Property Malaysia

In a small area saturated with high rise condos that are trying to outdo each other in terms of building height and extravagance, Ampersand stands as a welcoming alternative where low rise and low density is the order of the development. That is not to say that Ampersand is not high on the luxury quotient, but while living with a 200+ other units (at the very least) sharing all the facilities and entry / exit points, something has to be said about lower density and exclusivity.

Ampersand is located on Jalan Kia Peng, a name that has long been synonymous with high-end apartments and shady bungalows before the days of the KLCC condos. The location is quite near to the KLCC Park itself, although being only a few storeys high, there is no mention of any KLCC view or RSGC view. Just greenery view available here. Opposite is Cenfad, and most of the neighbours are privately owned homes (for the moment).

This spot of the road along Kia Peng is far enough from the busy traffic of Jalan Ampang and Jalan Tun Razak, and the tourist-y crowds around the KLCC Park, but still retains the ambience of a cozy enclave in the heart of the city. With a rectangular land of about 2 acres, they have surprisingly gone for the straightforward design, with three rectangular blocks built squarely parallel to one another and to the road. Block A and B are the two nearest to the road, with 5 storeys each (top floor houses a duplex unit). Between these two blocks is a small area for common facilities. There isn’t much facilities here, given two controlling factors – small piece of land, and proximity to all the available amenities around this area. But for the price this is at some people may expect more extravagant facilities right at their doorstep, but it is not so here.

Block C is the largest and highest block, located behind the other two, so that all three are clearly visible from the road and higher floor owners have a better view around. There are 10 floors or so here, still very low-rise but at least looking over the tree tops. That’s another thing, Ampersand seems to emphasize on the shady trees in the proposed layout, giving the low density a very dense foliage feel, so we were quite impressed. However, we hope that in execution the final product is the same or better.

In compensation for the low rise feature, units here are largely built. The unit sizes for typical units range from 2,613 to 3,520sq.ft. The price tag starts from RM2,260,670 upwards to RM5,343,820, giving it an average of RM860psf. This is quite average for the higher end units around this area, but with large built up the prices are bulked up accordingly. The units are all luxuriously designed, we won’t go into the details here, as there are many different types of layout for varying tastes. Each unit comes with a touch pool with a view at the edge of the unit, penthouses have your own private swimming pool.

As we said, what they lack in facilities, they make up for in large and beautifully spaced units. For those wishing to buy not-so-expensive units with the intention to rent out to the expat market here, there are plenty of other condos offering great buys below the RM800k range. But here, it is more for the successful people to live on their own, or for a weekend home. We definitely like the location and low density, but the stiff pricing is what sets it apart in the final analysis.

IJM Properties are the development arm of one the largest construction firms in the country. The property subsidiary has been releasing more and more new projects in the past few years and this looks set to continue with the acquisition of companies like Road Builder (and their property arm RB Land) and the troubled but land rich K Euro. Some of the previous projects by them reviewed here in Property Malaysia are:

Monte Bayu
Riana Green East: Sagaris