Equipped with purpose-driven design and a passion for modern living, Aurum Group is an award-winning space and business innovator with a steadfast focus on the future of people. Michelle Yong, CEO, tells us more.
BESPOKE LUXURY FOR LIVING WELL
The real estate landscape in Singapore has experienced significant transformation over the last five years, especially in today’s post-COVID-19 pandemic world.
This coincides with the industry’s increased attention on wellness, sustainability, flexibility, and multi-generational living.
“The concept of a home has evolved from being a physical space to becoming a sanctuary and hub for work, wellness, and social connection,” opens Michelle Yong, CEO of Aurum Land, a leading boutique property development company in Singapore.
There has additionally been a noticeable shift towards community-centric and mixed-use developments that not only encourage cross-sector collaboration but also provide convenient living without compromising on lifestyle.
This industry-wide shift aligns with a simultaneous rise in the use of digitalisation in construction and property management, whilst environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices also remain at the forefront of real estate organisations’ minds.
“At Aurum Land, we’ve embraced this shift by placing an even greater emphasis on design thinking, purposeful living, and user experience across all our developments,” Yong highlights.
Indeed, the company has evolved to become an award-winning boutique property development business, renowned for its design-led residential projects such as The Hyde, NYON, The Asana, and The Orient, each of which are located in prime districts across Singapore.
“With a reputation for thoughtful architecture, lifestyle-orientated design, and exceptional quality, Aurum Land has consistently delivered homes that blend form and function.
“The company continues to push boundaries by creating homes that reflect modern aspirations whilst positively shaping urban living experiences,” Yong affirms.
Aurum Land is a boutique property developer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Woh Hup Group, one of Singapore’s largest and most established construction companies with over 98 years of industry experience.
Leveraging Woh Hup Group’s deep expertise in construction and engineering, Aurum Land brings a design-led and human-centric approach to property development, consistently delivering award-winning residential projects known for thoughtful architecture and high-quality finishes.
As part of Aurum Group, Aurum Land contributes to a diverse portfolio encompassing real estate, fitness, wellness, and asset management, all driven by a shared commitment to shaping sustainable businesses that positively impact lives across generations.
“What this means is that all the businesses we create have an intention and objective to leave a positive impact on people with a forward-looking perspective,” Yong insights.
“With a reputation for thoughtful architecture, lifestyle-orientated design, and exceptional quality, Aurum Land has consistently delivered homes that blend form and function”
Michelle Yong, CEO, Aurum Land
DO WELL AND DO GOOD
Aurum Land is key to Woh Hup Group’s growth and diversification strategy which is extending the organisation’s capabilities upstream.
On the other hand, Aurum Land gains access to deep construction and engineering expertise and strong relationships with suppliers, consultants, and stakeholders across the value chain thanks to Woh Hup Group’s global network, providing the company with a strong foundation of quality, reliability, and scale.
“When I joined Aurum Land in 2007, my goal was to build on the strong reputation and technical excellence of Woh Hup Group to offer discerning property buyers a more design-led and human-centric approach to property development,” Yong recalls.
This objective was realised through the company’s distinguished approach whereby developers put themselves in homeowners’ shoes when making decisions and uphold a high attention to detail across all their designs.
As a result, Aurum Land’s customers consistently receive unique and compelling design concepts that excel in urban living convenience.
Elsewhere, the company is also bound by Woh Hup Group’s core purpose to ‘Do Well and Do Good’, which sees it building a sustainable business that positively impacts lives across generations.
“We’ve taken this ethos and embedded it into our property development philosophy, allowing us to marry form, function, and heart.
“This synergy enables us to push boundaries in design and innovation whilst never compromising on build quality and safety,” Yong shares.
Aurum Land’s multiple awards are testament to the company’s state-of-the-art developments, achieving accolades such as Best Boutique Developer at the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards in Singapore for four consecutive years, as well as being recognised as a winner of the World Gold Award in the Residential (Low Rise) category as part of the FIABCI Prix d’Excellence Awards.
A NEW ERA OF BESPOKE
A sister brand of Aurum Land, Anagram Homes (Anagram) represents a new era of bespoke freehold landed properties in Singapore.
Each home is designed as a timeless canvas for generational living, reflecting the individuality, memories, and evolving needs of its homeowners.
The division expertly reimagines landed living as deeply personal and fully configurable for clients.
“The brand’s name – a word formed by re-arranging the letters of another word – reflects our desire to allow our homeowners to reconfigure the layout of their homes and select the key feature finishes that best suit their lifestyle and stylistic needs, which is not usually possible when buying new, landed properties,” Yong explains.
With multiple projects in the pipeline, the brand aims to elevate the standard of landed housing and provide homeowners with spaces that are meaningful, flexible, and enduring.
Anagram’s development at Kheam Hock Road, for instance, is the first in its luxury bespoke collection of landed properties, featuring eight houses.
“The licensed development stands out for its impressive scale, offering greater security and peace of mind in a market often defined by smaller, unlicensed, and unregulated projects,” Yong expands.
With a choice of detached, semi-detached, and terraced houses on offer, the company provides flexible layouts that balance privacy with connection, with each property featuring a second self-contained dwelling unit.
Inspired by the concept of Seijaku, Anagram’s homes also embody a profound sense of tranquillity and calm, emphasised in the Kheam Hock Road development.
The Japanese principle, which emphasises serenity and stillness, guides the brand’s design philosophy of creating sanctuaries that offer a retreat from the chaos of everyday life.
“A key feature of Anagram is its monolithic language; defined by a series of fenestrations, the development’s otherwise solid exterior is fragmented by little pockets of green, drawing nature into each home.
“The placement of the fenestrations was carefully considered to create a balance between affording privacy whilst ensuring an abundance of natural light and ventilation,” Yong outlines.
The façade of each unit has also been carefully crafted to ensure that no two homes are alike, offering a sense of individuality.
THE HEIGHT OF PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT
Elsewhere, Aurum Land’s largest completed development, The Hyde, is located at Balmoral Road in Singapore and inspired by the panoramic views overlooking Goodwood Hill.
“For this project, we wanted to emulate Hyde Park in London, UK. We created a rooftop communal area with a sky club, an infinity pool, and vast open space.
“The idea was to be wedding-worthy where people would want to host their intimate solemnisations or marriage proposals,” Yong outlines.
The development’s 50-metre swimming pool, in particular, was modelled after The Serpentine in Hyde Park, with a floating disc-like edge.
Contained within the body of water, Aurum Land also designed the entire constellation with over 1,000 fibre optic lights to reflect the night sky above, creating a dramatic and enchanting view for nearby homeowners.
The development has four communal pavilions, one of which offers a communal playroom which acts as an extension of homeowners’ living rooms, making a perfect space for growing families.
“Having four children of my own, I know how much space their toys take up and how quickly they can get bored of their own things.
“The playroom is a communal living room for children where they can borrow books or exchange toys,” Yong smiles.
The company’s upcoming projects include the construction of a pair of luxurious detached houses situated near Holland Road – the latest instalment in Anagram’s collection with an abundance of customisation possibilities.
VALUES-BASED LEADERSHIP
Aurum Group strives to consistently empower staff by granting them ownership, room to grow, and recognition for the impact they make.
“Many of our team members have been with us for years and I believe that’s because they feel seen, heard, and valued,” Yong shares.
Indeed, paying close attention to the needs of her staff and ensuring they feel listened to is something Yong feels deeply passionate about.
In light of this, Aurum Group hosts weekly check-ins with all its team members, which ensure that they feel supported and managers can help overcome any obstacles staff may be facing.
These meetings also provide opportunities to align and discuss the coming week’s priorities, helping to provide staff with a sense of direction.
This is further supported by in-depth monthly check-ins as well as quarterly townhall conferences where the company shares updates on its performance and strategic direction and how each team member can contribute to its success.
Aurum Group is, evidently, a highly transparent business where effective forms of communication are used to fiercely protect company culture.
“We also believe in emphasising core values that give a lot more autonomy to team members. We trust they will make the right decisions in the face of difficult situations by referring back to the core values.”
All new team members attend a vision and values onboarding session led by Yong where she goes through the history of the company, what its core purpose and vision are, why these are important, and how each of the different companies contributes to Aurum Group’s vision.
“Many of our team members have been with us for years and I believe that’s because they feel seen, heard, and valued”
Michelle Yong, CEO, Aurum Land
AIDING AN AGEING POPULATION
Singapore’s real estate sector will continue to evolve towards greater integration of technology, wellness, and sustainability in the future, driven by homebuyers that are not only looking for a living space, but for a strong community and valuable experiences.
With this in mind, Aurum Land is working on the conceptualisation and go-to-market of a new senior living home and social club test pilot in the coming year.
This coincides with the nation’s rapidly ageing population and senior living sector that is moving beyond traditional nursing homes and towards integrated, community-focused models that support ageing and social connectivity.
Indeed, 18 percent of Singapore’s population is currently 65 years old and above. By 2030, this figure will increase to 25 percent, whilst the number of seniors living alone is steadily rising from the 12 percent it is currently.
As such, Aurum Land strives to address the nation-wide problem of elderly loneliness, which can result in higher levels of depression and cognitive decline.
Leveraging the collective capabilities of the brands that comprise Aurum Group, the company strives to redefine retirement, re-shaping the way people experience their later years by creating spaces and opportunities that foster independence, connection, and holistic well-being.
“We want to be able to help independent, able-bodied single seniors address their pain points of low or no social engagement, manage existing or anticipated health concerns, and create opportunities for community, companionship, and lifelong learning – all whilst allowing seniors to maintain their independence,” Yong concludes.
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