Robinsons Homes: 20 years of building family-friendly homes

MANILA, Philippines - In the span of decades, family dwellings have changed a lot in the country, going from clannish, tight-knit homes with large numbers of individuals to small living spaces with an equally limited number of residents. One can credit this to the rising numbers of OFWs leaving their families behind, more responsible parents, or an expanding number of career-conscious people who bide their time before settling down. These inevitably result in smaller developments in our increasingly dense urban centers.

But, for one of the pioneers in the country’s real estate boom, while Filipino living structures are fast modernizing, Robinsons Homes believes in keeping the family spirit in the formula. Founded in 1995, only five years after the Gokongwei family’s landmark Robinsons Galleria was built, Robinsons Homes has been the first among the urban developer’s real estate arms in the horizontal housing segment. Yet, while soaring multilevel developments in CBDs seem to be de rigueur for those capitalizing on the surge of housing demand, Robinsons Homes otherwise chose to maintain a sprawling, slow-paced state.

“Robinsons’ vision of doing a residential division is really to address the basic needs of man: food, clothing, and shelter. So, we went into shelter,” shared Robinsons Homes business unit manager Cora Ang Ley. “It is every Filipino family’s dream to have their own piece of land, their own home, and this is what we are really addressing.”

Robinsons Homes’ first project was Robinsons Metro East in Antipolo. “That’s the one that is closest to Metro Manila for us,” Ang Ley continued. “We wanted to help the government decongest Metro Manila at that time. So, if you notice, most of our projects are now found outside Metro Manila.”

Home to some of JG Summit’s employees, as well as other startup families of the mid-’90s, Robinsons Metro East still stands as one of the shining examples of successful suburban developments, grounded by a sense of community in an area thriving with opportunity.

“Now, even in our regional developments, we make sure that we are in a suitable living environment. We just try to make sure that there’s enough transportation for it to be accessible, or business activity for it to be convenient. For us, it’s really helping LGUs address housing backlogs, and helping communities outside Metro Manila thrive as well.”

Now, Robinsons Homes has put roofs over 32 residential subdivision developments, found in most regional centers nationwide. “We’re already present as far north as Laoag, and as down south as General Santos. And we’re very strong in certain regional cities like Davao and Cagayan De Oro. And we’re venturing into new territories in the Visayas, like Cebu, Bacolod, as well as key developments in Puerto Princesa and Lipa very soon,” Ang Ley shared.

While these areas are all witnessing staggering growth in economic activities and business prospects, Robinsons Homes still believes in the traditional Filipino familial mindset of pamana. “When we say ‘pamana,’ we look into what you can best pass on to your children,” Ang Ley notes. “We’ve always prided ourselves on value-for-money developments. So we make sure that our homes are durable, can withstand the test of time, so that 10 or 20 years down the road, this is still a place your children and your children’s children can enjoy.”

Robinsons Homes business unit manager Cora Ang Ley(left): “It is every Filipino family’s dream to have their own home, and this is what we are really addressing.” For emergent families: Brighton homes(right) have ample room for growth and are anchored in a community of activity centers and clubhouses.

But, of course, to maintain its relevance in the increasingly competitive housing market, Robinsons Homes had to diversify with three brand segments, focusing on the varying needs of their main target consumers.

Its Bloomfields developments in Lipa, Tagaytay, Cagayan de Oro, and General Santos — with lot cuts averaging 320 square meters at P8,000 per square meter — aim to tap families flourishing in number and affluence. Houses are built with an Asian Tropical design, with expansive layouts that encourage natural sunlight and ventilation.

The value of these properties has now doubled from the time of their launch, as shown by their Bloomfields development in Davao, claims Ang Ley. Astonishing even for them. “When we do our market study on the current situation, we always ask for the resale values of our existing properties. Sometimes it is surprising, but it is also a testimony to the types of developments we build.”

For growing families, on the other hand, Robinsons Homes has Brighton developments. With plots averaging 180 square meters, Brighton takes the Mediterranean sun as inspiration for its midsized houses and the warmth of its neighborly ambience.

Brighton is designed for emergent families, with ample room for growth and anchored in a community mindset with activity centers and clubhouses. “This is where everybody converges,” Ang Ley says. “This is a community where people can interact. Here, you can know your neighbors better. Sometimes we lose this interaction or the bayanihan spirit in the more modern developments. We felt the need for this, so it has been a trademark in our developments.”

For startup families, Robinsons Home’s Springdale developments come with 120-sqm. lots and houses in a more minimalistic design. With its manageable size and value, these homes are ideal for first-time homebuyers. “If you’re a startup family, sometimes you don’t require too much space. But we still try to maintain wide open spaces, because that’s what people really want when they go out of the city: cleaner air, cleaner environment for the kids.”

Two decades on and still with the Filipino family in mind, Robinsons Homes remains unfazed by their more aggressive counterparts. “It’s not just selling a development; it’s really selling a community where you build your memories,” Ang Ley says. “That’s what makes a house a home, the people who live there, the memories they create. And we want to be a part of that.”

In fact, despite newer entrants in the industry with bolder design concepts located within the Metro, Robinsons Homes’ suburban developments still post aspirational industry records. “Despite a slump in the real estate segment last year, I am happy to say that we grew by 12 percent. Considering that Robinsons Land has been very conservative with our residential division, I think our projects have garnered a certain following, a certain trust for the brand. I guess it’s really due to our track record as a developer. Hopefully, 20 years from today, we can still say that this is where we started to make bigger dreams a reality.”