Overview & Key Facts
1 Moulmein Rise is one of the most architecturally distinguished residential addresses in Singapore’s Core Central Region. Completed in May 2003 on a freehold site in District 11, this 50-unit, 27-storey boutique tower was developed by UOL Group and designed by WOHA Architects — at the time, WOHA’s inaugural high-rise commission. The building’s signature “Monsoon Window” system, a reinterpretation of traditional bamboo ventilation devices from Borneo longhouses rendered in aluminium, won international acclaim: the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (2007), the President’s Design Award — Design of the Year (2007), and the FIABCI Prix d’Excellence (2005). In Singapore residential terms, 1 Moulmein Rise is effectively a museum-quality building that people happen to live in.
The proposition is deliberately niche. Fifty apartments across a 27-storey slender tower produce a development that feels more like a private residence than a conventional condominium — neighbours are few, the lift lobby is genuinely quiet, and the sense of exclusivity is structural rather than performative. Every unit has its own private lift access, a standard more common in Good Class Bungalows than in high-rise apartments. Floor-to-ceiling windows on north–south-facing stacks frame sweeping panoramic views across the Novena skyline and the low-rise bungalow belt toward Newton.
Transaction data shows the development trading at approximately S$2,343 psf over the last 12 months, with a median unit price around S$2,600,000 across a small volume of recorded sales. Given the freehold tenure, the award-winning architecture, and the sub-400m walk to Novena MRT, that pricing represents one of the more compelling value anchors in the CCR for buyers who know what they are looking at.
Location & Connectivity
Location is 1 Moulmein Rise’s second-strongest argument after the architecture. The development sits approximately 380 metres from Novena MRT on the North-South Line — a comfortable five-minute walk through a quiet residential street. Orchard is two stops south (under five minutes). City Hall and Raffles Place are direct and reachable in under 20 minutes without a transfer. The Newton MRT interchange (NSL/DTL) lies 1.16 km to the south, expanding connectivity to the Downtown Line and Buona Vista corridor for professionals in the one-north/Biopolis cluster.
For drivers, the Central Expressway (CTE) and Pan Island Expressway (PIE) are immediately accessible, compressing travel times to the CBD, Changi Airport, and the western industrial and tech corridors. Orchard Road is a five-minute drive. The broader Novena precinct — Velocity@Novena Square, United Square, Square 2, Novena Medical Hub, and Cold Storage — provides a self-contained daily-amenity radius that few CCR addresses can match. Tan Teck Seng Park and the Novena Park Connector are within walking distance for weekend recreation.
The school catchment is exceptional for a CCR address. CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace (0.21 km), St. Margaret’s Secondary (0.73 km), St. Margaret’s Primary (0.77 km), Singapore Chinese Girls’ School (1.24 km), St. Joseph’s Institution (1.29 km), and Anglo-Chinese School Primary (1.35 km) are all within comfortable proximity. The LASALLE College of the Arts (0.47 km) and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (1.02 km) also contribute to the precinct’s creative-arts identity.
Schools & Education
2 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace | primary | Within 1 km |
| St. Margaret's Secondary School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| St. Margaret's Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Farrer Park Primary School | primary | ~1.2 km |
| Singapore Chinese Girls' School (Primary) | primary | ~1.2 km |
| St. Joseph's Institution | secondary | ~1.3 km |
| Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) | primary | ~1.4 km |
| Beatty Secondary School | secondary | ~1.5 km |
Facilities
Facilities at 1 Moulmein Rise are calibrated to the development’s boutique scale rather than competing on quantity with mega-condominium neighbours. The amenity set includes a lap pool, a children’s wading pool, a jacuzzi, a fully equipped gymnasium, a BBQ pit, a function room, and basement parking with 24-hour security. For a 50-unit development, this is a proportionate and well-maintained offering — the resident-to-facility ratio is dramatically more generous than any 300-unit+ development nearby.
The development’s real “facility” is the building itself. WOHA’s Monsoon Window facade creates natural cross-ventilation in every apartment, reducing reliance on air-conditioning and bringing a tangible bioclimatic quality to daily living that no amount of gym equipment can replicate. The private lift lobby to each unit — a defining feature — eliminates the mundane friction of shared lift lobbies, waiting, and the loss of residential privacy that plagues conventional high-rises. The ground-floor landscape design complements the tower’s tropical modernist character with mature planting and a sheltered drop-off.
“The private lift is not a luxury — it becomes a necessity once you’ve lived with it. Coming home to your own lobby, your own front door directly off the lift, changes the feeling of the entire apartment. It is genuinely different from every other condo I’ve lived in.”
— Resident review via PropertyGuru, 2024
Pricing & Market Position
Across 11 recorded transactions (all-time), sale prices range from $2,300,000 to $3,060,000, averaging $2,626,920.
Over the last 12 months, transactions averaged $2,333 psf.
Rents range from $4,000 to $6,800 per month across 54 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.6%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2026, the average PSF has appreciated by 15.9% (from $1,930 to $2,236 psf).
From the 2025 high, 1 MOULMEIN RISE prices have given back 3.7% — still 15.9% above the 2021 baseline.
Price Index Check
The ShiokNest Price Index for District 11 reads 119.0 as of June 2026 — down 0.1% year-on-year. The index tracks repeat-sales price movement, so it is less distorted by shifts in what happens to be transacting than a raw average PSF.
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Neighbourhood Comparison
Within District 11, 1 Moulmein Rise at ~S$2,343 psf sits at a compelling discount to its freehold peers. Pullman Residences Newton (~S$3,075 psf, freehold, 340 units) and Watten House (~S$3,236 psf, freehold, 180 units) trade at 25–38% above Moulmein Rise on psf, offering newer interiors and larger facilities footprints at the cost of significantly higher entry quantum and without the architectural heritage. Peak Residence (~S$2,489 psf, freehold, 90 units) is closer in price but lacks both the MRT proximity and the design provenance. The 99-year leasehold peers — Soleil @ Sinaran (~S$1,970 psf) and Kopar at Newton (~S$2,512 psf) — carry lease decay risk that Moulmein Rise eliminates entirely.
The honest competitive positioning: 1 Moulmein Rise is not for every buyer. Its 50-unit scale produces low transaction liquidity and a relatively small tenant pool. The ~2.54% gross yield is below the 3%+ threshold many investor-buyers require. But for the buyer who values freehold permanence, architectural exceptionalism, a private-lift product in the CCR, and a genuine school/medical/MRT trifecta — and who is prepared to renovate to contemporise the interiors — the value proposition is strong and the competition is thin. Stacked’s analysis of CCR boutique developments consistently identifies this category as disproportionately undervalued relative to equivalent-vintage mega-condominiums, precisely because low unit counts suppress transaction frequency and thus market visibility.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 MOULMEIN RISE | 2003 | 50 | $2,333 | |
| PULLMAN RESIDENCES NEWTON | Freehold | 2021 | 340 | $3,074 |
| DUNEARN HOUSE | 99 years leasehold | — | — | $3,122 |
| WATTEN HOUSE | Freehold | 2023 | 180 | $3,236 |
| SOLEIL @ SINARAN | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2006 | 2011 | 417 | $1,983 |
| PEAK RESIDENCE | Freehold | 2021 | 90 | $2,489 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates 1 MOULMEIN RISE across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“Excellent luxurious condo — private lift, panoramic view. An ideal place for city living. The private lift lobby transforms the feel of coming home entirely. Highly recommend for families and anyone seeking genuine luxury without the mega-condo chaos.”
— Resident review via SingaporeExpats.com, 2019
“Walking to Novena MRT in under five minutes while living in a building that has won the Aga Khan Award — there is genuinely nothing comparable at this price in D11. The architecture alone justifies the purchase. WOHA did something remarkable here.”
— Buyer review via EdgeProp, 2023
“Units are a good size for a CCR condo — the three-bedder at around 1,250 sqft feels spacious against what new launches are offering today. Kitchen and bathrooms in un-renovated units are dated but structurally solid. The Novena medical hub being a five-minute walk away was a decisive factor for us.”
— Resident review via PropertyGuru, 2024
Across review platforms, residents consistently cite the private lift access, the architectural quality, and the Novena MRT proximity as the development’s defining strengths. The most common reservation is the vintage interior specification in un-renovated units, with renovation budgets of S$80,000–120,000 discussed as a realistic expectation for buyers who want contemporised interiors without compromising the building’s spatial character.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — permanent land title, zero lease decay risk
- WOHA-designed: Aga Khan Award 2007, President's Design Award 2007, FIABCI Prix d'Excellence 2005
- Private lift lobby to every unit — genuine GCB-grade residential exclusivity
- ~380m walk to Novena MRT (NSL) — top-quartile CCR transit access
- Novena Medical Hub within 500m (TTSH, Mount Elizabeth, specialist cluster)
- Outstanding school catchment: CHIJ OLQP (0.21km), St Margaret's, SJI, SCGS, ACS
- Boutique 50-unit scale — rare quiet, low-density community feel in CCR
- Generous 3BR layouts from 1,238 sqft — larger than most post-2015 new-launches
- PSF (~$2,343) at 25–38% discount to newer freehold D11 peers
- Signature Monsoon Windows enable natural cross-ventilation, reduce AC reliance
- Quick CTE/PIE access — Orchard Road ~5 min by car
- Low transaction liquidity — only ~10 sales in recent 12 months; exit may take time
- Modest gross yield (~2.54%) — not a yield-focused investment play
- Dated interior specifications in un-renovated units (TOP 2003)
- Renovation budget of S$80,000–120,000 required for contemporised interiors
- Small facilities footprint — no resort-scale amenities or tennis courts
- High entry quantum (~$2.6M median) narrows buyer pool
- Some units below floor 10 have limited views due to neighbouring bungalow trees
- Moulmein Rise road-facing stacks may experience peak-hour traffic noise
What Could Work Against You
- With just 2 sales in the trailing year, pricing signals are indicative rather than definitive; expect wider bid-ask spreads when you negotiate.
- The 50-unit size cuts both ways: exclusivity, but thinner resale liquidity and higher per-unit maintenance contributions than larger estates.
Who This Actually Suits
The profile fits families with young children, mrt-walkable commuters, long-term hold (10+ yr) and freehold / generational hold best. Family-suitable layout and CCR (Core Central Region) location with established school catchments nearby.
foreign / absd-aware buyers should treat this as a shortlist candidate, not a default choice.
It is a weaker fit for yield-focused investors and resort facilities — other options likely serve them better. CCR (Core Central Region) location with rental demand profile worth running through our Rental Yield Calculator.
Verdict
1 Moulmein Rise occupies a singular position in the Singapore residential market: a freehold, award-winning, WOHA-designed boutique tower at sub-400m from Novena MRT, in one of Singapore’s most desirable school and medical catchments, at a price point below many of its architecturally unremarkable CCR competitors. For buyers who understand the value of freehold tenure compounded by genuine architectural provenance, this is a rare convergence. The Aga Khan Award and the President’s Design Award are not vanity accolades — they signal a building designed with a coherent environmental and spatial philosophy that produces measurably better daily living quality.
The investment case is anchored by the freehold land title, which eliminates lease decay risk entirely, and the structural scarcity of 50 units on a 2,324 sqm site in CCR D11. Liquidity is low (approximately 10 recorded sales in recent years) and median price around S$2,600,000 means the buyer pool is selective. Gross yield at 2.54% is modest by Singapore standards, though median rents of S$5,500 across 53 recorded rental transactions confirm durable, well-heeled tenant demand from expatriate professionals and diplomats. The Novena/Newton corridor consistently attracts international tenants tied to the medical, legal, and financial sectors.
Buyers comparing 1 Moulmein Rise against Pullman Residences Newton (~S$3,075 psf, freehold) or The Avenir (~S$3,190 psf, freehold) are paying a meaningful 25–35% PSF premium for newer builds with larger facilities footprints but without 1 Moulmein Rise’s architectural distinction, private lift exclusivity, or award-winning heritage. For those who place a premium on design integrity over showroom freshness, the calculus strongly favours Moulmein Rise.
HDB Alternatives Nearby
Weighing 1 MOULMEIN RISE against staying public? These HDB towns sit within walking or short-drive distance:
- Kallang/whampoa — 4-room average $876,802 (330m away), an upgrader gap of about $1,750,000
- Central Area — 4-room average $1,067,811 (1.2 km away), an upgrader gap of about $1,550,000
- Toa Payoh — 4-room average $930,004 (1.3 km away), an upgrader gap of about $1,700,000
Sources & References
Latest recorded data point: May 2026 · 11 records analysed · Source: URA private-sale caveats