This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on February 22, 2021 - February 28, 2021
Gamuda Land is set to launch Phase 1 of Enso Woods at its Gamuda Cove township in the Southern Klang Valley on Feb 28. Phase 2 will be launched at a later date.
“Enso is a Japanese symbol denoting holism and elegance while Wood completes the natural theme of our existing projects in Gamuda Cove — Palma ‘Sands’ and Maya ‘Bay’ Residences — which call to mind earth and water respectively. By putting these elements together, we coined the name Enso Woods,” says Gamuda Land chief operating officer Aw Sei Cheh in a video interview with City & Country.
A home is a basic need and will remain necessary throughout any economic cycle or crisis. Aw is confident that homes designed based on market needs will find a suitable response from homebuyers. So, the developer aims to achieve an uptake of 80% for Enso Woods in the first three months after it is launched.
Spread over a 38-acre tract in Gamuda Cove, Enso Woods has a gross development value (GDV) of RM350 million and comprises 454 two and three-storey terraced homes. Due for completion in 2024, it will have two phases — Phase 1 (203 units; GDV: RM150 million) and Phase 2 (251 units; GDV: RM200 million).
Aw says the homes will have a modern and minimalistic design inspired by the concept of danshari, which means “declutter” in Japanese. This means that at a glance, the house should not appear cluttered but spacious, where less is more.
These homes have built-ups of 1,731 to 2,956 sq ft in three- to five-bedroom layouts, with selling prices starting from RM580,000. “All intermediate and corner units will come with a private green terrace/garden of up to 80 sq ft and 1,500 sq ft respectively, while some of the three-storey homes will have a 195 sq ft rooftop terrace,” says Aw.
Enso Woods is a gated and guarded community with high perimeter fencing, CCTV surveillance, radio-frequency identification (RFID) access, a double boom gate and security patrol. The maintenance fee is set at 15 sen psf per month.
According to Aw, homes at Enso Woods are targeted at owner-occupiers, including first-time homebuyers, young families and multigenerational families. Many of the project’s features and minimalist themes are designed to resonate with the younger demographic post-pandemic.
He explains that these post-pandemic houses are designed using an open plan concept, which allows an expansion of space. The ground floors are spacious and come with efficient storage space that serves to minimise clutter. This is supported by double volume spaces with 6.4m high ceilings, which better enable natural light and ventilation.
“The homes are also designed to be flexible and adaptive with multifunctional areas, flexible zones and lifestyle corners in mind. These areas can be used for various activities and provide privacy as well as allow compartmentalisation for improved work-from-home focus,” says Aw.
In addition, the developer will build a community pavilion in Enso Woods — a work-near-home collaborative space — for the project’s residents. The two-storey pavilion, which is expected to be completed in 2024, has a gross floor area of 8,000 sq ft and will comprise a meeting/dining room, cascade seating, working pods, leisure and working desks, as well as a community farming zone.
The project’s residents will enjoy amenities and easy access to Gamuda Cove’s 23-acre Discovery Park, 60-acre Central Park, 1,111-acre Paya Indah Discovery Wetlands and the upcoming Forest Park (Phase 1 to be completed by year end) , as well as SplashMania water theme park (to be completed by 2022).
“With the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, it would be difficult for us to forecast capital gains. Nonetheless, we are staying the course and are committed to investing up front in placemaking and enhancing our master plans throughout the pandemic and recurring lockdowns. Gamuda Cove offers a vibrant array of lifestyle, entertainment and commercial initiatives. These are set out to bring value to properties in the township as well as to catalyse growth for the project and surrounding communities,” says Aw.
Meanwhile, he notes that the main challenge has been the various Movement Control Orders. These lockdowns pose logistical problems in the development and delivery of construction activities, not just for Enso Woods but also the rest of the developer’s projects.
“However, these lockdowns have driven the need for what we are doing as there is real demand among buyers for homes to live in amid lockdowns and for communities where everything is within easy reach due to movement restrictions. Hence, we are committed to delivering and developing Enso Woods and other post-pandemic homes in vibrant and self-sustaining township ecosystems moving forward,” says Aw.
With a GDV of RM20 billion, the 1,530-acre Gamuda Cove comprises residential and commercial components and is near Mitsui Outlet Park, D’Pulze Shopping Centre, Mahsa University, Xiamen University Malaysia, UiTM Dengkil and Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve.
It is easily accessible via the North-South Expressway Central Link, South Klang Valley Expressway, Maju Expressway, Shah Alam Expressway and Damansara-Puchong Expressway. The developer is also looking to construct an interchange that will link Gamuda Cove to Cyberjaya, which will shorten travel between the two locations to 2km. It is scheduled for completion in 2022.
Save by subscribing to us for your print and/or digital copy.
P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's AppStore and Androids' Google Play.