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Masjid Bencoolen, wakaf beneficiary to reap benefits from the enhancement works

THE iconic yellow building at Bencoolen Street, home to Wakaf Masjid Bencoolen, has always been a familiar sight for both tourists and locals within the vicinity. After 15 years since it was first developed, the mixed development at 51 Bencoolen Street comprising of Masjid Bencoolen, a serviced apartment operated by Somerset brand as well as commercial and retail spaces is undergoing a 18-month long refurbishment and asset enhancement initiative.

Gross floor area intensification provides more ancillary spacesBased on a Muis-URA-MCCY study on the demand for prayer space in the city area, there was a need for more capacity in the city. Given that many of the city mosques are gazetted as National Monuments or conserved, Masjid Angullia and Masjid Bencoolen are the only 2 mosques identified for upgrading to accommodate maximum additional 1,000 congregants each. For Bencoolen to achieve this additional capacity within a mixed development, it requires decanting of the current 2 commercial floor spaces above the mosque to a newly erected commercial podium, thereby

freeing up the existing space to a change of use as a place of worship as it is currently classified under commercial Gross Floor Area (“GFA”). The project allows the mosque to increase its number of congregants as well as provide more ancillary spaces like classrooms and a community hall for it to run programmes and events.

When completed, the refurbished development will also feature a new 4-storey commercial podium. The new layout for the commercial usage of the property would also allow the development to take advantage of the higher level of human traffic from the entrance of the new Downtown Line Bencoolen Station.

Benefits from long-standing partnership with AscottOn the serviced apartment front, WBD Legacy Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Warees Investments Pte Ltd, continued its long standing partnership with Ascott International Management for Somerset brand to continue operating the property. It provided Muis group as a whole with a sustainable income for it to be channeled back to the community. Since it was first developed, the property has yet to undergo

refurbishment. In order to meet the current needs of travelling guests as well as remain competitive within the vicinity, Somerset Bencoolen undergoes minor enhancement works to refresh its interiors. Once completed, there will be 3 additional rooms added to the inventory thereby bringing the total number of units at the serviced apartment to 110 from 107. As the enhancement works will occur whilst the property is still operational, the partnership with Ascott provides confidence that the needs of guests will be taken care of despite the inconveniences that may arise during this period given that Ascott has a prior experience operating properties that is going through refurbishment work concurrently.

The enhancement works at serviced apartment property when completed will have a new commercial building, whilst the mosque originally built in 1845 will undergo major facelift.

Significant Milestones of Wakaf BencoolenThe Bencoolen Mosque was first built based on a simple attap structure by Syed Omar Ali Aljunied. However, the mosque which served the small community in Kampung Bencoolen who followed Raffles from Bencoolen to Singapore, needed development and sustainable funding. It was upgraded to a more solid building.

In 2002, the property was redeveloped. The project was financed via a Musharakah sukuk – the first of its kind in Singapore. A $35m Musharakah sukuk was then issued for the development of a mixed-use property. The Wakaf contributed the land, Baitulmal provided the funds and Warees, the management expertise. Today, the Wakaf consisted of an air-conditioned mosque, a three-storey commercial building and 107 service apartments, delivering rich rewards for the vision and generosity of Syed Omar Ali Aljunied.

The wakaf property is now undergoing enhancement works to upilft its aesthetic appeal within the Bencoolen Street which was recently revitalised with the opening of Downtown Line’s Bencoolen Station in May 2017.

Source: Muis

Newly upgraded mosque

110 serviced apartment units

New commercial building

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Unveiling the newMasjid Darul GhufranONE of the largest mosques in the east, Darul Ghufran Mosque has been a quintessential visual, cultural and religious landmark of Tampines town since it was built in 1990. Having continuously served the religious needs of Muslim congregants for the past twenty-five years, the mosque embarked on the much-needed upgrading works in September 2016 after temporarily shifting the main prayer activities to a temporary mosque located next to Our Tampines Hub (OTH).

Consulting the CommunityIn the spirit of community, a month-long roadshow was held prior to the project commencement in October 2015 at the mosque and at the various qaryah (neighbourhood) across Tampines to gather feedback and garner support from the community on the proposed design and facilities. Suggestions from the community have been well-implemented such as retaining the original mosque colours of beige and blue, providing better access to ablution areas, providing bicycle parking, and introducing landscaping and natural lighting into the mosque. The community is also pleased that the existing mosque minaret is retained and assimilated into the new design as an ode to the historical origin of the mosque. An estimated savings of $8 million was achieved by retaining existing structures.

Addressing prayer space needs in the EastSpace optimisation is key in the new mosque design, with three new floors added to the existing building – a basement level, a fourth storey and a roof terrace – as well as two new annexes. The mosque effectively achieved an increase in prayer capacity from 4,000 to 5,500 which significantly eased the overwhelming demand for more prayer space in eastern Singapore.

Facilities for the communityPart of the overarching objectives of the upgrading works is also to ensure that ancillary facilities are well-planned – for Darul Ghufran Mosque, the kindergarten has always been an integral part of the mosque. The specific requirements have been planned and designed for, especially in providing ease of access for the children’s drop-off and waiting/assembly areas either via school transport or parents, as well as providing seamlessly connected adjoining amenities, such as refreshments counter, play areas and education office, all within a secured circulation area.

Additional classrooms, auditorium and also a Youth Hub are among the newly-introduced facilities in

the new building catering to various religious programmes such as aLIVE (Learning Islamic Values Everyday) and ADIL (Adult Islamic Learning), and increasing interest for hosting events such as solemnisation and wedding ceremonies. Alongside the expanding facilities are carefully planned way-finding and circulation routes, focused around a central internal staircase which provides visual clarity for congregants to access upper floors and is easily accessed via the two lifts located at both wings of the mosque.

Coordination with various agenciesThe redevelopment of Darul Ghufran Mosque is an exemplary demonstration of how Muis, Warees and the Mosque Management Board worked cohesively and closely with the various agencies such as HDB, PA at Our Tampines Hub (OTH) and the town council in ensuring all parties’ interests are addressed and taken into consideration. As a result of careful coordination, a smooth public pedestrian network is maintained throughout the duration of the construction, despite the removal of the temporary mosque which was the main accessway to the new mosque and surrounding HDB estates.

AS a result of transferring 4 of the biggest trustee managed Wakaf MSE Angullia, AMS Angullia, SS Abdat & Rubat Tarim from British and Malayan Trustees Limited (MBT), Warees took over 15 properties which has a valuation of $63.7million.

Since taking over from October 2018, these properties enjoy economies of scale from the collective wakaf property services resulting in lower expenses by 30%.

Profile of Tenants & Businesses in Wakaf (60% are Muslim-owned entities)

Growing wakaf assets

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On the fifth storey, a Multi-Purpose Hall (MPH) provides yet another communal space to host various school and student activities with a capacity of up to 400 students. Activity rooms strategically located at the rear of the MPH creates an opportunity to further extend the space with the flexible use of collapsible wall panels.

The project, fully funded by the Muslim community through Muis, is expected to be completed and be operationally ready by the end of 2019 for MAI to welcome the new school term at the start of January 2020.

Strengthening MAI-IdentityAn academic Madrasah with a community mission, MAI has been offering a science-based curriculum while ensuring that its activities are rooted in Islamic values. Boasting a modernised “Nusantara” concept of a traditional pitched roof and natural ventilation, integrated science-focused features and Islamic elements depicted on the campus façade, the new campus is instrumental in establishing a strong MAI identity as a modern Islamic School – a Madrasah with a niche in Science and Technology.

Timely completion of Madrasah Al Arabiah Al Islamiah – the first madrasah in Singapore geared towards science and technologySINCE its founding years between 1930 and 1934, Madrasah Al-Arabiah Al-Islamiah (MAI) has always operated within other mosque premises and in temporary premises. In 2009, under the Joint Madrasah System (JMS), MAI relocated to a temporary location in the former Poi Ching School in Toa Payoh.

Finding a “permanent“ home for MAISince 2014, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), Muis and Warees have embarked on multiple collaborative efforts in a bid to find a suitable long-term location for MAI – a permanent home enouncing its science curriculum. Eventually, in April 2016, then Minister in-charge of Muslim Affairs Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim announced in Parliament a new 30-year lease for the 2500m2 site at No. 3 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, earmarked for MAI’s future 5-Storey school campus. The development is an exemplary portrayal of how Muis and Warees work closely with various agencies such as Singapore Land Authority (SLA), Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Ministry of Education (MOE) in ensuring that all agency requirements are holistically fulfilled.

Providing new and better facilities for MAIThe new 5-storey MAI campus has been designed to be fully-equipped, adopting MOE standards with ample facilities such as laboratories, larger classrooms, barrier-free accessibility and even a school hall.

On the ground floor, its double-storey semi-indoor assembly area is also a sports court, representing an important central node for the school’s activities. Prominently located around this central node are the new and improved science laboratories, clearly accentuating the school’s specialisation in science education.

The second storey teachers’ office and other supporting facilities are

thoughtfully designed around the educators’ supervisory role – with the office directly overlooking the assembly area and a dedicated corridor separate from students’ circulation. Ancillary facilities are also designed to complement and support each other; the Media Resource and Library at the third storey connect seamlessly to the fourth storey Staff Learning Resource room, which provides supervisory support to the adjacent Teaching & Learning Lab.

Improvement works to enhance the overall state of the Muis-managed wakaf propertiesAS part of enhancing and rejuvenating the overall state of the Muis-managed wakaf properties, 2019 saw the final push of extensive repair and redecoration works (R&R) undertaken by Warees at the following shop house properties located at Geylang, Chinatown, Downtown and Little India Clusters. R&R works involved at these clusters included conservation roof repair, facade repair and repainting, conserved window repair, lobby refurbishment and toilet renovation.

Other wakaf rejuvenation plan includes improvements and replacements of building services

equipments, mechanical and electrical equipments which are essential due to many incidents of frequent lift breakdown and ageing state of the properties affecting areas located at 448 Changi Rd, 20 Joo Chiat Rd & 11 Beach Rd. The total lift replacement works have been planned for wakaf property at 448 Changi Road to ensure safety and reliability of use including to enhance tenants’ convenience.

Meanwhile, corporate tenants located at commercial building 11 Beach Road have every reason to smile as exterior painting works will be included as part of the upgrading initiative.

Commencing from January 2020, the students and teachers are enthusiastic to welcome their permanent campus location next to its current location with new classrooms, laboratories and a multi-purpose hall.

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A special appreciation event for outgoing chairman, Mr Haider SithawallaMR Haider Sithawalla, a name synonymous to many organisations for his selfless record of voluntary services to the community, chairing various Boards and Committees, including Warees Investments Pte

Ltd. He has served with distinction and utmost humility.

Appointed by Muis, almost 15 years ago, he served masterfully as Chairman of Warees Board

SPECIAL APPRECIATION

succeeding Almarhum Haji Hamid Jinnah in 2005 until June 2019.

Mr Haider will always be remembered for his distinguished, relentless and untiring contribution bringing Warees to what it is today. His great qualities and his keen mind and interest in corporate finances and sound business acumen has successfully made Warees a well-established community asset management and property developer.

During his tenure, Warees Group financial standing grew from $14 million to $26.8 million. He is a shining example and a beacon to inspire and energise the younger generation with his enthusiasm and unrelenting volunteering spirit, particularly with Warees in safeguarding and creating better value of the wakaf real estate assets for the community.

A dinner appreciation for long-serving former Chairman of Warees Investments Pte Ltd, Mr Haider Sithawalla, surrounded by former and current senior management and board members from Muis, Warees Investments and Warees Halal.Sitting from Right: Dr Ab Razak Chanbasha, Haji Sallim Abdul Kadir, Mr Esa Masood, Mr Haider Sithawalla, Haji Abdul Razak Hassan Maricar, Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram, Mr Latiff Ibrahim.Standing from right: Mr Suhaimi Zainul Abidin, Mdm Siti Suriah Taib, Mr Mohamed Azam Abdul Aziz, Mr Zaini Osman, Ustaz Irwan Hadi Mohd Shuhaimy, Mr Zahid Yacob, Ustaz Mohd Kamal Mokhtar and Dr Rufaihah Abdul Jalil.

Mr Haider Sithawalla receiving Jasa Cemerlang from former President Dr Tony Tan for his outstanding contributions to Muslim community in 2014.

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“What I value the most in working in Warees is the commitment of the management and the staff in upholding the social responsibility encompassing not only in our everyday operations, but also our contributions to charitable causes.”Bach Thi Lien Hoa

Defining our company values at its coreSETTING the company’s core values is one of the most important identity initiatives a leader of a company has to always revisit including company’s mission and vision. At Warees, these 3 identity elements define what the company believes, stands for

KUDOS to the Real Estate Development team for its inaugural submission of the mosque paper titled, Sacred Community Assets; Planning Faith Spaces for Functional, Universal and Future-Ready Mosques in Singapore, which was originally written by Warees own staff, Nur Syazwani Rauzan and co-edited and presented by Mohammad Helmi

and values more than profits, more significantly why the company exists.

Setting and rolling them out is only half of the equation, but the most important aspect is consistent reinforcements of the values which

Abdul Mutaliff at the International Conference on Mosque Architecture (ICMA) Future Mosque Architecture: “Mosque in the 21st Century and Beyond“ which was held in Kuala Lumpur from 25-27 November. It is a triennial conference that focuses on the mosque architecture and currently owned by the Abdullatif Al Fozan Award for Mosque Architecture.

in Warees we attempt to integrate into the company’s operations.

Some of the staff shared their experiences how they integrate the core values into the everyday fabric of their scope of work.

“We are not just a real estate company that deals with commercial properties, but what differentiates us is that we deal with endowment properties or in Islamic terms it is called Wakaf. So that motivates me to be part of the community to actually enhance the value of these assets.

Conserving a property is never easy. But the joy after seeing it being fully rejuvenated brings a lot of satisfaction to us as a team. The close rapport the team has helps to galvanise all of us together so as to ensure that our projects are delivered on time and meet the needs of our stakeholders and the community.”Hudzaifah Alyaman Adam

“Being part of the Warees team and managing the mosque portfolio in Singapore, I have witnessed how each project is treated with such integrity, warmth and passion.

We are not just repairing cracks or tearing down buildings. We are rebuilding the visions and goals of the Muslim community in Singapore through elevating and enhancing the institutional assets that we have.

At the 2nd International Conference on Mosque Architecture 2019 in Kuala Lumpur last November, we had the opportunity to convene with the international community to exchange insights, knowledge and technology in planning for the future of 21st century mosques in the region and worldwide.”Nur Syazwani Rauzan

Paper on Future-Ready Singapore Mosques published

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Strengthening ties in the regionEVERY year, Warees is given the opportunity to share our experiences and best practices of managing wakaf assets in Singapore to visiting delegates from the region including Regional Islamic Da‘wah Council of Southeast Asia & the Pacific (RISEAP).

This year however, at the invitation of the Honorary Secretary General of the RISEAP, our Chairman, Warees Board of Directors, Haji Abdul Razak Hassan Maricar and CEO Warees, Zaini Osman, both received gracious hospitality at the RISEAP’s 18th General Assembly 2019. The general assembly was held on November 2-6, 2019 at the Al Meroz Hotel Bangkok, Thailand.

CEO Warees, Zaini Osman was invited to present on “Waqaf Management - Redevelopment of Waqaf Properties in Singapore”. In addition, our Chairman received the Exemplary Leadership Award in recognition

for his exemplary contribution and leadership in RISEAP.

“The Award should rightfully be shared with all Muis and Warees officers who had painstakingly involved in designing and curating the training programme for RISEAP leaders (PRISM) over a period of 3 years from 2016-2018. Muis has over the years built a wealth of experience and expertise in ensuring a thriving religious life for the Muslim community and in the process built our expertise in the areas of mosque management and governance, zakat and wakaf growth and development.

Through the PRISM themes we were able to share further insights on these areas through the various programmes, engagements and visits to institutions.

Muis and Warees officers had also immensely benefitted and learned as

much from the participants’ diverse backgrounds and expertise as well as built bonds of friendship and cooperation through the various follow up requests made, to deepen their learning in specific areas. I have no doubt that through RISEAP we can further deepen, strengthen and widen this learning and sharing of expertise, to enrich one another and in the process strengthen the institutions that we manage.”

RISEAP President Yang Di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud presented to Chairman, Warees Board of Directors, Haji Abdul Razak Hassan Maricar the Leadership Exemplary Award at RISEAP 18th General Assembly 2019, held in Bangkok Thailand.

Exploring new approaches and wealth generating opportunities

THIS year’s 7th edition of the Global Waqf Conference (GWC) attracted a large audience of over 400 delegates from all over the world.

Held on a yearly basis, this year, Warees sent four representatives. The event was held in Kuala Lumpur, with a theme focusing on establishing clarity and a collective understanding

of the role and potential which the millennial hold in the revival and facilitation of Waqf development on a global scale through the promotion of new economic alternatives, technologies and innovations.

Warees employees who attended the conference shared their experiences.

Global Wakaf Conference 2019 (GWC) is one of the oldest, largest and most comprehensive forums dedicated to the development of Wakaf.

“The Global Wakaf Conference has allowed us to take a closer look into the different challenges faced by other countries in managing wakaf. At the same time, I take great pride of being a part of an established organisation where wakaf are being well-managed despite its many challenges and juggling with our day to day operations.”Noor Farihin Mahadi

“It was a good platform to meet like-minded people who are managing wakaf. I feel that this platform was crucial for millennials like myself to understand the importance of wakaf, its framework and practices. To ease the transfer of knowledge, the use of new technology and constant innovation efforts are very much welcomed from millennials. I also had the chance to network with industry experts.”Saaz‘liana Abdullah

“I gain knowledge about the diversity of wakaf beyond Singapore. While other countries may have a much extensive wakaf portfolios, the challenges faced by the different countries differ in terms of management, opinions and laws governing each country or region. These greatly impede the progress and growth of wakaf. From the networking sessions, others expressed their admiration for our proven and effective management of waqf in Singapore which they aspire to emulate.”Ridzuan Yusof

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IssueDec 2019 / Jan 2020

MCI (P) 093/09/2019

Warees Investments Pte Ltd 11 Beach Road #05-01 Singapore 189675 Tel: +65 6883 1114 Fax: +65 6883 1144 community@warees.sg www.warees.sg

Digital DisruptionsIn addition, like many other companies, Warees is responding to challenges of digitalisation. Digital transformation tends to be wide in scope. Not only is digital transformation a change in how we operate and deliver value to our customers, but it also requires a cultural shift for us to continually challenge the status quo, experiment with new initiatives and accept failures along the way in this digital transformation journey.

WWe rst started off on our digital transformation journey by moving to cloud. An example of how external parties bene t from us harnessing cloud is the use of Microsoft Bookings. Microsoft Bookings is a scheduling tool which allows customers to book meeting appointments with the company. Instead of using it as a tool to schedule meetings, we use it as a platform for agents to book appointments to collect keys to vacant units available for rent. Previously a very manual and painstaking process, it has now changed to a more streamlined and automatic process where agents just go online to reserve the keys to the vacant properties that they would like to view.

WWarees is also utilising external digital applications to improve our processes. Applications like PayNow, an online service which allows organisations to send and receive money using mobile number, NRIC and UEN, reduces the amount of time required for us to pay our vendors and suppliers. We have also adopted the use of DocuSign, an electronic signature application which allows for documents to be signed digitally, reducing the time required to get a document approved. DocuSign is especially useful for urgent documents required for approval when the approving signatory is overseas.

Welcoming New Board Chairman

MManagement and staff welcome Haji Abdul Razak Hassan Maricar as Chairman, Warees Board of Directors from 1 July 2019. With his appointment, Haji Abdul Razak brings with him vast experience and knowledge on wakaf sector including deeper understanding of the community. His vast network with key agencies and community organisations would assist us in bringing Warees closer to stakeholders and expand its services to socially responsible business partners.

Management Team

Warees Investments Pte Ltd

About UsWarees Investments Pte Ltd is one of the region’s premier endowment asset management company and is responsible for the development of prime commercial and residential properties as well as the conservation of culture and heritage. As an investment holding company, Warees thrives on managing endowments and institutional real estate portfolio and several subsidiaries while safeguarding and creating value for the community and its social bene ciaries.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of