KUCHING: Hock Seng Lee Construction Sdn Bhd (HSL) hosted more than 30 professionals from the Malaysia Planners’ Institute (MIPSSC) and city officials from Guro, South Korea’s high-tech district, at its award-winning gated and guarded La Promenade development last weekend.
The urban planners were mostly youths from the local state chapter, while the Korean delegation was here as part of a series of exchange programmes with Kuching South City Council, its sister city since 2011.
The Malaysian planners and South Korean officials were impressed with La Promenade’s well thought out master planning, early implementation of priority areas and long-term maintenance.
HSL’s senior property development manager Tay Chiok Kee, who was there to welcome the delegates, said La Promenade is currently one of the most talked-about property developments in Sarawak.
“La Promenade is regarded as one of the pioneers of its kind in the state and we are honoured to be selected as a model development to showcase its extensive landscaping, security features and overall master planning,” he said.
Located along the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway, the 200-acre French-themed high-end mixed development, slated for expansion over the next 10 to 15 years, has a gross development value (GDV) of RM2 billion and comprises landed residences as well as innovative components such as shopping malls, commercial centres and other amenities.
Its commercial centrepiece is the upcoming HSL Tower which includes a neighbourhood mall known as La Promenade Mall. HSL Tower will house the group’s new headquarters by the end of this year and aims to achieve the Green Building Index (GBI) certification.
“The tower’s curtain wall has more than 3,700 panels of triple glazed glass which are heat resistant, enabling us to save energy. We hope that it will be the first privately-built office in Sarawak to be GBI rated, and the eighth GBI building in the state,” Tay said.
He added that swaths of the estate were also lushly landscaped to provide a heaven of greenery.
“La Promenade features a distinctive wide central boulevard lined with its signature Norfolk pine trees.”
Other planned unique features are a man-made picturesque lake covering some 2 hectares, linear parks throughout the project site as well as walking and jogging tracks.
“The integrated security system is also one of the key features of La Promenade. It covers a two-tier guard house, electrical fencing on external fencing for added security, perimeter surveillance cameras as well as an anti-burglar intrusion system,” explained Tay.
Last year, HSL’s La Promenade won recognition in the industry with numerous awards such as the Malaysia Landscape Architecture awards and the Sheda Excellence awards for its outstanding master planning and landscape design.
The South Korean delegation was led by the mayor of Guro district in Seoul, Lee Sung.
