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 Greatest 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 thought to show some underutilised house 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 below 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.
Because the property was accomplished in 2002, it has witnessed a gradual evolution of its total panorama and vegetation, together with the most recent enhancement, enchancment and upgrading efforts during the last 2½ years.
“By means of the years, we have now planted quite a lot of perennials that may be propagated and likewise deliberately chosen vegetation that give a Balinese tropical resort essence equivalent to 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 wish to change this theme. We might have some fashionable upgrades in some areas, however we aren’t altering our authentic essence,” she remarks.
MK Bayu’s crescent lobby garden by the grand porte-cochère is among the first panorama options to greet guests and residents (Picture 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 garden by the grand porte-cochère. “I’ve added a Balinese water function with perennials and tropical vegetation like cordylines, hen’s-nest ferns, palms, hati-hati and elephant ears,” Joanne says.
In the meantime, a key challenge at MK Bayu is the thriving Bayu Herb Backyard, which was spearheaded by Joanne together with a number of different residents, specifically Claudia Wong, Nalini Panicker, Anna Lee, Ho Siew Loon and Tan Bing Xuan.
Says the MC chair: “The herb garden took two years to arrange and grow to be what it’s at present. There was quite a lot 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 quite a lot of trial and error at first by way of the kind of soil to make use of for sure vegetation and herbs. At the moment, I feel the herb garden is flourishing.”
The charming Bayu Herb Backyard at present boasts an equal mixture of herbs and edible vegetation in addition to a collection of fruit bushes. These embody 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. “Now we have [harvested] the bananas twice, the women’ fingers, bitter gourds and eggplants,” Joanne says with a smile.
To many residents, the Bayu Herb Backyard is at present a therapeutic house and a spot to attach with each other. “Housewives, particularly, prefer to go to the herb garden for comfort generally after they overlook one thing for his or her cooking. The herb garden can also be a neighborhood bonding challenge. Once I see [residents] there, they’ll speak to me, and I generally get them to hitch the herb garden group.
From left: Nalini, Susan, Joanne and Claudia within the Serenity Backyard (Picture by Shahrin Yahya/The Edge)
The property boasts lush canopies of mature bushes and inexperienced panorama options in each nook (Picture by Zahid Izzani Mohd Mentioned/The Edge)
“Now we have additionally put up little notices that say: ‘For many who take from the herb garden and have been blessed, please give again in some methods to the nice earth for extra blessings to come back’. Typically, residents who usually are not straight
concerned on this challenge will contribute seeds or no matter they’ll. I feel this reveals that they actually admire what we’re doing, and it’s encouraging,” she enthuses.
“Though the herb garden was born out of my private curiosity, it’s for the advantage of the MK Bayu neighborhood. My time period is meant to finish subsequent yr. Nonetheless, I’ll stay within the Bayu Herb Backyard group. It’s not an official group, however I imagine so long as we live right here, we are going to stay. And I feel most individuals already know me because the ‘inexperienced fingers girl’, so I assume I might 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 concerning the ardour and love for the wildlife facet of the panorama.”
In whole, there are round 43 sorts of herbs, greens and fruit bushes within the herb garden at present, on prime of eight tree species, 35 sorts of flowering vegetation and shrubs, and 10 sorts of ferns inside MK Bayu’s panorama design.
The leisure deck on the fifth stage is a tropical oasis full of vibrant vegetation, hedges and rocks
A considerate, tropical oasis
Full of 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 gymnasium, 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 among the wilting flowers with cannas and frangipanis as they’re among 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 (Picture by Low Yen Yeing/The Edge)
She provides that neem bushes have additionally been planted the place the reflexology path is “as they’re recognized for his or her antioxidant properties and are helpful 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 house. “Throughout the MCO, residents weren’t allowed to make use of the services such because the swimming swimming pools, gymnasium, and the tennis and badminton courts. So, I got here up with the thought for the Serenity Nook,” says Joanne.
“We cleared out the house and put in a easy swing and benches. Among the residents now go there to do some easy workouts, and I feel the place may 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 youngsters’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 lots of them, mosquitoes can breed. That’s why I eliminated them. I needed to make [the playgrounds] a calming space for residents, particularly after they can not exit. This space is now a spot the place they’ll chill out by a water function, 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, often known as earthing or grounding,” she provides.
Nalini pipes up: “It’s a pure remedy that detoxes the physique. Individuals 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. “Now we have lined the hyperlink method with Balinese pots, pebbles and water vegetation like arrowhead.”
Not an avid facility person, Claudia completely 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 chunk of artwork reworking, as a substitute of simply exhausting concrete. It’s like strolling into an artwork gallery, however a dwell one.”
Being a single-tier improvement, MK Bayu is effectively ventilated. “Now we have quite a lot of free air stream inside our corridors, inside our items and outdoors within the widespread areas. That’s why we’re known as ‘Bayu’, which suggests breeze,” Joanne remarks. “Within the mornings, we are able to hear birds chirping within the bushes and within the gardens, we see butterflies.”
The youngsters’s playground areas have been improved and likewise planted with grass for individuals to practise earthing or grounding (Picture by Shahrin Yahya/The Edge)
The Bayu Herb Backyard boasts an equal mixture of herbs and edible vegetation in addition to a collection of bushes (Picture by Shahrin Yahya/The Edge)
Taking it to the subsequent stage
In the meantime, MK Bayu is taking sustainability by way of panorama upkeep to a different, and likewise extra eco-friendly, stage.
This consists of having a delegated house 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 conserving prices low.
“As for the compost space, we specifically constructed it 2½ years in the past. It was a bit of pit with nothing a lot occurring, however we have now now turned it into a correct compost space. Now we have 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 methods and water harvesting tanks to save lots of assets and to minimise labour. “We’re including extra sprinklers with timers as we’re very aware of our water utilization.
The condominium additionally utilises rainwater harvesting to save lots of 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 all the way down to our water tank, which is 500 gallons. That was our pilot challenge. For our subsequent one, we wish to add one other two tanks,” Joanne says.
In accordance with Susan, the fee to take care of the panorama at MK Bayu shouldn’t be important. “The preliminary prices would positively be a tad greater 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 associated fee for water would even have come down by a sure share as a result of rainwater harvesting system in place, so much less and fewer could be required.”
The MC can also be trying into the potential of having new roof catchment areas for rainwater harvesting in addition to tapping into photo voltaic vitality within the close to future.
