MANILA, Philippines — Imagine waking up in a plush king-sized bed, stepping into a spacious bathroom with double sinks and glass-enclosed shower, and choosing your yoga outfit from a walk-in closet. In the kitchen, there’s a quick healthy shake waiting for you before you head to the gym or the swimming pool and sauna downstairs. After working out, another quick shower in your en-suite bathroom, then it’s time to step out for brunch in your outfit of the day to meet friends in the mall, do a little shopping and perhaps check out a new gallery or museum nearby. At the end of the day, a dinner with friends or a nightcap on the balcony.
It sounds like a weekend traveling in another city, cocooned in a designer hotel between activities, doesn’t it? Or it could just be an ordinary working day in your extraordinary home.
In the latest trends on high-end homes and real estate marketplace, reports cite homebuyers’ lifestyles and hobbies as defining how condominiums are built and spaces are used. In short, they are defining the new luxury.
And that new trend is in large part influenced by travel, by people who not only don’t mind paying a premium for designer hotels, but rather seek out such spaces to include in their itineraries. So, apart from bedrooms designed like five-star hotel rooms, the kitchen has emerged as the next attention-grabbing space with features like huge counters and quality cabinetry and appliances.
Outside of one’s unit, the amenities are designed to accommodate active lifestyles and provide public spaces for interaction.
With every project in every city around the world, it starts with the location, of course. And people who are particular about their lifestyle choices are even more so with their address.
Leading real estate company Megaworld is building its latest project, The Albany, at the Fort’s Billionaires’ Row in McKinley West, whose neighboring surroundings include Forbes Park and Manila Polo Club.
The spacious dining room and living room on the lower level of the penthouse unit is perfect for entertaining and has panoramic views of the city.
The Albany is located along Chateau Road with the retail areas of McKinley Hill nearby, and neighboring future retail and mixed-use developments. It’s a new prestigious address that combines offices, residences, and leisure and recreation clusters.
Designed by Broadway Malyan Architects, a global architecture, urbanism and design practice dedicated to “creating cities, buildings and places that will provide a lasting legacy,” The Albany is inspired by sophisticated city living with the aim of creating a residential haven in a busy metropolis but providing a garden retreat to capture the best of both worlds.
The architectural firm defines its ethos as collaborative, “working together to create places with a strong sense of identity where people and communities want to live, learn, shop, work and relax. Our collaborative approach to integrated sustainable design has enabled us to deliver award-winning projects at all scales across the world. Every project, from a strategic city plan to the craftsmanship of a balustrade, reflects our passion for design and place-making.”
The Albany is composed of two separate 10-storey glass-and-steel buildings: The Kingsley and The Yorkshire, two blocks of different character and style but designed to create a harmonious combination.
“Both The Kingsley and The Yorkshire offer 64 residential units each for a development total of 128 units that feature double-height ceiling and start at two bedrooms and three, and three-level penthouses,” says Megaworld VP for sales and marketing Mary Rachelle Peñaflorida. “The penthouses have their own swimming pools and sun decks at the roof level, designed to ensure privacy. The apartments are designed to set new standards in quality and efficiency, maximizing views toward the surroundings, and allowing for long balconies. The balcony space becomes a flexible space with the advantage of shading the glazing, as a solar shading device, for energy efficiency.”
The private pool deck of the penthouse unit is a relaxing and private space for homeowners.
“Exclusivity can be expressed by both contemporary lines that contextualize the buildings with their time, using the latest materials and construction techniques. It can also be expressed by the revivalist act of classical languages, relating to a sense of wealth and opulence. The architects chose to find inspiration in both approaches, in order to afford The Kingsley and The Yorkshire with different personalities, like actors in a play, while addressing the design aspirations of customers looking for either of the two approaches.”
The Kingsley is the ultra-modern character with lines that are pure and futuristic, dominated by light color tones and large stone frames to give its design originality. The Yorkshire is the classically inspired character. Its design expresses design language elements that have been developed to insinuate its classical origins while maintaining a sense of purity and modernity.
The Albany experience takes its cue from high-end boutique hotels beginning from the moment you arrive at the building’s landscaped central arrival plaza with lush surroundings. It continues to the stone-clad lobby that’s attached to a small garden to bring a sense of organic beauty to complement the seating areas.
Then there are the private elevators that open right outside your unit’s doors, making that space your private lobby. (There is a separate service elevator for each building.)
The design of The Albany locates the amenities on the rear side of the development to enhance a sense of privacy and relaxation. They include a large swimming pool, flexible function rooms, children’s play areas, a gym, a games room and an exclusive spa.
Living room of the upper penthouse unit
Indeed, the good life makes you feel like you’re traveling all year round in designer hotels, but in reality you’re home — which is so much better.
* * *
For more information, visit The Albany’s showroom at the second floor of Uptown Mall, BGC, Taguig City, or visit www.megaworldinfinite.com or call 0917-5253797.
Visit the author’s travel blog at www.findingmyway.net. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @iamtanyalara.