“This foray into the Japanese market is particularly meaningful as Japan, home to six Pritzker-prize winners, is all about high design and forward-thinking architecture.”
Robbie Antonio, Revolution Precrafted CEO
Philippine property firm Revolution Precrafted, which specialises in producing modular pavilions and homes, has struck a deal to build at least 85 design-driven prefabricated holiday villas on the island Miyako in Okinawa, Japan.
The company’s range of boutique luxury properties – ranging in size from 23-60sq m (247.5-645.8sq ft) – are designed by some of the world’s best-known architects and designers, including Daniel Libeskind, Christian Portzamparc, Marcel Wanders, Jean Nouvel and the studio of the late Zaha Hadid.
Revolution has also partnered with Japanese architects Sou Fujimoto, Kengo Kuma, Nendo Studio and Tange and Associates to create various pavilions, villas, restaurants and pop-with for various leisure uses.
Speaking about the agreement – the exact details of which remain shrouded in mystery – Revolution CEO Robbie Antonio said: “This foray into the Japanese market is particularly meaningful as Japan, home to six Pritzker-prize winners, is all about high design and forward-thinking architecture – everything that Revolution Precrafted is about.
“This is only the first of many projects we intend to do in Japan.”
The company has licensed partners in over 195 countries to use its prefabricated designs. Among the major agreements it has signed include a recent US$3.2bn (€2.65bn, £2.33bn) deal with developer Seven Tides International to supply luxury apartments and hotel villas for Dubai’s The World Islands.
It is now targeting the growing tourist market on Miyako Island, which has numerous beaches and coral reefs. Tourist arrivals to Okinawa Prefecture rose 9.1 per cent last year to hit 9.4 million.
ANTONIO-LED Revolution Precrafted Inc. said over the weekend that it clinched a deal to develop at least 85 prefabricated boutique hotel villas on a beachfront property on Miyako Island in the Okinawa district of Japan.
“This foray into the Japanese market is even more meaningful as Japan, home to six Pritzker-prize winners, is all about high design and forward-thinking architecture— everything that Revolution Precrafted is about. We have several Japanese architectural geniuses on our exceptional roster of Revolutionaries—Sou Fujimoto, Kengo Kuma, Nendo Studio and Pritzker architectural firm Tange and Associates,” said Jose Roberto Antonio, the company’s CEO.
Antonio said his company will build luxury villas with sizes ranging from 23 square meters to 60 sq m in the Japanese island, which is gaining popularity among tourists.
Okinawa is Japan’s southernmost prefecture, significantly distinct from the rest of the region. It has beaches and temperate climate all year round, making it a top choice among travelers. The island boasts of a 100-kilometer coastal line. Okinawa tourist arrivals rose to 9,396,200 in 2017, up 9 percent from the previous year, surpassing even Hawaii’s numbers.
Tourist arrivals in Okinawa has been increasing over the past five years.
“This is only the first of many projects we intend to do in Japan,” Antonio said.
Revolution Precrafted supplies luxury prefabricated houses, museums, pavilions and other structures. The start-up has partnered with over 70 of the world’s foremost architects and other creatives, including Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel and Christian de Portzamparc.
Since its founding in 2015, the company became one of the fastest-growing startups in Southeast Asia, valued at over $1 billion.
The property has locked-in about $6.5 billion worth of projects including the $1.1-billion Batulao Artscapes of Century Properties Group Inc. in Nasugbu, Batangas and to the $350-million Revolution Flavorscapes project in Mexico, Pampanga.
In March the company announced its $3.2- billion partnership with Seven Tides to build luxury hotel villas, retail pop-ups, condominiums and apartments on nine islands of “The World” project in Dubai.
In the same month, the company also signed an agreement with billionaire conglomerate KT Group of Myanmar for the supply of homes and retail structures for the $1.2-billion Okkyin mixed-development project in Yangon.
It recently secured a contract with Novo Development Ltd. to supply at least 1,000 prefabricated units in the Caribbean island nations of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica and the Bahamas with an estimated sales value of $300 million.
This will be the first phase of the dealership that aims to develop $1 billion worth of structures in the Caribbean region.
The Formica Kvadrat pavilion at SingaPlural uses upcycled formicat in a creative way to form a multi-use shelter.
Singapore is becoming a focal point and center for design, culture and the arts.
I have a long love affair with Singapore, mainly because it was my home for the entire decade of the 1990s. Life there was great because everything worked, it was safe to live in, you could get anywhere quickly because of a super-efficient transit system, and the place was rich with public parks and open green space. All of this is by design, so when offered the chance to visit again last month, I took the opportunity and brought my better half, Twink, who I actually first met in the Lion City.
The main reason for the trip was to attend the events of Singapore Design Week (SDW), including its flagship International Furniture Fair Singapore (IFFS) and SingaPlural. The annual event is organized by the Design Singapore Council and also counted nine key events, eight of which were partnerships with the National Heritage Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority, aside from several industry partners.
Design is everywhere in this UNESCO-designated Creative City of Design, but the first thing we did upon arrival was to eat. We had lunch at Hawker Chan in Chinatown. The restaurant brags a Michelin star and offers yummy soya chicken rice and char siew comfort food at reasonable prices. From there, we took a quick tour of the nearby new Six Senses Duxton Hotel, which is an adaptively re-used boutique hotel designed by noted British designer Anouska Hempel.
We then checked in at the new Novotel Hotel at Stevens Road, a short distance from the main shopping high street that is Orchard Road. The hotel’s millennial-chill laidback interiors were complemented by great food and access to two infinity-edge pools overlooking the lush landscape of this quiet district.
This is the fifth edition of SDW. I’ve attended once before, but this year’s offerings have been expanded and the theme of design broadened to several districts in Singapore.
In the next few days I attended the Inaugural Brainstorm Design conference at the Marina Mandarin. The meet is a partnership of the organizers with Time Inc. Brands, part of the Meredith Corporation. The confab was led by the editorial teams of Fortune, Time and Wallpaper. Sixty global thought leaders in design, business and public policy talked on ways design and entrepreneurship were transforming businesses, communities, and everyone’s lives.
Among the several interesting talks were with noted furniture designer Patricia Urquiola, maverick Filipino real-estate wunderkind Robbie Antonio, Grab, Wallpaper’s New York editor Pei-Ru Keh, Joe Gebbia of Airbnb, and Mark Dytham co-founder of PechaKucha.
(Left)The fantastic Juan Luna exhibit at the National Gallery drew thousands. (Right)Hawker Chan is a one-star Michelinr estaurant for Singaporean cuisine.
We next attended the opening of the main design event SingaPlural. This was held at the National Design Center on Middle Road. The center is an adaptively re-used colonial building and provided a great setting for a slew of exhibits of Singaporean designers and industry partners like Ren Yee of UNstudio, Infuud Asia by Kki Sweets that is offering a new way for tourist to enjoy Singaporean cuisine, Arttd’inox, a lifestyle brand who are working with local designer Wai Tim of Trigger design for really quirky stainless-steel pieces.
Of course, the main anchor event was the International Furniture Fair Singapore (IFFS), a long-standing trade show of SDW. Minister for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran gave the opening speech. Ernie Koh and Mark Yong of the Singapore Furniture Industries Council and the IFFS also were in attendance. An announcement was made that the next edition of the IFFS would be held at the Marina Sands Expo and Convention Centers, which will make an attractive destination for next year’s visitors.
At IFFS there was an embarrassment of riches in the way of furniture from the world. We also met JP Lasco, a young Boholano designer who had previously worked with Kenneth Cobonpue and was now on his own. He was one of 12 finalists for the Furniture Design Award for his creative Bench Screen in 2017. He exhibited a few more equally handsome pieces at the IFFS.
Razer co-founder Min-Liang Tan (center) / Photo credit: Razer
Here’s what happened in tech today and this weekend.
Fintech
Razer to fully acquire MOL Global (Singapore). The gaming lifestyle company today announced its intention to acquire Malaysian fintech firm MOL, a move that comes after it bought a 34.9 percent stake last June. Razer wants to get the remaining 65.1 percent of MOL Global’s issued share capital for a cash consideration of approximately US$61 million. The proposed merger, which is subject to approval from MOL Global’s shareholders, will combine the two companies’ virtual currencies: Razer’s zGold and MOLPoints by MOL. (Razer)
Soft Space raises series B funding from Sumitomo Mitsui (Malaysia). The Malaysian fintech startup reported the closing of a series B investment with Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company – a subsidiary of Tokyo-headquartered financial giant Sumitomo Mitsui – paving the way for its entry into the Japanese market. The investment is seen as positively spurring Soft Space’s business growth opportunities in Japan and the wider region. (Soft Space)
Ecommerce
Nykaa scores US$11.3 million, claims US$453 million valuation (India). The beauty e-tailer secured the investment from several family offices and high-net-worth individuals. Nykaa – which is said to hold 33 percent of India’s online market in beauty products and services – claims it is “EBITDA-breakeven” and is aiming to be profitable by FY2019. The startup said it would use these latest funds to enhance retail distribution to boost its private-label offering, which currently comprises less than 10 percent of its revenue. (The Economic Times)
Transportation
Nio to set up US$500 million venture fund (China). The electric-vehicle maker’s VC arm, Nio Capital, is building the offshore fund to invest in new automotive technologies worldwide. Also known as NextEV, Nio – which has raised funding from Baidu, Lenovo, and Tencent, among others – was one of the first companies to be awarded a license to test autonomous vehicles in China. The Shanghai-based startup is said to be planning a US$2 billion IPO in America later this year. (Bloomberg)
Mobike claims shift from “rapid to responsible” growth strategy (China). On Earth Day, the Chinese bike-sharing firm said it would stop distributing new bicycles in areas considered to be oversaturated with dockless hire bikes. This was one of the company’s first public announcements since being taken over by Meituan-Dianping in a US$3.4 billion deal earlier this month. Mobike also plans to share data with the Chinese government to help improve urban planning processes and has committed US$15.9 million to improving its user credit scoring system, which punishes or rewards cyclists according to their conduct while using its service. (TechNode)
Health and well-being
Doxper secures US$1.1 million funding (India). The startup, which helps doctors manage outpatient records, said it will use the capital to expand to Southeast Asia, the UK, the Middle East, Brazil, and South Africa by early next year. It’s already piloting overseas operations in Bangladesh and Nigeria. Vidal Healthcare led the pre-series A round, having joined Doxper’s August 2017 seed round alongside Capier Investments, Globevestor, and a number of angel investors. (Inc42)
Property and real estate
Revolution Precrafted lands US$300 million Caribbean deal (The Philippines). The maker of prefab homes has expanded into the Caribbean market with an exclusive dealership with NOVO Development, a real estate company based in Trinidad and Tobago. The partnership is the first part of a multi-phase plan to develop up to $1 billion of property in the region’s growing housing sector. (Revolution Precrafted)
Social media
“Fake news” is also a problem for WeChat (China/US). WeChat-focused news providers in the US tend to favor emotive topics such as immigration and race relations over more general issues like employment and healthcare, according to a study by Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism. Researchers also found that news published on WeChat was rife with sensationalism and misinformation when compared to both English- and Chinese-language mainstream media. Echoing similar controversies involving Facebook and Twitter, the Chinese app’s low barrier to entry “has generated a profusion of content publishers native to the platform and intense competition for attention,” and “the abundance of revenue-driven content published, coupled with partisan forces” makes it “especially vulnerable to political misinformation,” said the report. (TechNode)
Robbie Antonio, the founder and CEO of unicorn propertytech startup Revolution Pre-crafted, has been chosen as part of BuiltWorld’s first-ever Mavericks Report: “25 Pioneers Who’ve Transformed The Built Industry,” a recognition of the most influential movers and shakers in the fields of global architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and re- industry (RE)
BuiltWorld is a global online re source for players in the AEC and RE industries.
The prestigious accolade puts Antonio alongside some of the most esteemed luminaries in real estate, venture finance, architecture/design, construction, engineering and software solutions. These include Tesla founder Elon Musk, Pritzer-award winner Frank Ghery and American unicorn founders Adam Neumann of Wework and Michael Marks of Katerra, among others.
“We are humbled by this citation from BuiltWorld. We feel so honored to be part of such esteemed individuals who have helped transform their respective industries, and helped create a better, more modern world,” Antonio said.
Revolution Precrafted is a company that manufactures, supplies and ships limited edition, design driven prefabricated homes, pavilions and other related structures. The company has partnered with 73 of the world’s most preeminent ar-chitects, designers and artists from around the world including Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel, and Christian de Portzamparc, among others.
Robbie Antonio
“In order to disrupt the land-scape, you have to be more innovative and you have to take more risks. Creating luxury prefabricated homes was a big challenge because before the company, people don’t really associate prefabricated homes and structures to quality and luxury. But we saw the opportunity to create something different and we took the risk. The payoff has been quite re warding,” Antonio added.
Since its inception in 2015,Revolution Precrafted has since become the fastest company to reach startup status in Southeast Asia, valued at $1 billion.
It has bagged close to $6 billion worth of projects, including $1.1-billion Batulao Artscapes in Nasugbu, Batangas and the $350-million Revolution Flavorscapes project in Mexico, Pampanga.
In March, the company announced its $3.2-billion partnership with Seven Tides to build condominiums, apartments and hotel villas on nine islands at “The World” project in Dubai. The company also signed a deal with Myanmar’s KT Group for the supply of homes and retail structures for the $1.2-billion Okkyin mixed development project in Yangon.
Robbie Antonio, the founder and CEO of unicorn propertytech startup Revolution Precrafted, has been chosen as part of BuiltWorld’s first-ever Mavericks Report: “25 Pioneers Who’ve Transformed The Built Industry,” a recognition of the most influential movers and shakers in the fields of global architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and re-industry (RE).
BuiltWorld is a global online resource for players in the AEC and RE industries.
The prestigious accolade puts Antonio alongside some of the most esteemed luminaries in real estate, venture finance, architecture/design, construction, engineering and software solutions. These include Tesla founder Elon Musk, Pritzeraward winner Frank Ghery and American unicorn founders Adam Neumann of Wework and Michael Marks of Katerra, among others.
“We are humbled by this citation from BuiltWorld. We feel so honored to be part of such esteemed individuals who have helped transform their respective industries, and helped create a better, more modern world,” Antonio said.
Revolution Precrafted is a company that manufactures, supplies and ships limited edition, design driven prefabricated homes, pavilions and other related structures. The company has partnered with 73 of the world’s most preeminent architects, designers and artists from around the world including Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel, and Christian de Portzamparc, among others.
“In order to disrupt the landscape, you have to be more innovative and you have to take more risks. Creating luxury prefabricated homes was a big challenge because before the company, people don’t really associate prefabricated homes and structures to quality and luxury. But we saw the opportunity to create something different and we took the risk. The payoff has been quite rewarding,” Antonio added.
Since its inception in 2015, Revolution Precrafted has since become the fastest company to reach startup status in Southeast Asia, valued at $1 billion.
It has bagged close to $6 billion worth of projects, including $1.1-billion Batulao Artscapes in Nasugbu, Batangas and the $350-million Revolution Flavorscapes project in Mexico, Pampanga.
In March, the company announced its $3.2-billion partnership with Seven Tides to build condominiums, apartments and hotel villas on nine islands at “The World” project in Dubai. The company also signed a deal with Myanmar’s KT Group for the supply of homes and retail structures for the $1.2-billion Okkyin mixed development project in Yangon.
