How do you define home? Is the place you return to for the day? Or is it a person? Or perhaps it is simply a place where your friends and family are. With the property market being the way it is now and everyone mixing up the definition of property investment and home, have we forgotten what a home should really feel like? It is not uncommon nowadays for people to utter the words, “I’ll buy this place for investment. If it doesn’t make it, I will stay there”. What a cold and unfeeling way to feel about the place you return to everyday.
So bringing us back down to our roots, what does a home really mean? Justin Ong, chief executive officer (CEO), designer and developer of The Como, Bukit Jalil recalls his younger days – a time where money was not as plentiful as the family would have liked, but where love was aplenty. It was a place where the community knew one another, friendship ties were strong and everyone enjoyed everyone’s company. That was the home that he strives to recreate.
The Como, a development that encompasses the values of Justin’s childhood memories which he sees lacking in today’s community. In an interview with him, he explains with great enthusiasm, what a real home should be.
Justin’s first belief is that – a home should not be a property which you buy in hopes that it will increase in price. Neither is it a property which you stay in where others bought it in hopes that the value will appreciate while the unit remains empty. A home, according to Justin, is one that focuses first and foremost on the needs of the Individual, the Family, and the Community.
For the individual, Justin believes that every person should have enough space even if living alone. A home should be one of spacious comfort. It should not be a shoebox, neither should it be a spacious but cold place where one goes back to just to bath and sleep. And for the family, Justin believes that a home should also be conducive to all aspects of the family be it the child, parent or grandparent.
Towards that end, The Como in Bukit Jalil is built not only to be roomy, but one where everything is designed based on what a family could possibly want. Some of the units at The Como come with both wet and dry kitchens so large that an entire family could bustle around merrily without bumping into each other, and some units come with outdoor patios for a breezy evening out.
Even the bathrooms are delightfully well thought out, with the shower switch set on the opposite wall of the showerhead to ensure that the bather does not get a chilly or scalding shock when they turn on their shower in the morning. There are in fact various sizes of units to cater to all types of families, from young starters to multigenerational ones. There are units with only 2 bedrooms, and also much larger homes with 4 bedrooms and a second key unit. The homes are built with families in mind, towards the longevity of living together harmoniously.
Space is, in fact, a very big deal to Justin, as he perceives that many new developments of the current age are too cramped. With the clutter of modern living, he is offering storage space for each unit outside of their home. This special storage space is not charged for in the price per sq ft for the unit, and it is located at the parking spot of every unit’s car park. The storage space is large enough to hold extra furniture, containers and even a couple or three bicycles for the family.
An added boon that buyers of The Como’s low rise wing will enjoy is further additional storage space allocated outside the unit on their floor. Instead of squeezing in another few more units or adding an ornamental garden to the extra space at the end of the floor, Justin ordered that additional storage space be given to residents of the floor. It is said that some of the storage space will be as large as a hotel room.
The third aspect that Justin stresses on is Community living. A question he asks is, “How do you spend your weekends?” Many would answer hanging out in a shopping mall or going outstation. But his idea of an ideal weekend is not needing to leave his home.
Why Have 100 When 10 Is Better?
Facilities to Justin Ong, CEO of Meraki Land, are not just items to pretty up his development. They are spaces where family and community living can be encouraged. He questions, “Why have 100 useless facilities when 10 functional ones are better?”
To that end, the entirety of The Como’s facilities is built to cater to Individuals, Families and the entire Community. With the free WiFi provided throughout The Como, an individual wishing for a private moment can bring his laptop out to the poolside for work. But the brilliance of it is that, while the poolside will have a comfortable spot for the individual to work at, it would also be a place where a mother and daughter or her grandmother would enjoy hanging out at. This way, the entire family can be together.
In fact, every single one of the facilities are built to that intention – to bring the community closer. There is a 600-metre landscape trail ideal for evening walks spanning 3 levels of The Como, and two barbecue areas. The barbecue area on Level 36 caters to large family gatherings, while the while the one on Level 38 is ideal for small family gatherings.
Even the co-working space, nursery and baking centre are designed in such a way to provide a convenience previously unthought of. The pods have glass walls, with the nursery pod between the baking room and co-working space. This way, parents in either of the other pods will be able to still keep an eye on their children even while going about their own activities.
When asked why a co-working space in a condominium, Justin replied, “So that you never have to leave home!” With the co-working space, residents will be able to call their peers over for work meetings. In the age of skype and google hangouts, the modern workforce is increasingly multi-disciplinary and moving more and more toward autonomous self-directed employment – working from home is already becoming a reality.
And when prodded about the baking room, Justin confessed with a sheepish laugh that he loves cooking, but when he previously stayed in a condominium, there just wasn’t enough space to have cookouts with his friends; without even taking into account the mess. So with the baking room, residents who enjoy mucking around in the kitchen with their friends will now be able to do so at the baking room without messing up their home.
For added convenience, there will even be a coin automated launderette within the grounds. No more fretting about sending the curtains and bedsheets to an external launderette.
Many developments that have multiple facilities may over time face the problem of insufficient funds to upkeep the building. Taking this into account, Justin has thought his way around this. There will be 10 shops below The Como, mainly F&B outlets for residents.
The rental proceeds of these units, instead of going to the developer’s profit margin, will be put back into the condominium’s funds on top of the monthly maintenance and sinking funds. Furthermore, there will be 57 additional parking bays to be leased to residents. On top of catering to those who require extra bays, the income derived will also be added to the condominium’s funds.
Why does The Como Mean so Much to You?
Winding down towards the end, we curiously asked Justin about his enthusiasm for The Como, Bukit Jalil, that sparkle in his eyes when he spoke of his brainchild. He answered, “Living is disconnected in the city, and what we strive to achieve is not what makes us happy.”
The vicious cycle of buying a property for investment and then selling it to a family brings about a cold non-familial feeling, because people are buying property for investment which they don’t want to live in. “If I can’t rent it out, I’ll stay there.” According to Justin, this is the wrong attitude. What happened to living space? Why buy something you don’t want to live in?
Justin assures us that he is not against property investment, but that he believes in buying an investment in which you would want to live in versus what you think will gain you the most money. Which is why he created The Como, a home made and thought of for a family. As Justin said, “Home is not just a place for you to stay at for the next 10 years. It’s to create memories.”
“Living is not about rushing from place to place. It’s about living with your loved ones. Live in a place that has heart in it.”
Call 03-80803627 or email to enquiry@merakiland.com.my for a private and exclusive viewing.