Far Eastern University-Manila

Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

Design 6

“Case Studies on Subdivision”

Submitted by:
Mirabel, Allyson Mariz I.

Submitted to:
Ar. Melba Paual
March 5, 2019
 Location Magallanes Drive, Maharlika, Tagaytay, Cavite, 4120
Area 5 hectares
Number of units 119 units
Palmcrest is an exclusive subdivision

overlooking the Taal Volcano. This Balinese

themed residence boasts its leisure type of

accommodation specifically targeting families

who want to have a vacation home with scenic

view but with affordable price. They offer two

types of house design: single detach and

rowhouses.

The subdivision offers 3 house designs to choose from:

 Community Amenities:
Dining & Coffee Restaurant

Wide Landscaped Entrance

Grand Clubhouse and Recreation Center

Well Designed Swimming Pool with Jacuzzi

Admin/Workshop & Maintenance Offices

Picnic Areas

Jogging Paths Zen Garden, Gazebo

Garden Showcase surrounded by Palm Trees

Basketball court / Tennis court / Badminton court

Children's Playground

Wide concrete road network

Evaluation
Pinecrest in Tagaytay offers luxury and modernity in a prime land in the country

providing more than the necessary amenities with a view. It was emphasized that their pricing

is for everyone who wants to have a humble abode in Tagaytay but with the limitations of

house types but the target market mentioned is not properly reached.

The variety of the house type is limited to families. Although the location is ideal for

those who go for vacations, the people who can really appreciate this is limited to those who

settle themselves for the leisure.

The individuality of the units, aside from the Balinese theme, was not given of proper

treatment. The development might boast the scenic view of Taal but most of the units are not

facing the vistas. Also, the room for passive cooling was not properly utilized given that the

arrangement and orientation conformed mostly for the layout and maximizing the given area.

In totality, the subdivision’s limited variety of house types and its individuality

bounds the people who can enjoy the space as oppose to their selling point: leisure. A person

might enjoy a house in there, but the promised scenic view and comfort cannot be claimed as

true.

Current state
Palmcrest, having a direct approach to planning the site, did not sell off based on the

google earth view of the site. From the planned 119 units, the residing and currently built

units are no more than 30 since its establishment in 2002. And based on the map they

provided, the Taal volcano cannot be portrayed in any unit’s window. The nearest point to the

volcano is 600 meters away from the nearest point of the development. With its relatively flat

contour, the height advantage was not also present in any of the units.
 Amiya Resort Residence is situated along Libby Road, Puan Davao City. It is a Thai

themed development by Kisan Lu with nature inspired amenities fitting a luxurious

accommodation in a city. It is an 85-hectare subdivision with cut lands of 200 sqm—a hefty

amount for a resort that is intended for the middle class.

Unlike other subdivisions, Amiya boasts its wide range of themed residences with

varying floor levels and room numbers but all of them are single detach.
 Amenities:
 1500 sqm Infinity pool

 Covered courts

 Tennis courts

 Game room

 Casitas for overnight guests

 Lagoon

 Pitching and putting area

 Children’s playground

 Spa

 Fitness gym

 Jogging tracks

 Meditation garden

 Pocket garden

 Linear park

Evaluation:

Amiya Resort Residence lived up to its name with luxurious amenities that can’t be seen on

ordinary subdivisions. It is a lie-low type of accommodation with serene ambiance full of lush

and nature immersive spaces with good ratio between customer-experience-goal to economic

aspect on the part of the developer.

The variety provided in the house types are wide given that they have a single storey and two

storey residence depending on the customer’s budget. It does serve middle to high end clients

based on its single detach house designs but the flexibility to serve not just families but also on
the workforce without families fell short. A person in the middle class who want to have the

amenities they offer might think twice since all their house proposals are intended or so

designed for family occupancy. Given that the location is Cebu, one of the leading business

hubs in the country, it is inevitable to have clients or people who want to have their own space

while working in the city.

With the evolving population, according to studies, the young generation prefer smaller

families ranging from couples who do not want to have offspring to LGBTQ couples to a 3-

member family. Occupancies must take into consideration those factors in order to widen the

marketability of the area and Amiya somehow fell short in considering that aspect.
 Sunway Montana
Sunway Montana is a prestigious housing development in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

tucked in a 14-acre forest privately accessible by homeowners. The development is situated

on the hilly side of the said location that integrates the contours into the design with little

alteration to its natural slope.

Sunway Montana was awarded with LEED Platinum award for its clubhouse and Best

Housing Development in Malaysia and Southeast Asia by South East Asia Property Awards

(SEAPA).

The luxurious

accommodation serves

the high-end market with

its density of 5 units for

acre—ideal for those who

want a city view of KL

while being immersed in

the nature. It has a 60%

land area dedicated for

the extensive landscape.

Their clubhouse offers wide variety of spaces such as Karaoke room, executive

lounge, library, meeting room, payer room, yoga room, gym room and swimming pool to
name the few. It also offers a wide range of recreational activities and spaces like jungle walk

with skybridge, linear parks, seating nodes, earth mound garden, swing garden etc.
 Evaluation:

Sunway Montana is a high-end subdivision that prioritize the customer satisfaction

and preservation of natural landscape. With the density and area, the amenities provided are

more of the outdoor activities rather than the typical subdivision (clinic, commercial space

etc). But the overall development seems uneconomical, limited and rigid.

With the 60% provision to greeneries and 5-unit per acre density, living in a prime cut

of land such as the Sunway Montana is too pricey and uneconomical on both parties

(houseowner and developer). Not everyone is willing to pay a hefty price of land with

majority of its denomination is because of a forest. It is a luxury that won’t be used all the

time thus not reaching the satisfaction of its price. It is also a lost opportunity for the

developer for additional units.

In terms of house designs, the Sunway basically offers two types of accommodation: a

villa or a townhouse; all of which are multi-storey. The limitations it brought affect the

provisions for a possible elderly occupant or a small family which do not want a lavish floor

area. Also, the two designs are all either attached to other properties on both sides or semi-

detached.

In totality, the design is rigid in nature given that it cannot accommodate different

occupants in terms of size, age brackets etc. The target market is very direct to the point that

the design might cause problems in terms of marketability.

 Rimbun Sanctuary Townhouse is a subdivision development in Shah Alam, Selangor,

Malaysia right beside the lush Shah Alam National Botanical Park. it is a mixed development

offering townhouses and apartments in the comfort of a countryside living while being

proximate to the city.

Unlike other developments on its vicinity, it is a low-density residential development

that offers surau facility or a worship hall, barbecue area, playgrounds, swimming pool,

wading pool, jogging track and gym.

APARTMENT A1

APARTMENT A2

APARTMENT A3
APARTMENT B1

APARTMENT B2

APARTMENT B3
Evaluation:
Rimbun Sanctuary townhouses in Malaysia provides a natural ambiance

given the integration of greeneries to the development. Location wise, it does not have to

provide other miscellaneous facilities given that within a proximal radius, educational

institutions, medical facilities and commercial establishments are easily available.

Unlike other subdivision houses with a catchy amenity or facility, Rimbun

sticks to a typical accommodation which did not make it notable. Although it provided 6

house plans to choose from, it can only be categorized into 2: 2 storey or 3 storey rowhouse.

With its strategic location, it could have used a diversity in house type for

different users. Given that it is located near a nature-reserve, the design could have blended

better and exuded a countryside feeling as if living in a province while being in a city.