healthy habitats
Clearwater fuses ’live, work, play’ concept
Clearwater residences was conceptualised by Malaysian Dian Lee, the eldest daughter of Country Heights Holdings founder Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, and Singaporean Sim Boon Yang of architectural firm eco.id. The pair had a meeting of minds when they were introduced two years ago at the Metropolitan Hotel in Bangkok, for which eco.id was the lead design consultant. Lee is a fan of the hotel’s Glow organic restaurant and the Como Shambhala spa, and the two soon found they shared interests that evolved into a common vision.
“Both Boon and I are very creative and we clicked. We shared this idea of a holistic residential community in creating a lifestyle-concept residence, although this is an overused term. I’m a spa freak, so I wanted to bring this aspect to my home, instead of having to drive to a spa at the end of a long working day.”
Clearwater is the first property development for both Sim, the architect for the project, and Lee, who “stumbled upon” a joint-venture opportunity for the 0.5-hectare site in Damansara Heights, Malaysia. Since its very successful launch in April 2008 offering lifestyle-centric homes with spa and wellness, 90% of its residences have been sold.
“We wanted to develop a conclave of boutique residences that offers the services of a boutique hotel plus a retreat for family and friends. The building’s architecture is also very distinctive and the style that best depicts its soul is ‘poetic modernism’. This is seen in the dislocation of the authorial presence which is achieved through the juxtaposition of apparently unconnected materials and combinations of them thus creating a building that is modern and elegant, projecting an image of a fresh and contemporary city abode.” says Sim.
In keeping with building abodes that nurture the spirit, the organisation adopted this mantra from a poet which Lee gleaned from a book she read. “The name Clearwater is taken from the pseudonym of a poet whose key message was to shrug off the constraints you have allowed others to put on you.”
Clearwater is certainly distinctive in each of its ‘live, work and play’ components. The play aspect is embodied by the Clearwater Wellness Club, which include a detox centre, gym, yoga studio and spa. Certified colon hydrotherapist, nutritional consultant and fitness trainer and owner of his own wellness centre, Bryan Wong will run the vision and philosophy of the Clearwater fitness and wellness club.
The ‘work’ aspect is provided by the accompanying offices, set to be extensively upgraded to match the high-end appearance of the new residence. The ‘live’ aspect, the residence itself, features an interesting array of layouts within its 18 storeys, including studios, ‘Superpads’ with outdoor jacuzzis, double-storey ‘Lofts’, and penthouses with a plunge pool on the balcony. “The designs are truly innovative, and the Superpad design is unique because of outdoor jacuzzi,” Lee says. Furthermore, every shower can become a steam room, also reputedly a first in Malaysia.
“Damansara Heights is like the Beverly Hills of KL. It’s an exclusive neighbourhood, with many government officials living in the area, and prices are going up,” Lee says. “There are popular areas nearby, like Mont’ Kiara and Bangsar, but Damansara is the most high-end, the equivalent of Bukit Timah in Singapore.”
Excerpts from Property Report and Clearwater Brochure
