Eugene Chieng, a director and senior architect at Hayball, works predominately with international clients looking to develop and invest in Australia's property market.
Eugene Chieng joined Hayball as a graduate designer 11 years ago, and is now a director and senior architect focusing on design development, management and project feasibility for the company’s international clientele.
"The Australian property landscape can be challenging for a lot of foreign developers and investors. They're trying to get their heads around what works and what doesn't work," Chieng said. "A lot of the time in China, it's all very prescriptive, so in terms of land value it's fairly straightforward, whereas here it's very unpredictable. I work directly with these clients throughout all stages of the development."
What excites Chieng is the investment that Hayball has made in this group. "Because of the influx of foreign investment in the Australian market and also the particular demographic, it makes sense for a practice like Hayball, which has a thirty-four-year track record, to invest time and people in working with this clientele. As architects we have to be really nimble."
Chieng’s position at Hayball is the perfect example of the company’s nimble-quality. Born in Singapore, Chieng also speaks Mandarin which he learned at school. This allows him to work directly and comfortably with Hayball’s Chinese clientele.
"There are actually two types of clienteles. So the developers, who obviously develop and build buildings, and the investors who are a bit more passive so to speak," he says. "The mainland Chinese are active in the market as well as the Singaporeans, but both groups have very different reasons for doing so. The Chinese client is coming to Australia looking for greener pastures, whereas the Singaporeans are looking for an outlet and sites. The Singaporeans tend to be developers.
"Before this first wave that we have seen over the last couple of years, there was the so-called local Asian developers who have been in Australia for the last twenty odd years. They speak the language, they understand the nuances, processes and how things should be conducted.
"But also they speak the Chinese language and understand the Chinese culture, so they become almost like a conduit, like a conduit to their Chinese counterparts. They tend to be developers, but on smaller projects, they are involved in joint ventures, they network and off they go."
When it comes to property type, Chieng confirms that the interests still surround the residential sector. Recently, clients are looking at other types of property including hospitality, such as serviced apartments, hotels and entertainment related properties. One of the projects Chieng is currently working on is a winery that also has accommodation.
"The international client is becoming much more creative in recent times and I don't see the market slowing anytime soon," he says. "The overseas interest in investment is still extremely strong. They are looking at all types of businesses or opportunities. I suppose it's part of their DNA and every opportunity is seen as an opportunity."
By Louise Jeckells