Celebrate in Style

One balmy afternoon in September, happy families clustered throughout the sprawling grounds of The Interlace, one of Singapore’s largest private residential developments, to celebrate the project’s completion. This was the first time a developer in Singapore has organised such a large scale TOP (temporary occupation permit) party for home owners and their families and friends. CapitaLand offered plenty to keep the 1500-strong crowd jubilant: a sumptuous buffet spread, mooncakes, free-flow of popcorn, ice-cream, and candy floss, games, lucky draws with a grand prize of S$10,000, ‘live’ performances, and a spectacular fireworks display to drum up the carnival atmosphere.

“I am delighted today to present to our buyers their new home and Singapore’s new postcard landmark, The Interlace. Its bold and unconventional design has been much talked about. Now that it is completed, we can see how it has transformed the skyline in the south-western part of Singapore with its iconic design. To celebrate this completion milestone, CapitaLand organised this large-scale TOP party and invited all owners and their families as well as our project partners, to share in the joy of seeing the finished product for the first time. Through this event, we hope to jumpstart the journey of fostering community ties at The Interlace by inviting our buyers to explore the sprawling grounds and partake in fun activities together. It is especially satisfying that we obtained our TOP one week before this party. Our homeowners can expect to progressively receive their keys from early October,” said Mr Wong Heang Fine, CEO (Residential) of CapitaLand Singapore.

Experiencing the Vertical Village

For those who came, it was a chance to finally see for themselves the ground-breaking design by acclaimed international architectural firm, Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). Eschewing conventional condominium clusters that feature isolated towers, The Interlace comprises 31 six-storey super blocks stacked in an interlocking pattern in four levels and arranged in a hexagon. More than 80 per cent of its 1,040 units which feature two- to four-bedroom, penthouse and roof garden units have been sold.

“We picked The Interlace because we were intrigued by its unique design. It is not your typical condominium,” said Janice Chan who came with her fiancé, Chong Wai Loon, to catch a glimpse of their two-bedroom unit.

The bold configuration is not only iconic, it allows for privacy at the lower levels and unobstructed, stunning vista of the surrounding landscape and green belt at the Southern Ridges of the island on the higher floors.

“From my unit, I can see the Sky Garden. It was a pleasant surprise,” said Selina Foo who was there with her husband and three sons.

Enjoying the Wide Open Green Spaces

Guided buggy tours were organised so residents could take in the entire eight-hectare development in comfort.

“We bought the place because it is near my parents’ home. I like the greenery and the air is very fresh. The development also looks very majestic,” said Alyssa Boey who will be moving in with her husband Dylan and daughter, Joanne.

The unique layout, which allows for the creation of eight uniquely themed courtyards with lush gardens, water features and contemporary artwork by local and foreign sculptors, awed the homeowners. The network of communal areas serves to promote interaction in this vertical village and refresh residents with its immense space.

“It is massive,” said James Lee, a proud homeowner who was clearly impressed.

He had bought a garden house unit because he likes the green spaces of The Interlace which includes nearly 70,000 square metres of landscaped grounds with 150 plant and tree species, as well as private and public sky gardens covering over 20,000 square metres.

The nod to Nature was also the reason several selected The Interlace.

“We are tree-huggers,” confessed Lynn Sim with a smile. “We love Nature and this green development appeals to us. It is also near HortPark so the location is ideal.”

“I love the herb garden. I find all this greenery very relaxing,” her 12-year-old daughter, Shang Hong added.

Others appreciate the property’s sustainability features that incorporate natural and cross ventilation.

“The place is so windy,” marvelled Carla Mulia who was enjoying the balmy breezes that blew through The Interlace throughout the party.

Indeed, The Interlace is an award-winning tribute to urban living in a tropical setting. This is evident in the number of awards it has garnered, including the Green Mark GoldPLUS award and Universal Design Mark GoldPLUS from the Building and Construction Authority. More recently in August 2013, it received the Landscape Excellence Assessment Framework (LEAF) Certification from the National Parks Board.

Benefitting from Value-added Services

To help the owners move into their new homes, CapitaLand also invited home enhancement products and service providers such as 3M, Legate, Serta, SingTel, StorHub and UTS to the party. Just for the day, the vendors offered special rates for their products and services.

“It is a very good effort. I think it is interesting to have these vendors here,” said James Lee.

This TOP party which saw families and friends revelling in the welcoming, communal atmosphere is promise of greater days to come. The celebrations at The Interlace have only just begun.