This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on April 8, 2019 - April 14, 2019

At first glance, the terraced show unit of The Mulia Residences looks like a semi-detached house. The 3-storey structure has two main entrances, a spacious porch that can easily fit four cars and a concealed connecting wall.

“When people come to view our show unit, they think that it is a semidee. When we tell them the built-up, they question why it is so small and we have to gently remind them that it is a terraced house. But I would say that it is a good ‘mistake’,” says Azikaf Group chief operating officer Mazrita Mazlan. Azikaf is a subsidiary of EMKAY Group.

Sitting on a 50-acre freehold parcel in Cyberjaya, The Mulia Residences by EMKAY is a strata development that will comprise 383 three-storey terraced houses and 417 apartments.

It will be divided into three phases. Phases 1 and 2 will feature 250 and 133 terraced houses respectively while Phase 3 will comprise three 14-storey apartment blocks.

Phase 1 is set to be officially launched on April 13.

The Mulia Residences, with an estimated gross development value (GDV) of RM731 million, is EMKAY’s first full-fledged residential development in Cyberjaya, says Mazrita. The terraced houses also represent the developer’s first landed residential project in the vicinity.

“We have been actively involved in mixed-use developments and commercial projects. The residential projects that we have completed are located within mixed-use developments and are all high-rises,” she explains.

Mazrita says the developer started selling units in Phase 1 in January and the response has been good, with a take-up of about 70% currently.

The built-ups of the terraced houses range from 2,203 to 3,275 sq ft and the selling price is between RM898,888 and RM1.86 million. The maintenance fee is about 12 sen psf.

There are two types of layout for the intermediate units. The smaller built-up of 2,203 sq ft will have 4+1 bedrooms, three bathrooms and one powder room while the larger built-up of 2,386 sq ft will have 4+2 bedrooms, three bathrooms and one powder room.

Meanwhile, due to the location and land size, the 3,275 sq ft units are either corner, end-lot or garden units, and will have 5+2 bedrooms, four bathrooms and one powder room.

According to Mazrita, during the planning stage of the development, the developer decided that it wanted to help people solve everyday problems and to give them what they needed.

The spacious porch was one of the outcomes, as households these days generally have at least three cars.

In the common area, where the living and dining rooms and kitchen will be located, a powder room will be included. Mazrita explains that the area is where homeowners would normally entertain their guests and the availability of the powder room ensures that guests would not need to enter the private areas — the bedrooms — to use the toilet.

The terraced houses will have two main entrances — one on the ground floor and the other on the first floor, with an outdoor staircase leading up to it. The first floor will house the common area while the ground and second floors will be where the private quarters are located.

“There is a clear separation between the public and private spaces. The first floor is the public space where you can entertain your guests and it is also the heart of the house. When the homeowners need some privacy, they can go to their own rooms on the ground and second floors,” Mazrita explains.

She says the development is catered for multi-generational living, whereby the elderly can stay on the ground floor while the younger generation can take the second floor.

“It allows working adults to take care of their elderly parents while still being able to maintain some privacy.

“The bathroom on the ground floor will be wheelchair-friendly, whereby it will be spacious enough to allow a wheelchair to enter. All the homeowners would need to do is to put in a ramp,” says Mazrita.

The development, she says, will also be flexible in the sense that it will allow co-living.

“Properties these days are becoming more expensive and sometimes, you can’t afford to buy a house and you may have to live with your siblings, parents or best friends. This is where co-living comes in — you can share the common space but live separately in your own suite downstairs or upstairs,” she explains.

Affordability, practicality

and good old values

The architecture of the terraced houses is inspired by the traditional Malay kampung homes, hence the common area will be on the first floor.

There are people, says Mazrita, who commented that the interior of the house does not resemble a kampung house. “What we have taken from the traditional Malay kampung architecture are the good values.

“Maximising cross ventilation and natural lighting … these are the values we have taken from the architecture. While we are living in the city, we don’t want people to feel trapped inside a concrete room,” she explains.

For example, louvres will be used on the first floor and they can be opened to allow fresh air into the house. Once the louvres are opened, there will be natural lighting in the living room, creating a feeling of openness and spaciousness.

Most of the houses in The Mulia Residences will have a north-south orientation, ensuring that there would not be any direct sunlight in the houses. Hence, their interior will not be too warm, reducing the need for air conditioning, says Mazrita.

In terms of planning where the doors and windows should be, she says that the developer had thought it through by envisioning where people would put their furniture.

For materials selection, those that are easier to clean have been selected. “The trend now is, people are less likely to have maids. So, we need to make sure that the house can be easily maintained … not too big to maintain it yourself but not too small too, so that all the important elements can still be there,” says Mazrita.

From the design of the house to the materials, everything has been kept simple and practical, so that it will be easy to furnish and not costly to maintain, she adds.

“There are a lot of things that are considered ‘wow’ designs. I personally think that double-volume ceilings are ‘wow’. But are they practical? Not everyone can afford double-volume curtains and you can’t even climb up yourself to take down the curtains to wash. Hence, maintenance will become expensive.”

With all these in mind and looking at the location, Mazrita says the pricing is reasonable. “Cyberjaya is located close by and it takes about 30 minutes to travel to the airport, the city centre and other established neighbourhoods such as Petaling Jaya and Shah Alam.

“We want to solve people’s problems and give them comfort. At the same time, we want to make the development affordable.”

According to Mazrita, the developer was surprised that the corner, end-lot and garden units, which are priced at more than RM1 million each, have mostly been taken up. “People still have money. It is about reaching the right market with the right product.”

The buyers are mainly upgraders from the surrounding neighbourhoods of Dengkil and Puchong who are buying to live there with their family or people who are working nearby, such as pilots, says Mazrita.

Harmonious community living

The parcel on which The Mulia Residences sits is higher at the edges and lower in the centre, says Mazrita. “We have tried not to disturb the original state of the land and the small waterbody there … we are trying to bring back the flora and fauna.”

With the concept of harmonious community living in mind, the developer has created a central park in the middle of the parcel, which is connected via linear parks from one end to the other.

Facilities such as a clubhouse, open spaces for the residents to hold events and a multipurpose basketball court will be provided. Mazrita hopes that the residents of the development will congregate there.

Within each phase, there will be pocket gardens. “We call it neighbourly spots. We want people to get out of their houses. What we want is to create a home beyond your home within the entire development,” she says.

To create a safe environment, the developer will be making a clear separation between vehicular and pedestrian traffic. “From every house, there will be a stretch [of pedestrian walkway] where people can walk to the central park without crossing any roads,” Mazrita explains.

Meanwhile, the neighbouring Cyberjaya has amenities such as national and international schools, universities, cinemas, restaurants, shopping centres, a public lake garden and an upcoming 288-bed government hospital.

The 7,000-acre Cyberjaya is accessible via the North-South Expressway Central Link, Damansara-Puchong Expressway, Maju Expressway, South Klang Valley Expressway and North-South Expressway. In terms of public transport, the upcoming MRT2 will have two stations there.

Future plans

Moving forward, Mazrita says EMKAY will focus more on residential developments, although its current land bank, with a GDV of RM1 billion, is mainly for commercial use.

“We have plans for our commercial land but we are taking it slower. Currently, we are more focused on The Mulia Residences. We have always been involved in commercial projects but the current economic situation does not really permit us to do so.”

In the immediate future, Mazrita says the developer is looking at opportunities for residential projects in and outside Cyberjaya. “We will be focusing on Cyberjaya. But if the opportunity for projects outside arises and they are within the Klang Valley, we may consider them.”

She says in the past, not many people lived in Cyberjaya but the population there is now growing. EMKAY is happy to be able to play a part in making Cyberjaya a home for many people.

“It is important that we don’t just focus on the numbers alone. It is equally important that what we give and do brings continuous joy to people,” Mazrita concludes.

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.