When billionaire inventor James Dyson bought Singapore’s most expensive flat for £43m earlier this month, the only thing the luxury triplex was missing was its own waterfall.
But Dyson, who has been criticised for uprooting his company to Singapore after strongly backing Brexit, has rectified that with the purchase of a second property, complete with cascading water feature.
Weeks after it was revealed he had bought the city-state’s priciest penthouse, the Straits Times newspaper reported that the billionaire has purchased a S$45m (£26.5m) bungalow opposite Singapore’s Unesco-listed Botanic Gardens.
An online brochure for the apartment, which has been called the Botanica Residence by designers at Guz Architects, shows a swimming pool winding its way through the house, as well as a waterfall cascading through the property, flanked by plants.
“We made use of large cantilevers and horizontal planes to make the building float and give it lightness when viewed from the road,” the company’s website says.
“Upon entry, the rear conceals a sunken courtyard and pool to allow light into the basement. A human scale and comfort is achieved through the use of warm materials and allowance for cross ventilation. Photovoltaic cells cover the attic roof.”
For foreigners and permanent residents to be allowed to purchase landed property in the city state they must have made “exceptional economic contributions in Singapore”, the Straits Times said.
A spokeswoman for Dyson Limited refused to comment on “the private affairs of the Dyson family”.
Dyson’s new bolthole is not quite as luxurious as the five-bedroom triplex penthouse at the top of Singapore’s tallest building.
The 21,108 sq ft property, the largest flat in Singapore, features a 12-metre swimming pool, roof terrace, cabana, jacuzzi room, bar facilities, 600-bottle wine cellar, two kitchens and an entertainment room.
It also has a 24-hour butler service, which can assist the owner with tedious chores such as chartering a yacht or private jet or arranging a private chef to cater for a dinner party.
When contacted about the previous penthouse purchase, a Dyson spokesman said: “Given the decision to locate the headquarters in Singapore and the growing focus of the company’s business in the region, of course James Dyson has bought a property there.”
Dyson, who invented the bagless vacuum cleaner and is working on an electric car, has come under fire for professing his support for Brexit, only to move his company’s headquarters from Wiltshire to Singapore before the UK has completed its exit from the EU.
He has previously said Brexit had nothing to do with the decision. The Dyson company employs 4,500 people in the UK, where it carries out its research and development.
Dyson, who was listed third on the list of the UK’s top taxpayers last year with a £127.8m bill, has also denied that Singapore’s corporation tax rate, 17% compared with 19% in the UK, was a factor.
But some experts have said that Singapore’s tax regime governing any patents the company registers there in future would make the city-state an attractive location.
