Owning a unit at STAR Residences may just give you a glimpse at life among the stars. Located in KLCC, it is a high-end project by UM Land and Symphony Life, featuring Jimmy Choo as its ambassador.
Continue Reading ⋅ 27 October 2015
Aria KLCC. Pic taken from the website.
Aria Luxury Residence Kuala Lumpur: A musical review.
Having 598 units within two blocks, this project is inspired by melody expressed by an Opera singer. With its facilities area named after voice types, the units ranges from 630 square feet till 1502 square feet, with a starting price per square feet of RM1500.
Project Details
Address: Kuala Lumpur City Centre, KLCC.
Land Title: Residential
Tenure: Freehold
Site GPS Coordinates: 3°9’13″N 101°43’17″E
Website: http://ariaklcc.hapsengland.com/
Expected Date of Completion: TBA
Property Type: High-end Condominiums
Total Units: 598
Total Towers: 2 Blocks
Built Up in Sq. Ft.: 630, 753, 867, 991, 1159, and 1502.
Listing Price: Starts from RM 945, 000
Price per Sq. Ft.: Starts from RM1, 500
Maintenance Fee per Sq. Ft.: RM0.45
Car Park Bay per Unit: 1 for smaller units, 2 for bigger units
Special Features:
- Having KLCC Address
- Near Tun Razak Exchange
- Huge facilities area
Facilities:
Bass @ Ground Floor
- Concierge
- Seating Lounge
- Water Feature
- Green Area
- Arrival Forecourt
- Landscaped Garden
Tenor @ Level 7
- 50-m Olympic Size Swimming Pool
- Wading Pool
- Jacuzzi
- Hydro Gym Pool
- Aerobic/Yoga and Gymnasium
- Function/Party Room
- Preparation Room/Kitchen
- Laundry
- Nursery
- Kids’ Play Area
- Seating & Floating Lounge
- BBQ Area
- Sunken Bed
- Changing Room
Baritone @ Level 43A
- Mini Library/Reading Area
- Games Room
- Viewing Deck
- TV Lounge/Music Room
Soprano @ Level 45
- BBQ Area
- Viewing Deck
- Sky Lounge
- Private Party Room
- Garden Party Area
- Gourmet Kitchen
Unit Type:
- Type A ▫ 630 Sq. Ft. ▫ 1 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom ▫ 1 Car Park Bay
- Type A1 ▫ 630 Sq. Ft. ▫ 1 Bedroom + 1 Balcony, 1 Bathroom ▫ 1 Car Park Bay
- Type A2 ▫ 867 Sq. Ft. ▫ 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms ▫ 1 Car Park Bay
- Type A3 ▫ 867 Sq. Ft. ▫ 1 Bedroom + Study, 1 Bathroom ▫ 1 Car Park Bay
- Type B ▫ 753 Sq. Ft. ▫ 1 Bedroom + Study, 1 Bathroom ▫ 1 Car Park Bay
- Type B1 ▫ 991 Sq. Ft. ▫ 2 Bedrooms + Study, 2 Bathrooms ▫ 1 Car Park Bay
- Type B2 ▫ 991 Sq. Ft. ▫ 1 Bedroom + Study + 1 Guest/Rumpus Room + 1 Balcony, 1 Bathroom ▫ 1 Car Park Bay
- Type C ▫ 1159 Sq. Ft. ▫ 2 Bedrooms + Study, 2 Bathrooms ▫ 2 Car Park Bays
- Type D ▫ 1502 Sq. Ft. ▫ 3 Bedrooms + Study, 3 Bathrooms ▫ 2 Car Park bays
Project Details
Aria Luxury Residence Kuala Lumpur: The Property of the Opera.
Aria is Italian for ‘any expressive melody’ usually performed by an Opera singer so it’s no wonder that this high-end condominium project is heavily influenced by music-inspired art. Its facilities area for example are given names like Bass (Ground Level), Tenor (Level 7), Baritone (Level 43A), and Soprano (Level 45) – it’s like one can almost hear the buildings come to live with the sound of music.
There are nine types of units offered with 598 units in total divided equally between two towers, Block A and Block B. Each tower will have 45 floors above-ground each, with the residential level starting from the eight floor all the way up to the 43rd floor. Since exclusivity and privacy is practiced here, there will be four to five lifts on each block, with each lift serving two to three units per floor. Type A and Type A1 will be the smallest unit types offered with built-up size of 630 square feet, followed by Type B at 753 square feet, Type A2 and Type A3 at 867 square feet, , Type B1 and Type B2 at 991 square feet, Type C at 1159 square feet, and Type D at 1502 square feet. All units come without a balcony except for Type A1, Type A3, and Type B2. The smaller units (less than 1000 square feet) will be given one car park bay, whilst the bigger units (more than 1000 square feet) will be given two car park bays, all located on Lower Ground Level, Basement 1 Level, and from Level 1 until Level 6.
Aria KLCC – Layout for Type A and Type A1.
Aria KLCC – Layout for Type B and Type B1.
Aria KLCC – Layout for Type A2 and Type A3.
Aria KLCC – Layout for Type B2.
Aria KLCC – Layout for Type C and Type D.
There’s a semi-furnished package for units less than 1000 square feet offered by the developer that gives buyers a Signature Kitchen brand kitchen cabinets with quartz countertop, wardrobes for all bedrooms, shoe cabinet, Teka brand kitchen faucet and sink, and electrical appliances that include kitchen hood and hob, built-in microwave, Smeg brand fridge, and Washer & Dryer combo machine. There’s also Daikin brand air-conditioning systems for living room, dining room, and all bedrooms, and bathroom appliances like water heater for shower and wash basin, vanity tops, mirror, and shower screen. For units more than 1000 square feet, the same package can be signed-up as well, except that buyers will get a compact microwave oven (instead of a built-in microwave) and a separate washing machine and drying machine (instead of Washer & Dryer combo machine).
The price per square feet for all this? Starting from a whopping RM1, 500! Now that’s rather steep considering how Star Residences in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng that’s located 400 metres away from Suria KLCC (which is also semi-furnished and freehold) is currently priced at RM1, 700 per square feet, a mere RM200 more.
Facility wise, Aria Residence has a 65,000 square feet (1.5 acres) worth of space for its residents divided between four floors. When residents come home, they’ll be greeted by a music-themed art and sculptures at the Ground Level named Bass. On Level 7 called Tenor, there are the likes of a 50-metre Olympic-size swimming pool surrounded by luxury sunken beds, kids play and splash areas, Jacuzzi, a hydro gym pool, and a full glass-fronted gym and aerobics/yoga space. A relaxation zone with a mini library, games room, and a TV lounge/music room is located on Level 43A called Baritone, while on Level 45 dubbed Soprano, there’s a landscaped sky bridge connecting the two towers with sky facilities like indoor and outdoor party spaces, gourmet kitchen, and viewing decks.
Aria KLCC – Artist’s impression of the FunctionParty Room @ Soprano, Level 45 & Floor Plan for Soprano. Pic taken from the website.
Aria KLCC -The expected view from the Viewing Deck @ Baritone, Level 43A & Floor Plan for Baritone. Pic taken from the website.
Aria KLCC -Artist impression of the full glass-fronted fitness area, and the swimming pool and sunken beds, @ Tenor, Level 7 & Floor Plan for Tenor. Pic taken from the website.
Aria KLCC – Artist impression of the Grand Lobby @ Bass, Ground Floor & Floor Plan for Bass. Pic taken from the website.
These facilities are starting to sound like music to the ears? Then be prepared to cough up RM0.45 per square feet for it.
But then again, it’s always a ‘to each his own’ case when it comes to buying a property. So far, repeat-buyers (from Hap Seng Land’s previous projects like Nadi Bangsar and The Horizon Residences) and Hap Seng Land’s own investors and employees have already taken up 50% of the units offered, and that’s just one month into its official launch. With the expected completion yet to be announced, let’s see whether Aria Residences will end up evergreen, or become just a one-hit-wonder.
Location
KLCC Zone 1 & 2: Is two better than one?
KLCC is the ‘It’ area. A place where Malaysians work and live and shop and dine and chill. It is a multipurpose development with high-class shopping malls like Suria KLCC and Avenue K, grand hotels like Mandarin Oriental and Pullman Hotel, top-notch office buildings like PETRONAS Twin Towers 1 & 2 and Menara Maxis, and of course the ever famous hangout spot, KLCC Public Park.
KLCC exudes luxury, modernity, and liveliness yet is never exclusive because it’s a place for everyone. And when mentioned that it’s for everyone, it is in all respects for EVERYONE. Do expect to see Malaysians from all walks of life there from the educated and highly cultured executives, to the illiterate and less civilised ‘Mat Rempit’ (punks who love illegal racing).
How does one map out KLCC zones then? Many have relentlessly debated on this and who can blame them when every condos, every shops, every Tom, Dick, and Harry of buildings wants the claim of being in KLCC Zone 1 to justify their distinctiveness (and of course, higher price) as compared to KLCC Zone 2. Wikimapia has even went to the extent of shading a supposedly KLCC borders like below from the many feedbacks.
Aria KLCC – KLCC’s Borders. Pic taken from Wikimapia.
PropertyGuru Malaysia prefers the theory of “Near walking distance” that is ever famous in the property industry to zone the KLCC area. And since the key player responsible for the development of KLCC areas is KLCC Property Holdings Berhad that is partly owned by PETRONAS, Suria KLCC and KLCC Public Park (both belonging to them) hence are chosen to be the centre point for this idea. As for “How near is near?”, let’s keep it simple and go with 500-metre radius for Zone 1, and 1-kilometre radius for Zone 2. After all, if you were to buy a property, would you agree with the “Near walking distance” selling point to a convenience (LRT station, shopping mall etc.) that’s located 2-kilometres away? Most probably not, right?
And so, we’ve come up with rough sketches as per below. All within the red circle are 500 metres away from the point where Suria KLCC and KLCC Public Park meet, while all within the green circle will be the areas 501 to 1000 metres away from it. Basically residents of condominiums in KLCC Zone 1 like Quadro Residences and The Binjai on the Park won’t have to break a sweat when they walk over to Suria KLCC for a shopping spree, whilst those living in KLCC Zone 2 like Dua Residency and Hampshire Place just might as well wear their running shorts for a little run after in the KLCC Public Park.
003 Aria KLCC – KLCC Zone 1& 2. Pic taken from Wikimapia.
So where is Aria Luxury Residence KLCC? Literally next to Dua Residency and the up-and-coming Stonor 3, Aria Residence is located just slightly over KLCC Zone 2 radius being approximately 1.1-kilometer away from the guide-point. In all fairness, 100-metre extra is still an acceptable distance, so yeah, Aria can be considered part of KLCC Zone 2.
Now that we have the zones established, let’s take a look at KLCC area as a whole. It is well connected no doubt, with basically everywhere leads to it. One will just need to look for a direction board saying ‘KLCC’ if ever their GPS-enabled smartphone runs out of juice and they’ll be fine. What won’t be fine is of course the traffic jams. Avoid going there during peak hours when people go and get off work unless you want to be stuck in a standstill. Alternatively, you can opt to use Rapid KL’s LRT and Monorail trains since there are a few train stations there namely KLCC and Ampang Park for LRT, and Raja Chulan and Bukit Nanas for Monorail.
In terms of amenities, let’s just list down some for the sake of listing them down because after all, this is KLCC we’re talking about where amenities is abundant. You can find tons of eateries in Suria KLCC like Chili’s and M. Marini , branded stores to shop in at Avenue K like H&M and G2000, PETRONAS’ Prince Court Medical Centre to go to for when you’re feeling bit under the weather, and of course the night clubs and bars like Modesto’s and Aloha Club along Jalan P. Ramlee.
More specifically around and closer to Aria Residence, the world’s largest North Indian Restaurants chain Bombay Palace, neighbours the development so if ever you’re feeling hungry, just push that ‘Down’ lift button, walk pass the guardhouse, and cross the street for some spicy goodness.
Aria Residence sits beside Jalan Tun Razak so driving down that road heading towards Cheras, you will arrive at Prince Court Medical Centre to your right (500 metres away), the Royal Selangor Golf Club to your left (700 metres away), and TREC Entertainment Hub that houses the likes of the newly relocated Zouk KL (1.3 kilometres away) right opposite Tun Razak Exchange (TRX); the acclaimed ‘one of Asia’s most liveable financial districts’.
In short, KLCC Zone 1 and KLCC Zone 2 both have its own pros and cons depending on the criteria, but having the claim on KLCC name is a good benchmark as any to discern a notable address.
Aria KLCC – Nearby Amenities. Pics taken from the websites of FMT, PianoBible, Timeout, & BombayPalaceKL.
Analysis
Aria Luxury Residence: Mo Money Mo Property.
Since KLCC is all about zones, Star Residence by Alpine Return Sdn. Bhd, a joint venture between Symphony Life Bhd. (formerly Bolton Bhd) and United Malayan Land Bhd. or better known as UM Land, that’s located in KLCC Zone 1 is chosen for comparison against Aria KLCC.
Aria KLCC – Location of Aria Residence and Star Residence. Pic taken from Wikimapia.
| Name | Tenure/Land Title | Approximate Price (per Sq. Ft.) | No of Blocks / No of Units | Car Park Bays | Furnishing |
| Aria Luxury Residence KLCC | Freehold/Residential | Starts from RM1,500 | 2 / 598 | 1 to 2 per unit | Partially Furnished |
| Star Residence | Freehold/Residential | Starts from RM1,700 | 1 / 353 (currently) | None. Rentable at RM250 per month. | Partially Furnished |
Aria Residence wins in terms of having a lower per square feet price, but then again, it is located in KLCC Zone 2. It also wins in terms of having at least one car park bay provided and having fewer units hence lower density property title (there is to be two more towers for Star Residence with yet-to-be-confirmed number of units). Star Residence however is much closer to KLCC and the surrounding international offices. That means there are more professional expatriates there which translates to better rental yield, and its development concept of celebrity lifestyles (Jimmy Choo being the development’s ambassador, Star Residences will have Malaysia’s first Star Walk of Fame etc.) is definitely a plus.
From the East, Hap Seng Land journeys to the West.
Hap Seng Land is the property division of Hap Seng Consolidated Berhad, and is well known over in Sabah, one of the two east states in Malaysia (the other one being Sarawak) since the 1970’s. Its mother company is publicly listed in the main market of Bursa Malaysia – previously known as Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) – which translates to a strong group financially. Apart from property development and investment that’s spearheaded by Hap Seng Land, the group (incorporated in 1976) is a well-diversified corporation with six others core businesses namely in plantations, credit financing, automotive, fertilizers trading, quarry, and building materials & trading.
Now, the title of this segment of the article may be catchy but Hap Seng Land’s entry into the West Malaysia property market in 2004 however, was much less adventurous than Sun Wukong and the gang’s phenomenal journey of magical-monsters-and-evil-magicians-slaying and sacred-scriptures-retrieving to India. They did won numerous property awards though, like the ‘Specialised Project Category and Industrial Category’ in the ‘2008 FIABCI Malaysia Property Award’ for Hap Seng Star’s Mercedez-Benz Authohaus, the ‘Office Development Category’ in the ‘2009 FIABCI Malaysia Property Award’ for Menara Hap Seng, and the ‘Industrial Building Category’ in the ‘2009 Persatuan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) Award’ for Hap Seng Star’s Mercedes-Benz Kinara Autohaus.
Aria Luxury Residence KLCC is their latest offering to the property market in West Malaysia, and is said to offer city living at its imaginative. How well is that claim justified? Let’s see how well will they perform.
Summary
Aria KLCC: Da capo al fine.
Aria Luxury Residence Kuala Lumpur is indeed a worthy buy thanks to its prime KLCC address, but then again, many are concerned that properties in KLCC area are overabundant as it is. One can drive around the area at night and see lots of unlighted units in existing residences like Binjai, Troika and Dua Residency.
Some are even predicting that the centre of KL will eventually shift to areas like Tun Razak Exchange and Bandar Malaysia. The musical term ‘Da capo al fine’ means ‘to be played again from the beginning once it ends’ so the question here is, will KLCC still be relevant an address in the future and prove that it will still remain a major player location-wise? Guess only time will tell.
But in the meantime if you’d like to enjoy this concert called life, then owning a unit in Aria may just be the ticket you need.
