As the Melbourne skyline rapidly changes and there's growing talk about the threat of a potential oversupply in Melbourne CBD, property developers need to think outside the cookie cutter apartment model and set themselves apart more than ever before, says Adelene Teh.

Teh is the daughter of Malaysian developer Datuk Teh Kean Ming and the director of her own property firm, Beulah International, which she started after graduating from The University of Melbourne's architecture school. Last August, Teh announced that her Gardenhill development in Doncaster in Melbourne's east will feature Australia’s first private dog park in an apartment project. 

Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, and Teh says the need for a dog park in an apartment setting was imminent. Apartment developments must adapt to shifting lifestyle demands, she argues. "It’s much easier to do a cookie cutter apartment because it’s a lot harder to think of different ideas, and it takes a lot of effort to do innovative things that haven’t been done before."

Teh's father is the man behind Penang’s award-winning waterfront development The Light, which features a self-sustaining marine ecosystem complete with sea creatures, the first of its kind in a residential setting.

"It’s in our culture to always push the boundaries and not accept what’s considered normal and safe. My dad has always tried to do things differently and that’s what inspired us to put a dog park in our Gardenhill development," she says.

"Of course it was a risk, there’s risks associated with everything but pushing the boundaries is exciting and it makes work life exciting, as you’re constantly challenging yourself and exploring every possible avenue to add more value."

Gardenhill is currently under construction, and Teh is looking at new site acquisitions in Melbourne's east.