse units (3,272 to 3,520 sq ft)
Projected TOP: Q3 2025
Parking lots: 282 residential carpark lots
Nearest MRT: Bugis MRT station (East-West Line, Downtown Line)
Plot Ratio: 4.52
Site Area: 124,117.5 sq ft
Project Details
Standing above the Bugis MRT interchange station (and opposite Guoco Midtown) in the next few years will be Midtown Modern, a 99-leasehold development along Tan Quee Lan Street.
The 558-unit development is the residential component of Guoco Midtown 2 and sits adjacent to Guoco Midtown at Beach Road. For the uninitiated, Guoco Midtown is an integrated development that consists of a 30-storey Grade A office building, retail clusters as well as Midtown Bay, the residential component of Guoco Midtown.
Both Guoco Midtown and Guoco Midtown 2 will be connected via an underground tunnel and the two combined sites will cover 1.5 million sq ft of gross floor area across 3.2 hectares of land.
While Midtown Bay is geared towards single professionals/entrepreneurs who prefer to live and work in the city (as evident from the 1-to 3-bedroom selections), Midtown Modern is catered for families who prefer luxury garden homes. The development features 1- to 4-bedroom units, as well as a 4-bedroom and 5-bedroom penthouse unit. The larger units at Midtown Modern are a departure from most developments in the CBD, which are usually smaller and more rental-centric.
GuocoLand bought the Tan Quee Lan site in 2019 for over $800 million, two years after purchasing the Beach Road site for Guoco Midtown. According to GuocoLand, it was a good investment opportunity to synergize both developments and transform the Bugis area as it lacks an ecosystem of Grade A office, network hubs, and residential homes.
Furthermore, the site is extremely strategic; not only does it sit above the Bugis MRT interchange, but the Bugis area also has a lot of vibrancy, making it a good platform for development.
What’s more, the underground pedestrian tunnel mentioned above not only links to the Bugis MRT interchange station (B3) and Midtown Bay, but is also conveniently connected to several other nearby developments namely Guoco Midtown, Duo Residences, The Gateway, and Bugis Junction.
Level 1 is the hotel-inspired Arrival Lounge which serves as a space for meetings and work. The Arrival Plaza is also on level 1, which can also be accessed via the escalator from the underground tunnel.
To make this project more livable and distinct from other developments in the CBD, GuocoLand has also dedicated a significant area to greenery throughout Midtown Modern, most notably, a sprawling landscape garden located on level 3, known as Garden in the Woods.
It features 10 landscape settings featuring various different plant species and themes from Autumn Wood and Summer Wood to Spring Wood and Hillock Grove. The total landscape area, including those on the rooftop garden and on the first floor spans more than one hectare and 186 species of plants.
Other key points of the development:
- Units are either north-east facing or south-west facing (both towers)
- There will electric vehicle (EV) charging points in the condo
- Homes are smart-enabled (app-controlled lighting, motion sensor foyer lighting, digital lockset, smoke detector)
- Premium fittings and appliances from De Dietrich (induction and gas hobs, oven, fridge, washer and dryer), TOTO (sanitary wares and fittings). Penthouse units are equipped with appliances from V-Zug and Liebherr
- Huge array of facilities including a tennis court and a 50m pool
Midtown Modern: Developer
Headquartered in Singapore, GuocoLand is a renowned real estate developer in Asia, with operations in markets such as Singapore, China, Malaysia and Vietnam. Its principal business is focused on property development, property investment, hotel operations and property management.
GuocoLand’s major residential projects in Singapore include the ultra-luxe Martin Modern at Martin Place and Wallich Residence @ Tanjong Pagar. Martin Modern has won multiple awards, including the ‘Best Luxury Condo Architectural Award’ at the 2019 PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards. Wallich Residence, meanwhile, won ‘Best Ultra Luxury Condo Development (Completed)’ and ‘Best Condo Development (Singapore)’ at the 10th Asia Property Awards (Singapore).
Apart from that, GuocoLand is also recognised for building sustainable projects. Due to their innovative developments and commitment to environmental sustainability, they have also won the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark Awards on numerous occasions for projects like Guoco Tower, Goodwood Residence, Sophia Residence and Leedon Residence.
GuocoLand’s latest accolade is the World Gold Winner in the Mixed-use Development category at 2020 FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence Awards for its flagship integrated mixed-use development, Guoco Tower.
Midtown Modern: Site Plan and Facilities
As explained above, units are either north-east (towards Rochor Road) or south-west facing (towards Tan Quee Lan Street):
North-east facing:
Stacks 7 to 10, and 17 to 20
South-west facing:
Stacks 1 to 6, and 11 to 16
Both house directions will face the afternoon sun at different parts of the year (Sep to March for south-west facing units and March to Sep for North-east facing units).
Suggested read: What’s the Best House-Facing Direction in Singapore? The Good, the Not So Good, and the Bad
Meanwhile, the facilities are located on three floors: Level 1, 3, and on the roof garden, with the majority on level 3.
Level 1:
- Arrival lounge
- North garden
- Arrival plaza
- South garden
- South plaza
- East plaza
- City room
- Bike park
Level 3:
- Library
- Garden lounge
- Water garden
- Lawn pavilion
- Grand lawn
- Forest walk
- Summer swale
- Spring creek
- Tea house
- Lily pond
- Hot spring
- Jacuzzi
- Estuary pool
- Aqua barre
- Pool terrace
- Sun deck
- 50m lap pool
- Courtyard
- Clubhouse
- Gym
- Leisure pool
- Rain garden
- Pet corner
- Tennis court
- Play pavilion
- Adventure play
- Autumn creek
Roof gardens:
- Peak view pavilion (North Tower)
- City view pavilion (North Tower)
- Karstic peak garden
- Peak view pavilion (South Tower)
- City view pavilion (South Tower)
Midtown Modern: Floor Plans
1-Bedroom (Type A1 and A1-G)
1-Bedroom (Type A2 and A2-G)
1-Bedroom (Type A3 and A3-G)
1-Bedroom (Type A1 and A1-G)
2-Bedroom (Type B1 and B2-G)
2-Bedroom (Type B2 and B3-G)
2-Bedroom (Type B3)
3-Bedroom (Type C1)
3-Bedroom (Type C2)
3-Bedroom (Type C3)
4-Bedroom (Type D1)
4-Bedroom (Type D2)
4-Bedroom Premium
4-Bedroom and 5-Bedroom Penthouse
Location
Midtown Modern’s location in prime District 7 needs no further introduction; located in the Core Central Region (CCR), at the fridge of the CBD, the condo’s location is extremely accessible and convenient.
As mentioned above, it sits above the Bugis MRT interchange station on both the East-West (EWL) and Downtown Lines (DTL). Residents will have direct connectivity to shopping, food and entertainment options.
On top of that, one station away is Promenade MRT station on the Circle Line Line (CCL), and City Hall MRT interchange station on both the North-South Line (NSL) and EWL. So, like Midtown Bay, the connectivity is unparalleled and it’s rare to find a project that’s accessible by four MRT lines!
The main gripe about the project is that there’s a lack of schools in the area. However, with seamless connectivity to MRT lines, good schools in other areas, including those in the Bukit Timah Belt such as Anglo-Chinese School Primary, Anglo-Chinese School (Barker), St Joseph’s Institution, Singapore Chinese Girls’ School, Hwa Chong Institution, and Nanyang Girls’ High School are within five to seven MRT stops.
Also, the location may not be your cup of tea if you don’t like the hustle and bustle of the city.
Midtown Modern: Accessibility
Bugis MRT station is just three stops away from Raffles Place MRT in the CBD. Via the EWL, this will take about 11 minutes.
By car, you can reach Raffles Place via Nicoll Highway. This will take you between 6 to 20 minutes depending on traffic. Remember that the area tends to be congested during rush hour.
Midtown Modern: Nearby Amenities
Shopping malls:
- Bugis Junction (700m)
- Raffles City (1km)
- Suntec City (700m)
- Marina Bay Sands (1.9km)
Midtown Modern: Nearby education institutions
- Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) (0.9 km)
- Stamford Primary School (1.3 km)
- Lasalle College of the Arts (1.3 km)
- Singapore Management University (SMU) (1.4 km)
- St. Margaret’s Primary School (2.0 km)
Analysis
There’s nothing much that stands out in the URA Master Plan, except that there’s a large Reserve Site (yellow) along Republic Avenue in the Marina area. Not surprisingly, the surrounding views would likely be surrounded by high-rise buildings (except for south-west units facing the shophouses along Tan Quee Lan Street).
Then of course, there’s the ongoing redevelopment of the Shaw Towers which is scheduled to complete in 2023. But that shouldn’t worry you unless you plan to buy a unit at Midtown Bay (which is set to complete in 2022).
The 2019 URA Master Plan also includes the transformation of the nearby Kampong Bugis area which will be re-developed into a future waterfront residential precinct. It will be one of the five gazetted areas by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to be a car-lite precinct.
Price
At the time of writing, below is the indicative price provided by the developer:
1-bedroom: From $1.17 million
2-bedroom: From $1.4x million
3-bedroom: From $2.2x million
4-bedroom: From $3.6x million
Penthouse: From $14.XX million
There was an overwhelming demand during its launch weekend on 19 March 2021, with 340 out of 558 units, or 61% sold. 90% of 1- and 2-bedrooms and 50% of 3-bedrooms were sold.
In terms of psf, the prices ranged from $2,401 to $3,501, with average prices reaching $2,800 psf. Meanwhile, the 5-bedroom penthouse was also sold for $14.83 million ($4,213 psf).
Here’s the price guide for condos in the area over the last 12 months (Feb 2020), according to URA:
|
Condo |
Average (psf) |
Total no. of units |
Bedroom types available |
TOP |
Lease |
|
$2,656 to $3,286 |
214 |
1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom units |
2022 |
99-year |
|
|
$2,442 to $3,004 |
522 |
1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom dual-key units |
2024 |
99-year |
|
|
$1,800 to $2,163 |
660 |
1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom, 4-bedroom, and penthouse units |
2017 |
99-year |
|
|
$1,677 to $2,121 |
360 |
1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom, 4-bedroom, and penthouse units |
2014 |
99-year |
Summary
With a convenient location in the heart of the city, Midtown Modern in District 7 offers conveniences to shopping, dining, and entertainment options around the Bugis area. What’s more, the underground network provides direct access to the Bugis MRT interchange station and residents will have accessibility to not one, not two, but four MRT lines, which is unparalleled for a development. GuocoLand has also imbued the development with greenery and full range of facilities to improve the livability aspect.
However, with only 282 carpark lots (50% of all units available), parking could be an issue especially if you rely on your own personal transport to get around. Those who prefer to have their own privacy may also not appreciate living so close to the city. While the MRT network and connectivity is second to none, parents with schooling children will find the lack of schooling options within close vicinity may not fancy the location as well.
All said and done, those who buy a unit at Midtown Modern will appreciate the transformation plan and entire ecosystem that GuocoLand has planned for the Bugis area.
Interested in getting a unit? Checkout available units for sale on PropertyGuru, or visit the showflat at Kallang Airport Way.
