IOI’s award-winning thematic project

IOI Properties Group Bhd (IOI Prop) has constantly been recognised as one of Malaysia’s top developers... and the slew of awards it has won over the years is clear testament to that.

At the recent StarProperty Awards 2016, the company bagged the Family Friendly Award for its 16 Sierra, a township in Puchong South, Selangor. It also earned a Merit under the Cornerstone Award (for Best Landed Development) at the same prestigious event.

Sprawled across 535 acres, 16 Sierra is a mixed development that will ultimately comprise terrace houses, semi-detached houses, townhouses, condominium and shop offices.

It will feature 16 thematic gardens that are inter-connected by dedicated walkways accessible to all of its residents.

The thematic gardens also come with exercise stations and customised, education-themed structures aimed at especially benefiting children.

Like the name suggests, 16 Sierra will have 16 phases when completed. IOI Prop chief operating officer Teh Chin Guan says development on the township began some 10 years back and is expected to take another 10 years to complete.

“We have launched eight phases, of which four phases have been handed over. The prices of the units range from RM450,000 to RM2.3mil. Those handed over are sold or almost sold,” he says.

“As at our current development, and not including future developments, the entire 16 Sierra has an estimated gross development value of RM2.5bil.”

The group’s target market for the township, says Teh, include young working adults, especially couples that are looking to start a family and families who are looking to upgrade to a bigger home.

“Generally, it’s for people who aspire to live in a serene and green environment, but at the same time, also easily accessible to other locations within a 10km radius. That would be our core target.”

According to Teh, the vision of building a vibrant and sustainable community was what inspired the theme behind 16 Sierra.

“The objective was to create a family friendly environment where families can play, learn and bond, he tells StarBizWeek.

“In terms of design, a lot of attention is placed to ensure that each project harnesses as much natural light as possible to provide a spacious area with high level of comfort.”

Developing 16 Sierra has its challenges.

“As this is a low density development and a longer time is needed to ensure that every detail is given full attention, the number of units launched and completed are still low,” Teh says.

“As such, there are still not many residents here and many others still have not discovered the beauty of this township. However, we believe that as our products are of high quality, people will begin to see the value that we have created here very soon.”

16 Sierra is different from other developments include the level of meticulous details given to each space to ensure a great sense of spaciousness and comfort for users, says Teh.

Its Sierra 6 (two and three-storey superlink homes) for instance come with high ceiling and large windows in the living room, dining area and bedrooms, while the windows in all bathrooms are designed to enhance natural lighting and ventilation.

The solar hot water system of the units meanwhile harnesses solar energy to heat up water for bathing and washing.

Teh says IOI Prop also ensured the selection of good finishes to ensure that the company delivers the best value to its buyers.

At the core of each phase, says Teh, is a “fun, themed-garden” that is linked by a walkway-cum-bicycle path to other thematic gardens within the township.

“Some of the innovative designs incorporated include using skylight and garden terraces to bring in light to standard, two-storey terrace houses and townhouses.”

Teh says the various educational themes within the gardens of 16 Sierra are in fact “classrooms” where every child can pick up useful lessons on nature and green living.

“The objective is to provide an outdoor class room where children and adults can learn and bond together in a safe and green environment. Hence the tagline “A nature’s classroom ; With no room for boredom.”

As part of the group’s aim to boost education, 16 Sierra boasts a variety of institutions, such as the 200,000 sq ft Rafflesia International & Private Schools, which has a capacity of 1,100 students.

When it comes to relaxation, residents at 16 Sierra can enjoy the township’s exclusively crafted Amigo Clubhouse, which offers a fully equipped glass gymnasium, yoga deck, tennis court and a 40-meter lap pool.

16 Sierra is situated at the southern part of Puchong and close to Putrajaya and Cyberjaya.

With the opening of the South Klang Valley Expressway as an alternative access point to the Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong, Teh says the accessibility of 16 Sierra is enhanced further.

“The township is also connected to KL and PJ via the Maju Expressway which will have a new interchange in Seri Kembangan just five minutes away from 16 Sierra,” he says, adding that it takes residents less than 20 minutes to drive to KLCC.

The township is also just 9km away from IOI City Mall in IOI Resort City. It is also close to Aeon Equine Park, Pasar Borong Selangor and Giant Hypermarket. - The Star