Creativity that’s born out of adversity” is how Mont’ Kiara Bayu Administration Company (MC) chair Joanne Wong describes the landscaping at Mont’ Kiara Bayu, or MK Bayu — a Bronze winner within the Panorama Design class of The Edge Malaysia-ILAM Malaysia’s Sustainable Panorama Awards. The property was beforehand awarded Bronze within the 10 Years and Above Multi-owned Strata Residential class on the Finest Managed & Sustainable Property Awards 2020.
“Throughout the Motion Management Orders when individuals couldn’t go anyplace and we had nothing a lot to do, I got here up with an concept to show some underutilised area inside the property into one thing just like the Bayu Herb Backyard, Serenity Nook …” says Joanne, who has been a resident of MK Bayu for 14 years and at the moment heads the panorama sub-committee beneath the MC.
Positioned off the busy thoroughfare of Jalan Kiara in Mont’Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, the five-acre MK Bayu improvement by Dawn Bhd (now UEM Dawn Bhd) boasts lush canopies of mature bushes and inexperienced panorama options in each nook. Of the 398 items in whole, about 80% are at the moment occupied.
For the reason that property was accomplished in 2002, it has witnessed a gradual evolution of its total panorama and vegetation, together with the newest enhancement, enchancment and upgrading efforts during the last 2½ years.
“By way of the years, we have now planted a variety of perennials that may be propagated and likewise deliberately chosen vegetation that give a Balinese tropical resort essence reminiscent of palm bushes, pink palms and frangipanis,” says Joanne.
“We choose vegetation that [exude] a Balinese essence as a result of that is MK Bayu’s signature. I don’t need to change this theme. We could have some fashionable upgrades in some areas, however we’re not altering our authentic essence,” she remarks.
MK Bayu’s crescent lobby backyard by the grand porte-cochère is without doubt one of the first panorama options to greet guests and residents (Photograph by Shahrin Yahya/The Edge)
One of many first panorama options to greet you driving previous the guardhouse and into the property is the crescent lobby backyard by the grand porte-cochère. “I’ve added a Balinese water characteristic with perennials and tropical vegetation like cordylines, hen’s-nest ferns, palms, hati-hati and elephant ears,” Joanne says.
In the meantime, a key mission at MK Bayu is the thriving Bayu Herb Backyard, which was spearheaded by Joanne together with a number of different residents, particularly Claudia Wong, Nalini Panicker, Anna Lee, Ho Siew Loon and Tan Bing Xuan.
Says the MC chair: “The herb backyard took two years to arrange and change into what it’s right this moment. There was a variety of planning and replanning by way of the division of the land, which has additionally been redivided for the vegetation to develop. There was additionally a variety of trial and error at first by way of the kind of soil to make use of for sure vegetation and herbs. As we speak, I feel the herb backyard is flourishing.”
The charming Bayu Herb Backyard right this moment boasts an equal mixture of herbs and edible vegetation in addition to a number of fruit bushes. These embrace curry leaves, laksa leaves, pandan leaves, basil, rosemary, candy potato leaves, mint, mugwort, daun kaduk (wild pepper), bunga kantan (torch ginger), lengkuas (galangal), dragon fruit, banana and papaya. “We’ve got [harvested] the bananas twice, the women’ fingers, bitter gourds and eggplants,” Joanne says with a smile.
To many residents, the Bayu Herb Backyard is right this moment a therapeutic area and a spot to attach with each other. “Housewives, particularly, wish to go to the herb backyard for comfort generally after they neglect one thing for his or her cooking. The herb backyard can be a group bonding mission. After I see [residents] there, they’ll discuss to me, and I generally get them to hitch the herb backyard group.
From left: Nalini, Susan, Joanne and Claudia within the Serenity Backyard (Photograph by Shahrin Yahya/The Edge)
The property boasts lush canopies of mature bushes and inexperienced panorama options in each nook (Photograph by Zahid Izzani Mohd Stated/The Edge)
“We’ve got additionally put up little notices that say: ‘For many who take from the herb backyard and have been blessed, please give again in some methods to the great earth for extra blessings to come back’. Generally, residents who will not be immediately
concerned on this mission will contribute seeds or no matter they will. I feel this reveals that they actually recognize what we’re doing, and it’s encouraging,” she enthuses.
“Though the herb backyard was born out of my private curiosity, it’s for the advantage of the MK Bayu group. My time period is meant to finish subsequent 12 months. Nonetheless, I’ll stay within the Bayu Herb Backyard group. It isn’t an official group, however I imagine so long as we live right here, we’ll stay. And I feel most individuals already know me because the ‘inexperienced fingers woman’, so I assume I will likely be right here to remain,” she quips.
The condominium’s property administration firm Apex Alternative Property Administration Sdn Bhd director Susan Wong chimes in: “At MK Bayu, it’s in regards to the ardour and love for the natural world side of the panorama.”
In whole, there are round 43 varieties of herbs, greens and fruit bushes within the herb backyard right this moment, on high of eight tree species, 35 varieties of flowering vegetation and shrubs, and 10 varieties of ferns inside MK Bayu’s panorama design.
The leisure deck on the fifth stage is a tropical oasis stuffed with vibrant vegetation, hedges and rocks
A considerate, tropical oasis
Stuffed with vibrant vegetation, hedges and rocks, the leisure deck on the fifth ground of the property is a tropical oasis that homes services together with a fitness center, barbecue space, saline swimming and wading swimming pools, gazebos and sitting areas, in addition to two tennis courts and a badminton courtroom.
“On the leisure deck, we have now replanted a number of the wilting flowers with cannas and frangipanis as they’re a number of the most vibrant and vibrant flowering vegetation, so to talk,” says Joanne.
Susan and Joanne (third and fourth from left) with (from left) The Edge Malaysia editor-in-chief Kathy Fong, editor emeritus and the awards’ chief decide Au Foong Yee, The Edge Media Group writer and group CEO Datuk Ho Kay Tat and Metropolis & Nation editor E Jacqui Chan (Photograph by Low Yen Yeing/The Edge)
She provides that neem bushes have additionally been planted the place the reflexology path is “as they’re identified for his or her antioxidant properties and are useful to residents who like doing their tai chi there, for instance”.
Just like the Bayu Herb Backyard, the Serenity Nook was as soon as one other underutilised area. “Throughout the MCO, residents weren’t allowed to make use of the services such because the swimming swimming pools, fitness center, and the tennis and badminton courts. So, I got here up with the concept for the Serenity Nook,” says Joanne.
“We cleared out the area and put in a easy swing and benches. Among the residents now go there to do some easy workout routines, and I feel the place could be very conducive if you wish to escape out of your unit for a second of recent air and a few me-time,” she provides.
The MC engages a sub-contractor who offers three staff to assist with the upkeep of the panorama in addition to the compost soil.
The kids’s playground areas have additionally been improved. “They have been initially stuffed with cordylines, which is a pleasant companion plant, however when there are too a lot of them, mosquitoes can breed. That’s why I eliminated them. I wished to make [the playgrounds] a calming space for residents, particularly after they can’t exit. This space is now a spot the place they will chill out by a water characteristic, have a picnic with their household or play with their kids,” says Joanne.
“On the playground, we additionally attempt to have extra grass for individuals to stroll or stand barefoot, also referred to as earthing or grounding,” she provides.
Nalini pipes up: “It’s a pure remedy that detoxes the physique. Folks go there to stroll.”
As well as, MK Bayu’s lined walkway to its Bayu Stroll retail annex has been up to date, says Joanne. “We’ve got lined the hyperlink approach with Balinese pots, pebbles and water vegetation like arrowhead.”
Not an avid facility consumer, Claudia totally enjoys the landscaping facets of the property’s grounds. “I don’t use the services very a lot however the panorama makes my coronary heart very calm and peaceable. It’s like watching a bit of artwork remodeling, as an alternative of simply laborious concrete. It’s like strolling into an artwork gallery, however a dwell one.”
Being a single-tier improvement, MK Bayu is effectively ventilated. “We’ve got a variety of free air move inside our corridors, inside our items and out of doors within the widespread areas. That’s why we’re known as ‘Bayu’, which implies breeze,” Joanne remarks. “Within the mornings, we will hear birds chirping within the bushes and within the gardens, we see butterflies.”
The kids’s playground areas have been improved and likewise planted with grass for individuals to practise earthing or grounding (Photograph by Shahrin Yahya/The Edge)
The Bayu Herb Backyard boasts an equal mixture of herbs and edible vegetation in addition to a number of bushes (Photograph by Shahrin Yahya/The Edge)
Taking it to the following stage
In the meantime, MK Bayu is taking sustainability by way of panorama upkeep to a different, and likewise extra eco-friendly, stage.
This contains having a chosen area as a nursery for propagating vegetation and a correct compost space. “We’re already increasing the panorama by planting extra fruit bushes and propagating our vegetation as many of the vegetation in our panorama are perennial. This helps with monetary sustainability and protecting prices low.
“As for the compost space, we specifically constructed it 2½ years in the past. It was once a bit pit with nothing a lot occurring, however we have now now turned it into a correct compost space. We’ve got additionally planted some flowers and vegetation subsequent to the compost pit [to beautify the area and encourage residents to throw their organic waste there],” Joanne provides.
The MC is at the moment including extra sprinkler programs and water harvesting tanks to avoid wasting assets and to minimise labour. “We’re including extra sprinklers with timers as we’re very acutely aware of our water utilization.
The condominium additionally utilises rainwater harvesting to avoid wasting assets. “We at the moment have a quite simple system whereby we have now drainage from the leisure deck that goes right into a pipe right down to our water tank, which is 500 gallons. That was our pilot mission. For our subsequent one, we want to add one other two tanks,” Joanne says.
In line with Susan, the associated fee to keep up the panorama at MK Bayu isn’t vital. “The preliminary prices would positively be a tad increased from shopping for the rainwater harvesting tank, sprinklers and the works. However after that, it’s mainly preventive upkeep so [the cost] will work out. The fee for water would even have come down by a sure proportion because of the rainwater harvesting system in place, so much less and fewer could be required.”
The MC can be trying into the opportunity of having new roof catchment areas for rainwater harvesting in addition to tapping into photo voltaic power within the close to future.
