A family day at One Central Park

One Central Park was designed around a family's day, and the developer says so plainly: it sits in the educational heart of Hulhumalé Phase 1, on the edge of Central Park, with shops on the ground floor. Every home is a three-bedroom with three bathrooms. Here is how a school day, and the evening after it, runs from one of them.

The school run

The building's pitch to families starts with time. The developer lists four schools within walking distance and gives a time for each: Ajial International at one minute, CHSE at two, Brightway International at four, and Little Gems Pre-school at five. The desk has not walked those routes with a stopwatch, and they are the developer's figures, not ours. Even so, the point stands. From this building, the school run is on foot, and a car is not part of the morning.

Before that, the flat has to work at seven o'clock. It does. With three bedrooms and three attached bathrooms, the children are not waiting for the parents. The modular kitchen handles breakfast. In the park-facing homes, the view from the balcony is of trees.

The day

For anyone going to work in Malé, the developer puts the ferry terminal within walking distance. By road, the concierges quote fifteen to twenty-five minutes to Malé across the bridge. The catalogue lists dedicated parking for residents.

For anyone staying home, the building covers most of the small needs. The ground and first floors hold what the developer calls "Central Street", a run of shops and commercial spaces directly below the homes, so small errands are a lift ride away. The developer also mentions the mosque among the places within walking distance. The indoor mini-gym is in the building. The laundry has its own area in each flat, so the washing does not take over the kitchen.

For a parent working from home, the third bedroom is the study. The layout is the same across all 120 homes, about 1,000 square feet in all, so there is no plus room. Families should decide at the start whether the third bedroom is for a child or for work.

After school

Afternoons have two places to go. Inside the building there is a children's play area. Outside, next door, is Central Park: eight hectares and Hulhumalé's main green space. Parks are among the things the concierges' neighbourhood guide names first when it describes Phase 1.

The building has a multi-purpose hall for residents' events. It is the kind of room that gives children's birthdays, community gatherings and the building's own meetings somewhere to happen that is not someone's living room.

Evening

The developer's favourite hour is sunset, and the building has a place for it: a 360-degree viewing platform on the roof, with a green turf walkway. After dinner, it is the obvious place to go: the children have the turf, the parents have the view.

For a quieter evening, the developer points to the marina, a short stroll away, for walks along the water and its restaurants. Back home, access-card entry, intercoms, CCTV and 24-hour manned security mean the building closes around its residents for the night.

Who this day suits

Families with school-age children, above all, who want the school run on foot and a park instead of a car park. Also couples or professionals who want a three-bedroom with a view of trees and a building that is calm by design. It suits less well anyone who wants a pool at home, since the building does not list one, or a four-bedroom plan, since every home here has three bedrooms.