The Antares Review: The Condo That Is Also the Constellation
The Antares. The Brightest Star in The Neighbourhood In Singapore, we have all kinds of condo names. The country Australia inspires some like Austville. Then there are others such as The Alps Residences and The Santorini which are named after locations with breath-taking views. Although the themes may be different across these condos, the concept behind every single one is the same. Their objective is to create an identity and lifestyle living that the residents will enjoy and be proud to be associated. Today, we have The Antares, a residential development beside Mattar MRT station inspired by the constellation Alpha Scorpi. Antares is the fifteen brightest stars in the night sky and the brightest object in the Alpha Scorpi constellation. Like the constellation, this exciting new development will be the most eye-catching and latest thing in this old neighbourhood. It is drawing all eyes to its magnificence against the backdrop of industrial estates and an old HDB town.
Introduction To The Antares The Antares is a residential development comprising of 265 residences. The project is developed by a joint venture between Hock Lian Seng Holdings, Keong Hong Holdings and TA Corporation Ltd. These names might not be familiar with you because these developers are mostly in the construction business. They do, however, have a long history in Singapore and have a fair share of track records when it comes to real estate development.
The Antares. Shining Bright In Mattar Location of The Antares The Antares condo is located at 19, 21, 23 and 25 Mattar Road. This area is marked as Macpherson area, near to Circuit Road, Paya Lebar,
Aljunied estate. This is absolutely good as this section is where the economic workforce is saturated. Importantly, private residential is rare.
A stone’s throw away is the Circuit Road Hawker which features an impressive array of local delights. I haven’t had the opportunity to try everything there. If you find something mind-blowing, do leave your recommendations on the comment section below.
The Single Most Important Attribute of The Antares The Antares is one of the only few private residential developments in the neighbourhood. The other two are Grace Apartments and Sallim Lodge. Both of which were built in the 1990s and only consisted of a few residential units. With so little supply in the vicinity, The Antares is a rare commodity. Besides, it is also one of the nearest condos to the new campus of Nexus International School. Nexus International School is a private school that caters to over 50 nationalities from years age 3 to 18. The school is under construction right now and will complete in 2020. With 12 blocks housing over 1200 students, there will be an immediate need for housing in the
vicinity. Be it administrative, teaching staff or even students; there will be tenant demand for the Antares. What’s more, annual tuition fees at this school starts from $38,000(per year). So, it will not be surprising to find good profile tenants if you are holding on to an investment unit. Unit Distribution at The Antares There is a total of 4 blocks at The Antares. Block 19 and 21 are the shorter blocks with only five stories while block 23 and 25 stands at 17th and 18th Storey respectively. If you notice the unit distribution carefully, you will realise that the 1-bedroom units are only located at block 19 and 21. Why is this so? To sell units well and understand what the market can absorb, the developer needs to have a pricing strategy. Due to the shape of the land, there will inevitably be some units facing the Grace Baptist Church and the Church of Saint Stephens. As such, the views from your living room may not be as good. Investors, on the other hand, places more emphasis on the overall quantum of the product. To them, views are not the main priority. This placement of the 1-bedroom units creates a win-win solution for everyone. Investors can now purchase the smaller units at a lower quantum while homeowners have a selection of units with a more premium view.
How about the West Sun? Given the shape of the land, there is only so much the architect can do. The architect can choose to maximise the views of every single unit at ​The Antares​. Or limit this number by placing them in a north-south orientation. This is a simple trade-off because only a few stacks are affected by the west sun. For stacks that are affected by the afternoon sun, the pre-approved balcony screens are a way to mitigate the effects of the direct sunlight partially.