A day at home in RainPalm Residence

RainPalm Residence has been planned so that much of a day can happen inside the building: a gym and a pool on one floor, shops at street level, a hall for gatherings and a balcony large enough to live on. No RainPalm home has yet been let through Binga, so this is a day as the developer has designed it, not one the desk has observed.

Morning

The day starts quietly. Most apartments are separated from their neighbours by a void rather than a shared wall, which the developer says reduces noise and lets in more light and air. Waking without hearing next door's alarm is a small thing, repeated every morning.

The second floor is where the building's mornings happen. The gym is described as fully equipped for every fitness level, and the pool deck sits next to it: a 14 by 7 metre pool with a sundeck. A workout and a swim, and back upstairs before breakfast.

Leaving for work, cars come up from the basement, motorbikes from the first floor. The developer describes allocated parking slots, security patrols and parking stickers for access, which means the bike is where you left it.

Daytime

For anyone working from home, the open layouts leave room for a desk that is not in the bedroom, and the balcony becomes the place for the mid-morning call. The street-facing shops and services at the base of the building are meant, in the developer's words, for everyday needs without leaving the building. The desk has not yet seen which businesses have taken them.

Housekeeping is kept simple. Every floor has a garbage chute, which the developer notes reduces pests and odours; the rubbish goes down the chute on your own floor rather than down in the lift.

Afternoon and evening

The children's pool beside the main pool is the detail that makes RainPalm a family building. After school, the pool deck is where the afternoon goes.

Evenings belong to the balconies. The catalogue calls them rare in the market for their size, and describes them for hosting and relaxing. Larger gatherings have somewhere to go too: the multi-purpose hall near the entrance has its own pantry, toilet and separate access, and the developer notes it can be leased out, with the income going to building maintenance.

Visitors arrive at a staffed lobby with a waiting area and a drop-off point, which is how a building tells guests they are expected.

Who it suits

On paper, RainPalm suits families who want a pool with a children's section and a quiet flat; professionals who value a gym in the building and a desk by a large balcony; and anyone who has lived through a thin party wall and does not want to again. Hulhumalé itself, as the desk's neighbourhood guide describes it, is the planned island of wider streets, parks and the beach.

The catalogue lists RainPalm as still selling. Whether it is complete and when homes will reach the rental market are questions the concierge can check for a tenant who wants to wait for it.