Mr Sahba Abedian is Managing Director of Sunland Group

WORDS: PHOTOGRAPHY

Mr Sahba Abedian is Managing Director of Sunland Group

 

Limited, a leading national property development group

 

founded on the Gold Coast in 1983 and listed on ASX for the past 20

 

years.

 

 

Sahba joined Sunland in 1998 as the Group’s Legal Counsel and

 

Company Secretary. In 2000, Sahba was appointed Chief Executive

 

Officer of Sunland’s Victorian operations.

 

In 2002 Sahba was appointed Joint Managing Director alongside

 

the Group’s founder, Soheil Abedian. In 2006, Sahba assumed

 

the title of Managing Director. In this role, Sahba has advanced

 

Sunland’s vision to contribute to Australia’s urban landscape through

 

an enduring philosophy that recognises the role of architectural

 

excellence and leading urban design in the creation of vibrant

 

communities. Every Sunland home is designed and crafted to create

 

a synergy between the built and natural environments and this focus

 

extends to the broader community.

 

 

What is Sunland’s vision for the Gold Coast’s built environment

 

and how will Sunland be involved? We are committed to pursuing

 

a path whereby we are continually exploring how greater degrees

 

of vibrancy can be manifested in the creation of our communities.

 

This vibrancy reflects itself in the integration of the built form with

 

natural landscape settings and is further reinforced through the

 

interconnectedness of the residents who choose to make these

 

spaces their home. Another dimension that contributes significantly

 

to the enhancement of the urban fabric of a community is the use

 

and promotion of the arts.

 

Understanding the value and contribution of the arts to

 

community well-being has long been a driving principle of how we

 

approach integrated design at Sunland.

 

We must take into consideration the influence of arts in shaping

 

environments to become a healthy and vibrant whole. A city

 

that infuses itself in art and culture is a city that readily embraces

 

innovation, creativity and new ideas.

 

What projects does Sunland have currently on the Gold Coast and are

 

there any others in the planning? Sunland has a substantial portfolio

 

of urban land estates, residential housing and multi-storey projects

 

on the Gold Coast. Our luxury housing portfolio includes Meliah and

 

Parkway in Sanctuary Cove and Magnoli Residences in Palm Beach.

 

Earlier this year we also launched our new waterfront community in

 

Hope Island, Ancora. Other major projects on the Gold Coast include

 

the visionary 42 hectare master planned community The Lakes in

 

Mermaid Waters.

 

The Heights, in Pimpama which is launching in early 2016.

 

Earlier this year we submitted a development application with Gold

 

Coast City Council for our proposed redevelopment of Mariner’s

 

Cove, unveiling plans for a world class residential and cultural

 

precinct with an estimated end value of $600 million. The proposal

 

includes the city’s first privately-owned cultural precinct dedicated

 

to the arts through an art gallery, museum and outdoor sculptural

 

gardens.

 

Further Sunland multi-storey projects on the Gold Coast include

 

proposed new developments at One Marine Parade in Labrador,

 

Nineteenth Avenue in Palm Beach and the Marina Village at Royal

 

Pines.

 

Sunland is well known for its strong creative architectural approach

 

to its developments. Where does this come from?

 

Sunland was founded on the Gold Coast in 1983 with the creation

 

of a single luxury home. From these small beginnings, Sunland’s

 

visionary design philosophy has led to the creation of iconic

 

landmarks across the Gold Coast, from the world’s first fashion

 

branded luxury hotel, Palazzo Versace on the Broadwater, to the

 

world’s tallest residential tower, Q1. The same pioneering spirit

 

continues to guide the company today.

 

Sunland’s unique achievements in creating

 

architecture as art are markers of our ongoing evolution in our

 

pursuit of excellence and beauty.

 

Do you have a personal favourite of the projects that Sunland has

 

completed? Every project contributes to the advancement of the

 

one that follows. They are like chapters in a book, it is difficult to

 

favour one over the other as they are all part of the one unfolding

 

narrative.

 

What do you like to do in your down time? Findings ways in which

 

one can be of service to the community is of great importance and

 

plays a pivotal role, both within Sunland and my personal time. The

 

advancement of education, and the empowerment of individuals

 

and communities, provides the requisite framework and motivation

 

in all my spheres of endeavour, as a father, a husband, a colleague

 

and a member of the community.

 

 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

 

Although it is difficult at times to determine with any accuracy

 

where one will be in the years ahead, it is hoped that one could

 

continue to build on the foundations that have been laid and walk

 

a path of service towards the advancement of our community,

 

contributing to the material, intellectual and human values that

 

comprise the fabric of individual and collective life.