Aug 2022 BTO: Unit Analysis for Jurong East Breeze

For those who have their heart set on the west, you may be considering Jurong East Breeze, which was launched in the Aug 2022 BTO. While it's not the quietest of projects, what with it being next to a roaring expressway and MRT tracks, there's one major thing going for it—its proximity to the heart of Jurong East and Singapore's second CBD. In this article, I see what the best stacks to go for are. I also visited the site to experience the noise for myself.

Overview

BTO	Jurong East Breeze
LOCATION	Along PIE and Jurong East Central
IS IT A PLH MODEL?	No
TOTAL NO. OF UNITS	562
UNIT TYPES	2-room Flexi, 3- and 4-room
NO. OF BLOCKS	2
HEIGHT	22 to 38 storeys
ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE	2Q2028
PRICING	2-room (Type 1): $97K to $132K 2-room (Type 2): $129K to $170K 3-room: $194K to $245K 4-room: $283K to $288K
NEAREST MRT STATION	Toh Guan MRT station on the future Jurong Region Line (station set to open in 2028 under Phase 2) ~approx 5-min walk
PRIMARY SCHOOLS WITHIN A 1-KM RADIUS* *DISTANCE BASED ON APPROXIMATION, MAY DIFFER DEPENDING ON BLOCK	• Bukit View Primary School • Fuhua Primary School • Princess Elizabeth Primary School • Yuhua Primary School
EXISTING AND FUTURE AMENITIES WITHIN 10- MIN WALKING DISTANCE	• Yuhua Village Market & Food Centre • Fairprice Jurong East St 24 • Entrance into the Jurong Park Connector

The Site

As expected of its proximity next to the expressway, Jurong East Breeze was on the noisier side when we visited the site. There was a ton of construction work going on at the time as well, which I presume is for the upcoming MRT track that will sit adjacent to the site (you can see that on the HDB map). Couple that with the fact that it’s flanked by a secondary school, and things can feel pretty hectic around here. For those looking for a peaceful BTO, this isn’t it.

Expressway located right next to the site.

See the video below to experience the noise levels of the expressway:

But it has its merits. The nearest MRT station (Toh Guan) is just a short walk away. It’s located on the upcoming Jurong-Region Line, and the station itself is set to open in 2028, just in time for when you collect your keys.

The nearest bus stop is located a short walking distance away from the bus stop. It has a decent amount of buses that take you to areas like Clementi, Harbourfront and Pasir Panjang, convenient if you work in these areas.

There wasn’t a lot of foot traffic in its immediate surroundings, though things are a bit busier on the opposite side, where a coffee shop and the entrance of the park connector are located.

The BTO’s nearest big-time amenities are at Yuhua Village (you get there by walking along Jurong East St 24) but venture slightly further—approximately a 15-min walk—and you can reach Jurong East Central where a huge cluster of malls—Jem, Westgate, IMM, etc—sit.

There’s also an electrical substation next to the development. From our site visit, we didn’t notice any noise or much activity around it, so it shouldn’t be a huge concern when picking your unit.

At 38 storeys tall, Jurong East Breeze will likely mirror Skyline I and II in structure, the BTOs that sit across from it on the other side of the Jurong East Flyover.

Skyline BTO

Unit Analysis

Quieter units

There are some stacks that I think will be quieter than others. Besides considering the noise from the expressway and the aboveground MRT tracks, consider also your stack’s proximity to Crest Secondary School as well as common areas where people tend to congregate e.g. pavilion, playgrounds, fitness stations, car park, etc.

These are the quieter stacks to go for:

Colour code:
Pink = 2-room
Green = 3-room
Yellow = 4-room

291A: 751, 753, 757
291B: 779

There aren’t any 4-room units that are quiet here, but if I have to pick the quietest 4-room stack, it will likely be stack 781.

Unblocked Views

Sitting at the edge of the neighbourhood with a view across the expressway and coupled with its tall structure, Jurong East Breeze has several stacks that will have relatively unblocked views. However, for most of the stacks, only the ones on the upper floors will be unblocked, so read the caveats for our best approximation.

291A: 751~, 753~, 755~, 757*, 759*, 761*, 763*, 765*, 767`, 769`
291B: 781~, 783^, 785^

*: Units above the 26th floor
^: Units above the 6th floor
~: Units above the 12th floor
`: Units above the 10th floor

Privacy

For those worried about privacy, opt for corner units (no pesky neighbours looking in when they walk through the corridor) away from the lifts and rubbish chutes (these areas tend to have higher footfall). And because of the blocks’ proximity to one another, you may also want to avoid stacks that are facing directly into another stack.

Best stacks for privacy:

291A: 755, 765
291B: 783

Afternoon sun

The afternoon sun comes in two different directions in Singapore. From October, it comes from the southwest direction and from March, it comes from the northwest direction. Unfortunately for the stacks at Jurong East Breeze, it seems unlikely you can completely avoid the afternoon sun.

Sun direction movement in Jurong East Breeze.

Your best bet is to go for inward-looking stacks, where adjacent buildings may provide some shade. For high-floor units (above the 26th floor) of the inward-looking stacks at 291A, it’s unlikely you will get much shade though because block 291B is only 26 storeys tall.

Floor Plans

2-room

As with 2-room BTO units nowadays, there are two options for you to choose from. Type 1 is the smaller unit of the two types. Type 2 is larger and has an additional space that can be converted into an extra bedroom that fits a single-sized bed. The kitchens in the Type 1 units are pretty decently sized this time around, with enough countertop space and room to do it up galley style. If storage isn't a huge concern, doing away with upper kitchen cabinets on one side of the kitchen and going for open cubbies on the other can create a more spacious feel.

Design: The Minimalist Society

3-room

The 3-room units come with plenty of room in front of the kitchen, so there's a bit more flexibility there in terms of how you want to do up the space. If the breakfast counter/wet-and-dry kitchen idea as suggested by HDB isn't something you want, you can always extend the counter to do up an L-shaped kitchen. This design allows you plenty of countertop space. Keep things semi-open-concept by enclosing the space with glass panels.

Design: Yang's Inspiration Design

4-room

Like the 3-room units, the 4-room units also come with plenty of flexible kitchen space. One way to change things up and make the most of your space is to go with an L-shaped kitchen on one side by extending the kitchen counter and joining it with the dining table. Then do up more cabinets and counters against the common bathroom wall like so:

Design: Ace Interior Design