(From left): CDL’s CEO Grant Kelley, Senior Minister of State for National Development, Desmond Lee, and NUS academic staff, look at a model of a future smart home. (Photo: CDL)
As Singapore becomes a more sustainable and advanced nation, more developers are incorporating smart features into their projects, but not everyone thinks this is a smart idea.
By Romesh Navaratnarajah
In November 2014, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong launched Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative, an ambitious plan to use smart technology to further improve people’s quality of life, starting in the home.
Speaking at an awards ceremony honouring the country’s top innovators, Mr Lee shared his vision of how homeowners should be able to remotely control their lights and air-conditioning from smartphones.
He reckoned such technologies would help Singapore stay competitive with other global cities, such as New York, London and Shanghai.
And now, nearly two years later, it seems some builders are heeding the call to launch smart homes.
Internet-ready
City Developments Limited (CDL) claims that it pioneered smart home innovations long before the idea became trendy. Back in 2000, the developer launched The Equatorial condominium in Bukit Timah, which offered Internet-ready infrastructure that could connect to PCs and other future web-enabled appliances.
“At that time, these home features were rare as Singapore was just starting to build its broadband infrastructure that provided high-speed, interactive multimedia applications and services,” said Chia Ngiang Hong, Group General Manager of CDL.
Since then, the company has expanded its smart home solutions to remain competitive in the market. For instance, in 2012, CDL collaborated with Daiwa House from Japan to incorporate a first-of-its-kind home energy management system in its Echelon condominium at Alexandra View. The system enables residents to manage and track their power usage via an iPad app, helping them to cut their energy bills.
Vision of the future
Recently, Chinese developer Qingjian Realty launched The Visionaire executive condominium (EC) in Sembawang. Touted as the first tech-infused EC, the 632-unit project saw strong interest from buyers drawn to its smart home concept.
All the apartments will be equipped with 10 smart devices from Samsung. Using a centralised mobile phone app, residents can monitor visitors and control who gains access to their homes, and turn on lights and air-conditioners remotely, just to name a few of the app’s functions.
“We took into consideration how they want to reinvent the way they live, their lifestyle aspirations, and how to better support them in enjoying their living spaces as technological advances make it easier to do so in a few years’ time,” said Li Jun, General Manager of Qingjian Realty.
Prices for the standard three-bedroom units range from $678,000 to $888,000. Homeowners who choose not to have these smart devices will be entitled to a deduction of $6,500 to $8,000, depending on the unit type.
Given that the units are all “future-proof”, the devices can still be installed if they change their minds later on, noted Li.
Artist’s impression of The Visionaire EC in Sembawang.
Still needs convincing
But some developers are not convinced that smart homes are the smartest way forward. Frasers Centrepoint Limited’s (FCL) Parc Life EC, also in Sembawang, is competing directly with The Visionaire, but eschews fancy gadgets.
Cheang Kok Kheong, Chief Executive Officer of Development and Property at FCL, said: “The current hard-wired smart home systems do not provide for flexibility, and the wireless alternative is still being developed.
“In a survey we conducted, we do not see a significant demand for smart homes. Therefore, we are focusing on providing homeowners with quality finishes and unique layouts, while leaving them the flexibility to customise and install their own smart home system to match their lifestyles.”
Despite external scepticism, Qingjian is putting its money where its mouth is. The developer created a special exhibit next to the sales gallery for The Visionaire to show visitors how homes will be like in the future. They can go on a guided tour of interactive exhibits and take part in live demonstrations of smart home features.
“While some of the technology in the exhibit is not available on the market yet, and is still in the developmental process, one can expect these to be commercially available in just a few years’ time,” said Li.
Testing technology
Meanwhile, a $2.25 million donation from CDL to the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) School of Design and Environment in March this year will go towards research projects and the construction of two new laboratories, where smart building technologies can be tested in indoor and outdoor tropical environments.
“The initiatives will push boundaries to develop quality homes that are even more comfortable, resource-friendly, and cater to a green and smart lifestyle.
“We look forward to sharing our industry knowledge and carrying out pilot testing at our future developments,” said CDL’s Chia.
First smart HDB flats
Separately, the Housing Board is also exploring the concept of smart living in HDB estates. Last year, it teamed up with several government agencies and commercial firms to test smart technologies in Jurong’s Yuhua estate.
The Housing Board’s CEO Dr Cheong Koon Hean called it a “milestone in Singapore’s journey towards becoming a smart nation”.
“Technology can help create a more liveable, efficient, sustainable and safe living environment for residents. They will see that smart technologies are not some high-tech invention, but real-life solutions that can make their lives easier and better,” she said.
Some 10 households were picked to try out smart devices and applications in their homes over a six-month period, starting from September. These included elderly monitoring systems to take better care of elderly dependents at home, and utility management systems to help families save more energy.
A HDB spokesperson told PropertyGuru that the outcome of the trial was positive. For the elderly monitoring system, residents felt that the sensors and devices were non-intrusive. Similarly, the weekly updates on the households’ electricity and water consumption received via their mobile phones allowed them to track their utility bills more closely, and take the necessary steps to reduce electricity and water usage.
Going forward, the HDB will look at organising classes for the area’s 9,000 residents, especially the elderly, to try out the smart devices, said the spokesperson. The various features will be implemented progressively till 2018.
Around the same time, similar smart technologies were announced for Build-To-Order (BTO) flats at the Northshore Residences I and II projects in Punggol Northshore. Launched in May 2015, the flats come with additional infrastructure that allows residents to easily install smart systems. Prices start from $28,000 for a 2-room flat, inclusive of grants.
In a statement, the HDB said it “will pilot selected smart initiatives in Punggol Northshore so as to assess their viability and suitability, before extending them to other HDB estates”.
Dream home
The demand for smart home solutions is not limited to high-rise living. Germain Thomas, Regional Managing Director of iHome Systems, said his company is seeing more requests these days from landed property owners to install smart home automation systems.
Their reasons for wanting to install such systems vary. Aside from convenience and wanting to upgrade their lifestyle, some customers are children providing homes for their parents, whilst others are recently retired and want the homes they feel they deserve after working hard for so many years, he revealed.
The company advises homeowners on which systems to get, based on available electrical drawings, and interviews with them.
The most commonly requested devices involve lighting, air-conditioning, closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs), alarms, and audio and video systems. Prices of wired solutions for landed homes can range from $25,000 to $150,000, said Thomas.
iHome’s recent projects include bungalows in some of Singapore’s most expensive neighbourhoods, such as Sixth Avenue, Garlick Avenue and Swettenham Road.
The Singapore office also receives enquiries on smart home installation from as far afield as Indonesia and the Philippines, added Thomas.
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