# One Devonshire's resident-led approach to asset enhancement initiatives

- **Source:** EdgeProp Singapore
- **Published:** 2026-09-11T02:00:00.000Z
- **Author:** Cecilia Chow
- **Original:** https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-news/one-devonshires-resident-led-approach-asset-enhancement-initiatives
- **Topics:** Private Residential, Transactions & Deals

## Featured rationale

The resident-led focus on useful amenities, energy efficiency and cost discipline may strengthen the 152-unit freehold District 9 condo’s appeal while moderating maintenance-cost increases.

## AI summary

One Devonshire’s owners approved a $200,000 function-room refurbishment within an approximately $1 million annual asset-enhancement budget, with the three-month project completed on Sept 5.

## Original article

At One Devonshire, a 152-unit freehold condo off Killiney Road and St Thomas Walk in prime District 9, the recently refurbished function room is designed like an open-plan luxury apartment, with a triple-volume ceiling and full-height windows opening onto pool views.

On entering, residents step into a comfortable lounge area with a widescreen television. Next to it is a dining table that seats 18 for a formal sit-down dinner, while a bar counter anchors the other end of the room.

Behind a partition wall is a kitchen fitted with wood-finish cabinetry, a long stone countertop and backsplash, a sink, a built-in oven for reheating food and a refrigerator.

Read also: Is it a good deal? Resale buyer picks up freehold District 9 Klimt Cairnhill unit at new low of $2,836 psf

Karen Lim, chairperson of One Devonshire’s management corporation strata title (MCST) council, sees the refurbished function room as “an extension of your home” — a place where residents can dine, work, watch movies or entertain more people than their apartments may comfortably accommodate.

“If you think of inviting friends over, the first thing you do is start to tidy up your home and make it look nice,” she says. “But here, with the function room, it’s all ready for you.”

It wasn’t always this way.

From echo chamber to ‘great room’

The refurbishment of the function room dates back to One Devonshire’s annual general meeting last October, when its MCST council was given a budget of about $1 million for asset enhancement initiatives (AEIs) for the financial year.

Most of the money was allocated to repainting the 36-storey condo tower and common areas, as well as applying an epoxy floor coating in the carpark. The committee also planned repair and replacement works for common areas and facilities.

One issue raised at the AGM was the function room. Its ceiling height, bare walls and floors, and full-height glass windows running the length of the room made for poor acoustics.

“The acoustics were quite bad,” says Lim. “Sound used to echo around the room, and when there were many people inside, you could barely hear each other talk.”

Read also: Freehold District 9 apartment block Cavenagh Fortuna on the market for $60 mil

The room was also furnished with wicker furniture that was better suited to outdoor use.

The members passed a special resolution to refurbish the function room, with the seven-member council initially seeking a budget of $150,000.

The subsidiary proprietors (SPs) attending the AGM were so supportive that they increased the budget to $200,000. Some also wanted to be involved in the project.

A subcommittee was subsequently formed to oversee the refurbishment, including two resident SPs who had supported the motion.

Besides Lim, council members Lee Min Yin and former MCST chairman Yip Ying Ee have also been closely involved in One Devonshire’s wider AEI programme.

Beyond aesthetics

When selecting an interior designer, the subcommittee considered five firms recommended by council members, the managing agent Edmund Tie & Co. Property Management Services, and SPs that had worked with them previously.

Rather than simply asking the designers to come up with attractive concepts, the committee drew up a questionnaire setting out what the refurbishment was expected to achieve.

Read also: High Point condo relaunched for collective sale at $580 mil, marking fifth attempt

Its brief centred on three priorities: improving the acoustics, reducing energy consumption and creating an interior with a neutral, enduring palette rather than something overly fashionable.

“We wanted something evergreen, not trendy,” says Lim.

Four of the five firms submitted proposals, which the committee evaluated through a blind scoring exercise to minimise the influence of personal recommendations.

Singapore-based interior design firm Cream emerged with the highest score by a significant margin, according to Lim. Some competing proposals had focused heavily on aesthetics without adequately addressing the room’s acoustic or energy efficiency issues.

The committee also considered the firms’ credentials, previous MCST projects, and whether they had their own contractors, given the tight timeline to complete the work before One Devonshire’s AGM scheduled for mid-September.

Cream had previously handled AEIs at high-end condos including The Loft @ Nassim, The Pier @ Robertson, UE Square Residences, One Jervois, Aalto on Meyer Road and Marina Bay Residences. Its ongoing projects include The Sail @ Marina, RiverGate and Marina Bay Suites.

The resulting design addresses both the room’s acoustics and energy consumption.

Instead of replacing air-conditioning equipment that had been changed only five years earlier, Cream lowered part of the ceiling and shifted the air-conditioning diffusers closer to the occupied area so that the room could cool more efficiently.

William Goh, founder of Cream, also used specialised acoustic boards on the ceiling and walls to reduce echo, while a new rough-textured wall helps minimise sound reflection.

The design was also intended to make the large-volume room feel more intimate.

“We did this by lining the lower part of the room in warm timber cladding and lowering part of the ceiling above the entrance to the function room,” says Goh. “This way, one experiences a gradual increase in ceiling height as they move towards the main hall space.”

Lim and Lee took a more proactive approach on the furniture selection. They used AI to overlay the selection on the initial design to see how it would look. The revised furniture selection was then shared with the committee and Cream.

They chose olive-coloured lounge seating from Castlery instead of the cream pieces Cream originally proposed.

“We thought the colour combination was richer and added more depth to the space,” says Lim.

They were equally particular about the tone of the textured wall, asking Cream to apply actual samples so they could see how the finish would look in the room.

The colour of the aluminium bars installed across the feature wall was too light, and also deviated from the original design, says Lee. “We told them we needed a darker tone.”

The result is an interior with greater depth, anchored by a mix of textures and tones.

The refurbishment took three months, from May to July, and the completed function room was handed over to ETC on Sept 5.

‘Hands-on’ council

“We are very hands-on,” says Lim, who has chaired the management council at One Devonshire for the past two years.

Lilian Oh, director of Edmund Tie & Co. Property Management Services (ETC), which has managed One Devonshire for the past 11 years, agrees.

“This is certainly one of the more hands-on councils I have come across,” she says. “The level of involvement and time commitment is quite significant.”

At the same time, Oh says being hands-on has to be balanced with the council’s role in providing direction and oversight, while allowing the managing agent and appointed professionals to advise and manage the process objectively.

“Ultimately, the aim should be to ensure the works are carried out transparently, efficiently and in the best interests of the MCST,” says Oh.

An asset-management mindset

Lim previously worked for a UK investment bank and has experience with Reits, which gave her a grounding in asset enhancement strategies. She spent many years in London before returning to Singapore.

ETC’s Oh says Lim’s experience has helped shape her approach to the condo’s AEIs.

“She is quite clear on what needs to be prioritised and tends to look at whether the benefits justify the cost before spending the MCST’s money,” she observes.

That shared understanding of the need to balance the estate’s requirements against cost also makes it easier for the managing agent to work with the council, Oh adds.

Six of the seven council members are residents. “If you don’t live here, it is harder for you to understand and help identify the operational issues of the estate,” says Lim, who has lived at One Devonshire since 2014.

“The SPs are the asset owners,” she adds. “We are responsible for how we want to steer the AEI.”

According to Lim, about 65% of the units at One Devonshire are investor-owned and tenanted, while only about 35% are owner-occupied.

Making shared spaces work harder

The same focus on making shared amenities more attractive and useful to residents is shaping improvements elsewhere in the development. A little-used playroom has been converted into a multipurpose room where residents can work or take conference calls, with a bench table set up by the window.

That instinct to rethink how existing spaces and furnishings are used extends beyond the function room and multipurpose room.

At the lobby, for instance, Lim says that simply moving a cluster of chairs from one corner to another improved both the look of the space and how often residents used it.

The council is also reviewing One Devonshire’s seven themed sky gardens to see how they could be made more useful for gatherings and other activities.

Some, including the Japanese- and Chinese-themed gardens, have already been refreshed. Furniture previously used in the function room has been moved outdoors, where its hard-wearing materials are more suitable.

The two larger gardens — the Mediterranean Garden on the 13th floor and English Garden on the sixth floor — offer alternatives for parties and gatherings.

The council is also considering replacing some plants to open up views from the gardens.

The Japanese Garden on the 26th floor, for instance, overlooks Marina Bay and Marina Bay Sands.

“A lot of residents come up here to watch the fireworks on National Day,” says Yip.

At the Rock Garden on the ninth floor, a bouldering wall sees little use because residents require an instructor before they can climb, owing to safety requirements.

So, part of the garden is being turned into a herb garden, while the council is considering alternative uses for the bouldering wall.

Technology — with an eye on costs

Technology has become another tool in the council’s decision-making. Lim frequently encourages managing agent ETC to use AI to streamline workflows and improve productivity.

A feature wall facing the jacuzzi pool, for instance, was first visualised using AI. The rendering helped the council settle on a warmer treatment incorporating timber-look finishes and greenery.

Council member Yip, an engineer by profession, proposed using aluminium cladding with a timber-like finish because it would be more durable. He subsequently tapped one of his contacts for a supplier that could provide the material at what the council considered a reasonable price.

The AI rendering had also suggested incorporating the One Devonshire name prominently on the feature wall.

The council liked the idea — until it found out how much it would cost. It was promptly dropped.

“We always think: ‘Should we spend the money on this? Is it crucial?’” says Lim. “If it’s not so crucial, then perhaps not.”

As the development, completed in 2011, enters its 15th year, that discipline is becoming more important.

While maintenance costs are increasing, passing every cost increase on to owners is “not sustainable”, says Lim. “There are ways to do things without spending a lot of money,” she adds. “If we can use technology to reduce some of these costs, then I think it’s a win-win for the condo.”

One example is the move from manual facility bookings to the iCondo app. Residents can now make reservations digitally, while the management team can pull usage data directly instead of having staff compile it manually.

Motion sensors have also been installed for lights in some common areas, while lighting hours in the gardens have been shortened to reduce energy consumption.

From ‘wish list’ to priorities

Every year, council members draw up what Lim calls a “wish list” of improvements.

Each item is assessed according to its cost and potential benefit to residents before projects are prioritised and, where necessary, put before owners for approval.

“If we don’t do that, then it will be very random, because there is no thought process that went into it,” she says.

The process also means some ideas have to wait, even if council members would like to pursue them.

“We have a lot of plans, but the money is not infinite,” says Lim.

Check out the latest listings for One Devonshire, District 9 properties

## Chinese translation

> Translation model: grok_cli

### One Devonshire由住户主导的资产提升举措

One Devonshire的理事会结合住户意见、专业建议与成本纪律，让共享空间发挥更大效用。

在位于黄金地段第九区、基里尼路（Killiney Road）与圣托马斯径（St Thomas Walk）附近、共152个单位的永久地契公寓One Devonshire，近期翻新的多功能厅被设计成开放式豪华公寓的格局，拥有三层通高的天花板，落地窗朝向泳池景致。

一进门，住户便步入配有宽屏电视的舒适休闲区。旁边是一张可供18人正式坐席晚宴的餐桌，房间另一端则以吧台为重心。

隔墙后方是厨房，配有木饰面橱柜、长石材台面与挡水板、水槽、用于复热食物的嵌入式烤箱，以及冰箱。

延伸阅读：划算吗？转售买家以每平方英尺2836新元的新低价入手第九区永久地契Klimt Cairnhill单位

One Devonshire分层地契管理理事会（MCST）主席Karen Lim认为，翻新后的多功能厅是“家的延伸”——住户可以在此用餐、工作、看电影，或招待比自家公寓更宽裕地容纳的宾客。

她说：“一想到要请朋友来，你首先会做的就是收拾家里、把它弄得好看。但在这里，有了多功能厅，一切都已经为你准备好了。”

并非一直如此。

从回音室到“大会客厅”

多功能厅的翻新可以追溯到去年10月One Devonshire的周年大会，当时其MCST理事会获得该财政年度约100万新元的资产提升计划（AEI）预算。

大部分资金被用于重新粉刷这座36层公寓大楼及公共区域，以及为停车场铺设环氧地坪。委员会还计划对公共区域和设施进行维修与更换工程。

周年大会上提出的一个问题就是多功能厅。其层高、光秃的墙壁和地板，以及沿房间纵向延伸的落地玻璃窗，造成了糟糕的声学效果。

Lim说：“声学效果相当差。声音会在房间里回荡，人多的时候，彼此说话几乎都听不清。”

延伸阅读：第九区永久地契公寓楼Cavenagh Fortuna以6000万新元挂牌出售

房间里还摆放着更适合户外使用的藤编家具。

会议成员通过特别决议，对多功能厅进行翻新，七人理事会最初申请的预算为15万新元。

出席周年大会的附属业主（SP）非常支持，将预算上调至20万新元。一些业主还希望参与该项目。

随后成立了小组委员会监督翻新工程，其中包括两名曾支持该动议的住户业主。

除了Lim，理事会成员Lee Min Yin以及前任MCST主席Yip Ying Ee也密切参与One Devonshire更广泛的资产提升计划。

不止于美观

在挑选室内设计师时，小组委员会考虑了由理事会成员、物业管理公司Edmund Tie & Co. Property Management Services，以及曾与这些公司合作过的附属业主推荐的五家公司。

委员会并非简单地要求设计师拿出好看的方案，而是拟定了一份问卷，列明翻新工程预期要达到的目标。

延伸阅读：High Point公寓以5.8亿新元重新推出集体出售，为第五次尝试

任务书聚焦三项优先事项：改善声学效果、降低能耗，以及打造中性、经久耐看的室内色调，而非过于追赶潮流的风格。

Lim说：“我们想要的是常青的风格，而不是赶时髦。”

五家公司中有四家提交了方案，委员会通过盲评打分来评估，以尽量减少个人推荐的影响。

据Lim介绍，新加坡室内设计公司Cream以明显优势获得最高分。一些竞争方案过于侧重美观，却未能充分解决房间的声学或能源效率问题。

考虑到须在定于9月中旬举行的One Devonshire周年大会前完工的紧张工期，委员会还考察了各公司的资质、以往的MCST项目，以及是否拥有自己的承包商。

Cream此前曾在高端公寓处理资产提升工程，包括The Loft @ Nassim、The Pier @ Robertson、UE Square Residences、One Jervois、Meyer Road上的Aalto以及Marina Bay Residences。其正在进行的项目包括The Sail @ Marina、RiverGate和Marina Bay Suites。

最终设计同时解决了房间的声学效果和能耗问题。

冷气设备仅在五年前更换过，Cream没有更换设备，而是降低了部分天花板，并将冷气出风口移近使用区域，使房间能更高效地降温。

Cream创始人William Goh还在天花板和墙壁上使用了专用吸音板以减少回音，一面新的粗糙质感墙则有助于尽量减少声音反射。

设计也旨在让这个大空间房间感觉更有亲近感。

Goh说：“我们的做法是在房间下部铺设温暖的木饰面，并降低多功能厅入口上方的部分天花板。这样，人们走向主厅空间时，会感受到层高逐渐升高。”

在家具选择上，Lim和Lee采取了更主动的做法。他们用人工智能把所选家具叠到初始设计上，查看效果。修订后的家具方案随后分享给委员会和Cream。

他们选择了Castlery的橄榄色休闲座椅，而不是Cream最初提议的奶油色家具。

Lim说：“我们觉得这种色彩搭配更丰富，也给空间增加了更多层次。”

他们对质感墙的色调同样讲究，要求Cream涂上实际样品，以便查看饰面在房间里的效果。

Lee说，特色墙上安装的铝条颜色太浅，也偏离了原设计。“我们告诉他们需要更深的色调。”

最终呈现出更有层次的室内效果，由多种质感与色调共同支撑。

翻新工程历时三个月，从5月到7月，完工后的多功能厅于9月5日移交给ETC。

“亲力亲为”的理事会

过去两年担任One Devonshire管理理事会主席的Lim说：“我们非常亲力亲为。”

过去11年一直管理One Devonshire的Edmund Tie & Co. Property Management Services（ETC）董事Lilian Oh对此表示认同。

她说：“这无疑是我遇到过的更亲力亲为的理事会之一。参与程度和时间投入都相当可观。”

与此同时，Oh表示，亲力亲为必须与理事会提供方向和监督的角色相平衡，同时让物业管理公司和受聘专业人士能够客观地提供建议并管理流程。

Oh说：“归根结底，目标应是确保工程以透明、高效的方式进行，并符合MCST的最佳利益。”

资产管理思维

Lim曾在一家英国投资银行工作，并拥有房地产投资信托（Reits）经验，这为她打下了资产提升策略的基础。她在伦敦生活多年后返回新加坡。

ETC的Oh表示，Lim的经验塑造了她对该公寓资产提升计划的处理方式。

她观察到：“她很清楚哪些事项需要优先处理，在动用MCST的资金之前，往往会审视收益是否足以证明成本合理。”

Oh补充说，双方都理解需要在屋苑需求与成本之间取得平衡，这也让物业管理公司更容易与理事会合作。

七名理事会成员中有六名是住户。自2014年起住在One Devonshire的Lim说：“如果你不住在这里，就更难理解和帮助识别屋苑的运营问题。”

她补充说：“附属业主才是资产所有者。我们有责任决定如何引导资产提升计划。”

据Lim介绍，One Devonshire约65%的单位由投资者持有并出租，仅约35%由业主自住。

让共享空间发挥更大效用

同样着眼于让共享设施对住户更有吸引力和实用性的思路，也在塑造该项目其他地方的改善。一间少有人用的游戏室已被改造成多用途室，住户可以在此工作或接电话会议，窗边还设置了长条桌。

这种重新思考现有空间和家具如何使用的直觉，不仅限于多功能厅和多用途室。

例如在大堂，Lim说，仅仅把一组椅子从一个角落移到另一个角落，就改善了空间外观，也提高了住户使用频率。

理事会还在审视One Devonshire的七个主题空中花园，看如何让它们更适合聚会和其他活动。

包括日式和中式主题花园在内的部分花园已经翻新。原先用在多功能厅的家具被移到户外，其耐磨材料在那里更合适。

两个较大的花园——13楼的地中海花园和6楼的英式花园——为派对和聚会提供了替代场所。

理事会也在考虑更换部分植物，以打开花园的视野。

例如，26楼的日式花园可俯瞰滨海湾和滨海湾金沙。

Yip说：“很多住户会上来这里看国庆烟花。”

在9楼的岩石花园，一面抱石墙很少被使用，因为出于安全要求，住户攀爬前需要有指导员。

因此，花园的一部分正在改成香草园，理事会也在考虑抱石墙的其他用途。

科技——同时盯紧成本

科技已成为理事会决策的另一项工具。Lim经常鼓励物业管理公司ETC使用人工智能来精简工作流程、提高效率。

例如，面对按摩池的一面特色墙首先用人工智能进行了可视化。效果图帮助理事会确定了更温暖的处理方式，融入仿木饰面和绿植。

理事会成员Yip是工程师出身，他提议使用仿木饰面的铝包层，因为更耐用。随后他通过自己的一位联系人找到了供应商，能以理事会认为合理的价格提供该材料。

人工智能效果图还建议在特色墙上突出展示One Devonshire的名称。

理事会喜欢这个想法——直到得知成本有多高。该想法随即被放弃。

Lim说：“我们总是在想：‘这笔钱该不该花在这上面？这件事关键吗？’如果不是那么关键，那就也许不必。”

随着这座2011年竣工的项目进入第15个年头，这种纪律变得更加重要。

Lim说，虽然维修成本在上升，但把每一项成本上涨都转嫁给业主“不可持续”。她补充说：“有些事情可以不用花很多钱就做成。如果能用科技降低其中一些成本，我觉得对公寓来说就是双赢。”

一个例子是从人工设施预订转向iCondo应用程序。住户现在可以数字化预约，管理团队也可以直接调取使用数据，而不必让员工手工汇总。

部分公共区域的灯也安装了感应器，花园的照明时间则被缩短，以降低能耗。

从“愿望清单”到优先事项

每年，理事会成员都会拟定Lim所称的改善“愿望清单”。

每一项都会按其成本和给住户带来的潜在效益进行评估，然后排列项目优先级，必要时再提交业主批准。

她说：“如果我们不这样做，就会非常随意，因为中间没有经过思考过程。”

这一流程也意味着，即便理事会成员想推进某些想法，有些也不得不等一等。

Lim说：“我们有很多计划，但钱不是无限的。”

查看One Devonshire及第九区物业的最新挂牌