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New Build, Old Neighbourhood

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Located opposite the Sofitel at Ponte 16, on the corner of Rua Nova do Comercio and Rua do Bispo Enes, lies another of JWCC Architecture’s stunning residential projects, The Studio.  Tucked away and unobtrusive, pedestrians casually strolling by won’t even notice it.  

And this is exactly what was intended.  Jimmy Wardhana, Co-founder and Principal of the firm explains: “We wanted this building to conform with the streetscape. It was important to us that we respected the surroundings so that there’s a language between this new build and the existing older buildings, most of which have illegal facades, or ‘bird cages’ as we call them.”  

On the external façade of The Studio, random sections of vertical tiling replicate the look of the vertical metal bars of these ‘cages’.  The bay windows are also purposely not aligned so that they fit in well with the ‘higgledy-piggledy’ frontage of the adjacent buildings.

“And we continue the language of the original red tiles of a family owned house next door with the new black external tiles.”  

Construction on the building began in 2012 and it was officially completed in 2015, but it was not an easy project.  

“There were foundation challenges,” says Jimmy, “the water table kept rising and this area is prone to flooding, hence the building took quite a while”.
The JWCC project team consisted of Jimmy, his co-founder and architect partner Christine Choi, Eddie Ieong and Celina Vong.  

“For the interior design it took us about a year from concept to choice of furniture and fixtures.”

There are three shops on ground level, and then above it’s a compact building with 30 apartments over six storeys.  The team wanted to ensure that there was sufficient communal space for residents to interact with each other.  Every two levels, the lift lobbies are left open to the floor above which promotes a sense of connectivity and intimacy within the building.  

Inside the units flooring is in pale grey 150x300mm honed tiles. At the door transition, black and white marble has been used to give a sense of richness.  Wall colouring is taupe, a modern favourite, while the ceiling and beams are left white.

The little open kitchens have white cabinetry, white flecked durable corian counter tops and grey mirror splash back.  Branded appliances include Whirlpool stainless steel fridges and microwaves, and Samsung dual washing machines and dryers.  The conduction cookers are by Cristal.

Inspite of the compact size of the units – 400 to 600 square feet – the bathrooms are generous.  Here taupe paint is used above the honed pale grey wall tiles.  Dark grey tiles provide a feature around the wet areas.  Carrara marble wash stand – referring to the slanted striped vein – in cream, taupe and white, brings the rooms’ colour palette together.  Rain shower heads are in all the showers and the Toto toilet water tank is concealed behind the back wall.  The push panel can be easily removed for maintenance.

“Inside the apartments we didn’t have much height to play with”, says Jimmy, “so the ceiling lighting is exposed.  Black metal Tom Dixon pendulum lights hang above some kitchens”.

Furnishings differ from unit to unit and are a mix of custom-built and the clean simple lines that are instantly recognizable as being from IKEA; a tall floor lamp here, a rug there, a shoe cabinet, a bed frame, a sofa or a black steel frame, glass top coffee table nest – an overall uncluttered, modern yet invitingly comfortable look that is attractive to buyers and tenants alike.

The accent colour – in a throw cushion, a small side table or a chair – is mustard yellow, “the colour trend for this year” according to Jimmy, “and one that goes well with our other colours of grey and black”.

Deep window sills offer a perfect spot for additional seating or lounging out on cushions to read or just contemplate the views.

The roof garden provides a welcome breathing space from the hustle-bustle at street level below.  Impressive views can be enjoyed of the inner harbor, the jungle of surrounding old, low-rise walk-up properties and the attractive façade of the Ponte 16 and Sofitel hotel across the road.  Easy to maintain plants have been chosen for the planter boxes.  Flooring is in different zones of light and dark grey tiling.  Furniture is grey and white wicker outdoor furniture with black tempered glass table tops.

Now this project is completed, the JWCC team is seeking out other development project opportunities to get their teeth into.  They are hoping to focus their energies on building boutique hotels as they believe these will be the future market of Macau.  As Jimmy explains it: “Boutique hotels can play an important part in boosting tourism.  Families may like going to the mega resorts but young tourists prefer to experience Macau culture, and as is similar in Taiwan and Japan, our boutique hotels can provide this.”

“The concern I have is for the 30 and 40-year-old buildings” says Jimmy.  “They can become dangerous, in need of refurbishment, possibly even a health hazard.  Some have the potential of being redeveloped into boutique hotels.”  But he stresses, any urban renewal project needs to be mindful of the importance that especially the older generation places on a sense of community and knowing one’s neighbours.  “One possibility would be to move older residents out to temporary housing, renew the areas, then move them back.  It creates a win-win situation for everyone.”

“In such a UNESCO heritage city as Macau there are numerous attractions, especially in the older parts.  We need to keep a balance of preserving our heritage, yet modernizing.  I hope that the government will do more to communicate this with local developers.”  

To JWCC, rejuvenation of an area is to keep it culturally rich.  They see the need to come up with original, thoughtful designs that combine Macanese culture with modern day architecture.  The Studio is a project that has achieved exactly this.

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