Compelling residential projects are hard to come by, especially in a town where just about every property developer is obsessively throwing such hyperboles as ‘luxurious lifestyle’, ‘city centre’ and ‘well-connected network of schools’ at potential buyers.

With The Pavilia Hill, an upcoming five-block residential complex in Tin Hau, New World Development purports to do all that and more. The top dogs tapped for the job? Japanese landscape designer Shunmyo Masuno and interior designer Koichiro Ikebuchi.

As the driving force behind the likes of the Hotel Le Port in Tokyo and Garden for Nassim Park Residences in Singapore, Masuno is known for a design vernacular that deftly blends contemporary design elements with Zen Buddhist philosophy.

Upon setting foot in the gardens – there are six in total – at The Pavilla Hill, residents are greeted with an urban oasis filled with shrubs, water, stone and timber. Besides aesthetics, there is also philosophy. The five stone sculptures displayed at the entrance of the five residential blocks references the five elementals: mountain, water, existence, purity and sound. One of the sculptures comprises two serrated stones in contrasting light grey and brown and brings to mind the saying ‘our differences only serve to bring out the uniqueness in each other’.

Meanwhile, Ikebuchi has devised a clubhouse that is at once a place for residents to relax over a sundowner at the end of a long work day, and an objet d’art in itself. Serenaded by lush greens, the clubhouse integrates a swimming pool, onsen salon and a sitting area. Timber, marble flooring and plush sofas contribute to a soothing environment within the pared-down streamlined structure. The pool ceiling is embellished with a throng of gold leaves, which casts sublime patterns on the glistening water during the day.