The real estate developer’s home in Manila now houses a museum of his own portraits.
Real estate developer, Robbie Antonio of Century Properties, was featured in Vanity Fair U.S.‘s July 2013 issue—for what, you ask?
He revealed that his new home in Manila, designed by renowned architect Rem Koolhas, will feature works of internationally-known artists such as Julian Schnabel, Marilyn Minter, and David Salle among others—and their artwork and portraits of, you guessed it, himself.
There’s apparently no disputing that ’90s babies don’t have a monopoly on the “Me-llenial” bug, as this comes hot on the heels of the recent buzzworthy Time feature on the younger generation. The “selfie” trend has been going on throughout the years (think of the Royals and wealthy families who fill their own homes with portraits of themselves!). Robbie took it a step further and continued the centuries-old practice, while at the same time fueling his love for art; he is, after all, an avid collector.
The article reported that he spent $3 million for a total of 12 portraits, but there’s no stopping there. His goal? A total of 35 portraits.
Till we make our millions, there’s always Instagram!
Six months from Christmas, the local edition of “Town & Country” magazine has made a list (and presumably checked it twice) of the top single men in the country—and leading the pack is none other than the Bachelor-In-Chief, President Benigno Aquino III.
It’s a no-brainer; not only is Aquino the most powerful man in the country, but his love life (and sometimes lack thereof) has been a popular topic for years.
The President’s good “top-bachelor-approved” genes must also run in the family—nephews Jiggy Aquino Cruz, Jonty Aquino Cruz and Francis Aquino Dee made it to this year’s list as well.
“I must admit our mostly female team had a lot of fun working on this issue – especially our feature on the nation’s most eligible bachelors as well as our special wedding supplement,” said editor-in-chief Yvette Fernandez.
Town & Country named actors, athletes, chefs, models, businessmen, politicians and other movers and shakers to their Top Bachelors list.
One name who made it on the international list is Jon Favreau, who at only 31 has already been US President Barack Obama’s chief speechwriter for six years. Aside from his dedication to his job, he has also caught the public’s attention with his youth, intelligence and attractive looks.
Among local business circles, debonairs Kevin Tan of Megaworld, Atticus King of Victoria Court, Jesse Ho Maxwell of Magsaysay Transport and Logistics Group, and Robbie Antonio of Century Properties were picked—young scions who will likely take on the reins of their family’s companies.
And of course there are the royals, among them Britain’s Prince Harry, who graced the cover of this month’s issue.
Also making the list: Presidential nephews Jonty, Jiggy and Kiko.
Calling him “Buckingham’s loveable rogue,” the magazine said that Harry’s adventurous and happy-go-lucky demeanour and earnestness in his army career has endeared him to the public, especially to women.
And of course, being wealthy and royal helps, too.
This is also the case with Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Prince Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein, whose royal status, dashing good looks, fortune, charm and style have made them two of the hottest bachelors many women dream of marrying someday.
America may not have any kings and queens, but the closest the country has to a royal family, the Kennedys, have a new generation of sought-after single young men, such as Christopher McKelvy, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Conor Kennedy.
“We know we have left out many other handsome and/or successful unmarried men in this highly subjective list, so if you feel there have been some glaring omissions, please let us know so we can include them on next year’s list,” said Fernandez. — BM, GMA News
MANILA, Philippines – As luxury real estate consumers standards become higher, developers and investors are likewise doing their best to stand out. One sure fire way to do this, says Century Properties managing director Robbie Antonio, is to innovate through differentiation.
In a roundtable discussion at the recent Wall Street Journal executive conference, “Unleashing Innovation”, Antonio said that differentiation is effective simply because buyers who are paying top-money expect no less than premium products.
“Differentiated products are not only eye-catching, they also offer lifestyles that are notches higher than what the market has been accustomed to”, Antonio said.
Attended by some 200 executives comprised of various industry leaders, entrepreneurs as well as personalities in the business of innovation from around the world, the Wall Street Journal conference encouraged participants to “debate on the most cutting-edge ideas in business and technology today in the hope of inspiring “practical advice and strategies to drive innovation in large companies, small businesses and society.
Speakers included top business executives such as Eduardo Saverin, Facebook co-founder and Investor, John G. Rice, vice chairman of General Electric Company, Owen Mahoney, CFO and CAO of Nexon, James E. Rogers, chairman, president and CEO of Duke Energy, Vineet Nayar, vice chairman and CEO of HCL Technologies, Ya-Qin Zhang, chairman of Microsoft Asia-Pacific R&D Group and Corporate vice president, Microsoft, as well as academics such as Tarun Khanna, Professor at the Harvard Business School, and Director, The South Asia Initiative at Harvard University and Pericles Lewis, Founding President and Professor of Humanities at Yale-NUS College.
Antonio represented the only Philippine company in the forum which scaled a full range of topics from the history of the human imagination, conquering foreign markets through local innovation, less expensive medical innovations, and the recruitment of great creative talent in various industries.
The Century Properties International Collaborations head provided the highlights of luxury Philippine real estate with focus on the differentiation strategy that his company has taken on in recent years and which will continue to do so with more brand collaborations already underway.
Branded successes
Century Properties has a string of successes with its differentiated real estate products, most of which are collaborations with upmarket brands such as the New York-based Trump Organization, Italian design powerhouses Versace Home and MissoniHome, international icon and real estate heiress Paris Hilton and most recently, the most acclaimed international design company based in Europe, yoo Inspired by Starck.
Each of these brands has seeped into local real estate and home design culture with their design offerings of Century Properties projects such as the Trump Tower at Century City, the Milano Residences, the Azure Urban Resort Residences and the Acqua Private Residences Livingstone and Iguazu towers. The entry of the brands have since upped the ante in the local industry and sparked a change in the game.
As unprecedented and landmark partnerships, they have allowed the company to create real estate products that feature never-before introduced and ultra-modern living choices.
Our partner brands have their own distinct aesthetic or design ethos that provide them with directions in designing lifestyle experiences Antonio, who is also Century Properties head of International Collaborations, said.
Common among such projects are personalized, leisure and wellness-oriented, sustainable and intelligent features.
Century Properties brings personalized living experiences through designs and amenities custom-fitted to a community who share similar lifestyles.
Azure is for families who have embraced laidback living offered by a resort-oriented environment while Acqua is for highly mobile families and individuals with an inclination towards high- design and green living.
In all of its luxury towers, leisure facilities are a common sight. Spas, built-in pools, modern children play places and themed green-properties have all proven to be a hit.
The Milano Residences has Loggia units, which have their own pools overlooking the metropolis, giving unit owners a rare leisure experience. Meanwhile, Trump Tower has its own luxurious set of spa facilities such as a spa, spa lounge and pool that also overlooks the city.
Abundant green spaces and pocket parks across its projects promote holistic well-being for their residents, as evident in the Acqua Private Residences. yoo inspired by Starck for instance, has created designs that promote a consciousness of nature or the environment.
Introducing the “hyperamenatized” living experience
Century Properties has also differentiated its products through its hyperamenitized living spaces or projects with large-scale and modern amenities.
At the Gramercy Residences, a multi-level sky park that features an infinity pool, a lap pool, a kiddie pool, a sky garden, a gym, a spa, a mini movie theater, a restaurant and more have been provided. The Knightsbridge, Acqua and Azure developments likewise all have a mix of some of these amenities all aimed at offering leisure to their residents.
Century Properties has also infused modern technology into its developments buyers are beginning to clamor for smarter products. Beginning with The Gramercy Residences, Century partnered with PLDT to make it the most modern residential infrastructure in the country with its powerful interconnectivity capabilities, whether through internet connection, cable TV or telephony services.
These modern conveniences are also expected to be rolled this out in Century™ other luxury developments.
With the successes of its projects, Century Properties has proven that differentiation might as well be another name for luxury.
He has collaborated with a sea of name-droppable luminaries including architectural legend IM Pei, design extraordinaire Philippe Starck, and the Trumps, Hiltons and Missonis. But these days, the name making waves is that of his own — Robbie Antonio. Like business partners Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric Trump, with whom he recently launched Trump Tower Manila, Antonio is a real estate scion who can actually boast of have stepped out of the shadows of an illustrious father by seizing opportunities and adding lustre to the family portfolio. Son of Jose Antonio, the billionaire founder of Philippines-based Century Properties, the 35-year-old’s first taste of the headlines was in the late 2000s when instead of returning home from the US after graduate school, he incorporated the firm Antonio Development and built The Centurion, a luxury condominium in New York’s Plaza District. Antonio’s coup was not only in acquiring the area’s first ground-up development in 20 years, but also in securing the services of IM Pei, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect critically lauded for the Bank of China building in Hong Kong, Raffles City in Singapore and the Pyramid of the Louvre in Paris. Designed in collaboration with his son Sandi, The Centurion is the only condominium Pei has designed in a six-decade career. Could the next-generation property magnate not have chosen a more difficult project to cut his teeth on, I ask when we meet on the sidelines of an art fair in Singapore. (Blouin Artinfo describes him as one of the Philippines’ biggest art collectors, if not, certainly its youngest.) Barely skipping a beat, he says: “It would have been a little too easy at that time to go home to the Philippines and see what I could do there to contribute to [Century Properties]. I wanted to do something very entrepreneurial. It was obviously very challenging, but very rewarding.” In New York, he met Ivanka who introduced him to the rest of the clan including dad Donald. Professing the mantra “country first, company second, and project third”, Antonio, who had by then returned to the family fold, set out to convince The Apprentice star of his hometown’s growing economic might, resulting in a publicity feat of sizable proportions — Trump Tower Manila, the first Trump-branded property in Asia this decade. Developed by Century Properties, the residential development will become the Philippines’ tallest building when completed in 2016. “The Trumps are about the superlatives. They want to be the biggest, the tallest, it’s always an -est. Keeping that philosophy in mind we had to convince them it was the right property at the right time,” says Antonio. On the Donald, he adds: “With him you have to be very direct and very specific about what the goals and targets are in a short amount of time. The guy is brilliant.” As managing director of Century Properties, Antonio is in charge of innovating game-changing projects and branding initiatives. His Trump deal is only but one in a recent slew of big-name tie-ups. Versace Home is designing the interiors of the group’s Milano Residences in Makati. MissoniHome is bringing its colourful aesthetic to the Residences at Acqua Livingstone. And John Hitchcox and Philippe Starck’s design studio Yoo is charged with Acqua Iguaza, the pair’s first residential tower in the Philippines. Star architects and designers are a big draw to homebuyers, he says: “It’s pride of ownership. When you own the first condominium by Versace in Asia or the first Missoni condominium in the world, it’s limited edition.” Such collaborations, he also acknowledges, allow the group to “achieve a premium”. “I have a commercial point of view and an aesthetic point of view, and I like to marry that and keep a balance between those two,” he explains. Antonio, after all, comes across as the sort of art-and-design geek who can write a dissertation on Abstract Expressionism or the Mid-Century aesthetic off the top of his head. It’s that fixation with creative expression that even has the entrepreneur picking out door hinges in person, or flying to China or Italy to look for just the right stones for his buildings. “I’m 100-percent focused on the details, too obsessed sometimes,” he concedes. Robbie Antonio on… Personal style “Because of what I do, people think I care a lot about brands. But sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. I don’t wear logos and 90 percent of the time I don’t even wear a belt or watch. I’m more particular about design and I tend to favour bespoke items because it’s about personal style and taste.” Some of the artists he collects “Marilyn Minter, Maurizio Cattelan, Kenny Scharf and Tracey Emin. They are all people who I have either met or respect for their tremendous amounts of knowledge in their art. Art is not just visual. It’s how your sensibilities are affected or influenced.” His new New York residence “It’s going to be completely contemporary and super abstract. Because I gravitate to art and design, I have to make sure that it’s visually impactful. It’s a project I’m super obsessed with.”
The 2013 Fila Polo Cup at the Manila Polo Club in Forbes Park was more colorful than ever because of its unique theme, “Brazilian Carnival!”
By 6 p.m. there was more glitz than ever before, dahlings. Superbly hosted by handsome Fila endorser Fabio Ide, the affair had endless entertainment by Guarana, Escola de Samba de Manila Dancers, Maracuja Dancers and “Talentadong Pinoy” hall-of-famer Astroboy.
Leading the Fila officialdom present were president and CEO of Fila Philippines, Cris Albert, and husband, chair Butch Albert, who was marking his birthday on the polo field that day, palanggas.
Astroboy had everyone amazed with his fiery display of fierceness. No wonder he is Manille’s premiere hoop artist and “Talentadong Pinoy” Grand Champion.
JEENA Llamas Lopez, moi, Deena de la Cruz, Maricris Albert
“Why a Brazilian carnival”? moi asked Cris A. “Merely because when it comes to emotion, color, atmosphere, and sheer over-the-top joyous celebration, there’s nothing that beats the Brazilian method and rhythm. This is a perfect welcome for Fila’s bigger direction in 2013, which has stayed true to boldness, color and design,” said the chic Cris, as she sipped her chilled flute of Dom Perrignom, dahlings.
The Rio de Janeiro-style Mardi Gras performing at the polo field sent the men and the young-at-heart rushing up front to get a 3D view of the women dancers. Wow!
The carnival was capped by kaleidoscopic fireworks.
All in all, some 800 guests enjoyed the night. That’s Fila for you, dahlings.
(More info on Fila? Log on to www.fila.ph.)
Mandarin festivity
Somehow I enjoy Chinese New Year’s Eve more than the traditional New Year’s Eve. And this year was no exception when the elegant Mandarin Oriental Manila held the grandest lunar new year bash outside of Binondo with the 17th edition of its lunar fest welcoming the “Year of the Water Snake.”
RUBY Chin, Cris Albert, Ana Abad Santos
It began with cocktails led by major sponsors BMW, Hennessy, China UnionPay, Enchanted Kingdom, Universal Harvester Inc., Dragonair, Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou and Makati City at the chic MO Lounge.
Guests of honor were Makati Mayor JunJun Binay, with his daughter Alexi, Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing, Netherlands Ambassador Ton Boon von Ochssée, with his wife Martine; Singaporean Ambassador VP Hirubalan, with his wife Mano; and Indian Ambassador Amit Dasgupta.
SHEILA and Mikee Romero
Miss World 2012 Wen Xia Yu of China joined the celebration, palanggas.
Colorful ceremonies followed outside the hotel, at the corner of Makati Avenue and Paseo de Roxas, where Master Joseph Chau performed the Paai-Shan ceremony.
Sharing the honors of dotting the five lions “waiting to be awakened” were dashing hotel manager Oliver Kreuzer, Jardine Matheson Group of Companies in the Philippines country chair Nonoy Colayco, Mayor Binay, Metropolitan Museum of Manila president Tina Colayco, philanthropist Rose Marie “Baby” Arenas, Jocelyn Kreuzer, Pangasinan Rep. Rachel Arenas, Jullie Yap Daza, Asian Carmakers BMW president Maricar Parco, Moët Hennessy Asia-Pacific manager Randy Uson, and of Universal Harvester, Inc. EVP Mila How.
JIM Garcia, Raffy Llamas
Enchanted Kingdom fireworks lighted up the sky at midnight, as guests witnessed the awesome video projection of a colorful snake slithering down the column of the hotel’s exterior, would you believe?
Executive Chinese chef Hann Furn Chen and executive chef Rene Ottik cooked up prosperity dishes, such as Steamed Live Garoupa with Superior Homemade Soy Sauce; Braised Chicken with Dried Oyster, Black Moss and Golden Garlic in Oyster sauce; and Tin Hau’s signature tikoy.
CRIS Albert, Jason Luengo
Après gorging all that after midnight, it was time to party some more and burn out all that calories, dahlings.
Yes, palanggas, Mandarin’s traditional Chinese New Year was totally hard to match, dahlings.
Philippe Starck building
Century Properties has scored another real-estate coup with its newest project, Acqua Iguazu Yoo, inspired by world-class namedroppable Philippe Starck no less, dahlings.
The fifth building within the Acqua Private Residences, a 2.4-ha property on Coronado Street, Mandaluyong, was recently inaugurated.
GP REYES, Cat and Carlo Antonio
The hotshot invitees enjoyed the eye-catching Acqua Iguazu showroom.
Breezing around, moi noticed Iguazu has a breathtaking multilevel amenity deck called the Cielo, and common areas that have the unmistakable imprint of Yoo, the design firm founded by top design mind Philippe Starck, natch.
British real-estate magnate John Hitchcox said in his welcome speech: “Because these spaces will be home to a lot of people, we have made our creations unique and very special. You have the privilege to see them now at the Iguazu showroom.”
“I am so very proud to present the first Yoo-inspired, Starck-designed building in your beautiful country and I am so delighted to be a part of this very exciting project,” said a smiling Philippe Starck in a video message.
Century’s hard-working COO Marco Antonio said, “Acqua is the perfect place to showcase Yoo-inspired by Starck’s sensibilities: edgy and fantastical yet functional and environmentally conscious.”
FILA endorsers Fabio Ide, Tim Yap, Georgina Wilson, Borgy ManotocMISS World president Julia Morley, Miss World 2012Wen Xia Yu, Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing
“Yoo inspired by Starck’s design for Acqua Iguazu will forever change our standards for residential living,” said Robbie Antonio, Century’s head of international collaborations.
Because of their exclusivity and design, the units were grabbed and reserved on the spot faster than one could bat an eyelash. Iguazu buyers were rewarded when they brought home Philippe Starck branded gifts as souvenirs. (Visit www.acqua-iguazu.com.)
This Starck-designed chair has a Philippine monkey-eating eagle sculpture for a headrest.
For a design giant to notice the Philippines must be a dream come true, something a Filipino real estate developer just turned into a reality. French genius Philippe Starck, considered as the world’s most influential designer, heavily incorporates Filipino accents and elements into his first and, so far, only venture in the Philippines, Acqua Iguazu, the fifth tower of Acqua Residences by top Filipino realty firm Century Properties. “I am so very proud to present the first yoo inspired by Starck building in your beautiful country and I am so delighted to be a part of this very exciting project. Those of you who have experienced our designs before are in for another surprising, inspiring and delightful journey,” Starck says in a statement. “We want to give our fellowmen the chance to have Starck’s design philosophy every day and not only as transient hotel guests,” enthuses Robbie Antonio, Century Properties managing director and head for International Collaborations.
A chandelier with anative Filipino wicker body, resembling the walis ting-ting (stick broom) Filipinos use as a metaphor for unity. The partnership began, says Marco Antonio, Century Properties co-chief operating officer and managing director, when Century met international property entrepreneur and Starck’s business partner, John Hitchcox, in Boracay. Acqua Iguazu is the first residential Eden in their portfolio, Hitchcox said in a press conference. Starck and Hitchcox’s company, yoo, has been working with international developers for residential, hotel and commercial projects throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa, North and South Americas and the Middle East. They have designed over 10,000 homes in 31 cities. Hitchcox claims to be among the pioneers in developing rundown London Soho apartments in the early ’90s.
“Today’s homes are different than what we had then because our lives now are different, so we need designers,” he espoused. “A home is a place of stability and confidence so it really needs our attention.”
A home, for Starck, is “your own egg, where you will be very at peace to be a part of nature.”
Such is his vision for his designs for Iguazu’s lobby, walkways, elevators, rooftops, multifunctional bar, pool, library and movie rooms. Robbie says the designs will combine whimsical European flair with indigenous details such as native Filipino wicker chandeliers and an accent chair with a monkey-eating eagle sculpture as headrest. All colors will be natural, clean, pure and white, faithful to the Starck trademark.
An accent wicker dining table chair reminiscent of where Filipina beauty queens used to seat to receive their crown. The P1.3-billion, 50-story development will have about 400 units crowned by the multi-level amenity deck, “Cielo,” chock-full of Starck’s design. The Cielo will have a gushing waterfall with a swimming pool, a bar, a DJ booth and dance floor, function room, an indoor and outdoor library, a movie room and dining area. The roof will have a cut out of a quote from the Little Prince written in Starck’s own handwriting. For the units, three interior design inspirations following the themes of Minimal, Nature and Culture were opened at the showroom. These will serve as reference motifs for homeowners who wish to decorate their units in true Starck style.
“The lobby will have so many magic, all things to remind you that everything is possible,” Starck assures. From everyday products like furniture and lemon squeezers, to revolutionary mega yachts, hotels that stimulate the senses, phantasmagorical venues and individual wind turbines, Starck never stops to push the limits and criteria of contemporary design.
Nito placemats
Starck infused indigenous materials like dark wood into his designs…
As well as local woodcarving, as in the frame of this bed:
Blocks of locally salvaged wood as sidetables
Starck (center) with Century Properties’ Robbie and Marco Antonio
MANILA, Philippines – Century Properties Group formally unveiled recently its much-awaited residential development in collaboration with yoo, the design company founded by the world’s most celebrated living designer Philippe Starck, and international property entrepreneur John Hitchcox.
The new Century Properties project called Acqua Iguazu is the first residential tower in the Philippines to be interior designed by the UK-based yoo inspired by Starck, and will be the latest addition to its portfolio of highly distinctive interior design projects around the world.
The P1.3-billion development is the fifth building to rise within the developer’s 2.4-hectare Acqua Private Residences project in Mandaluyong City, and was launched following the successful sales of the four previous Acqua towers: Niagara, Sutherland, Dettifoss and Livingstone (interior design by MissoniHome). The entire development features a rainforest-infused design theme and will have a total of 6 residential buildings.
John Hitchcox led the yoo team entourage in a visit to Manila to grace the project’s groundbreaking ceremonies at the site in Mandaluyong City. Joining him were yoo head of design Mark Davison, yoo designer Anastasia Kessaris and yoo marketing director Michelle Van Vuuren, as well as Century Properties officials Marco and Robbie Antonio.
“This partnership was forthcoming because Century Properties has consistently worked with the best in real estate. The local market has shown its readiness for branded property, and the international market could not wait to get more of it. They recognize branded developments to be on a par with international standards and to be superior in quality. Acqua Iguazu will be such a residence, and one that will offer that rare experience of life as viewed by Mr. Starck and yoo,” Century Properties co chief operating officer Marco Antonio said.
For his part, Century Properties managing director and international collaborations head Robbie Antonio noted that the project is consistent with their tradition of creating premium developments, life-enhancing spaces and distinctive experiences one has never before encountered. “yoo inspired by Starck’s design mark in Acqua Iguazu will forever change our view and standards for residential living,” he added.
Meanwhile, Starck said: “I am so very proud to present the first yoo inspired by Starck building in your beautiful country and I am so delighted to be a part of this very exciting project. Those of you who have experienced our designs before are in for another surprising, inspiring and delightful journey.”
Hitchcox added that “because these spaces will be a permanent home to a lot of people, we have made our creations unique and very special.”
Acqua Iguazu will rise to more than 50 storeys and have approximately 400 units. The building is designed with a distinctive crown called the “Cielo,” a multi-level amenity deck full yoo inspired by Starck design. The Cielo will have a gushing waterfall with a swimming pool, a bar, a DJ booth and dance floor, function room, an indoor and outdoor library, a movie room and dining area. The roof will have a cut out of a quote from the Little Prince written in Starck’s own handwriting.
The Cielo will also bear a spherical design statement – a tribute to the sun and moon – which will cast its glowing rays like the sun by day, and illuminate with a dramatic glow like the moon at night.
For the Acqua Iguazu units, three interior design inspirations following the themes of minimal, nature, and culture were opened for showcase at the Acqua Iguazu showroom. These will serve as reference motifs for homeowners who wish to decorate their units in true yoo inspired by Starck style.
Antonio is confident the project will entice local and overseas buyers, especially urban professionals and startup families who are familiar with Starck’s household name.
French designer Starck is known globally for his groundbreaking design and innovative spins on everyday products from toothbrushes to lamps, automobiles and even a yacht. British real estate entrepreneur Hitchcox is credited for founding the Manhattan Loft Project, the firm responsible for giving rise to the concept of loft living across London.
In 1999, Starck and Hitchcox founded yoo inspired by Starck in a shared vision to help people to live better through good design. Since then, yoo has been working with international developers for residential, hotel and commercial projects throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa, North and South Americas and the Middle East and is responsible for the design of over 10,000 homes in 31 cities. Acqua Iguazu is the first yoo inspired by Starck residential tower project in the Philippines.
MANILA, Philippines – Upscale real estate developer Century Properties Inc. will put up a P3-billion, 53-story designer residential building within Century City, an integrated community along Kalayaan Avenue in Makati City.
In a statement, Century Properties said it has tapped Versace, one of the world’s leading international fashion houses, to provide exclusive design service for the public spaces of its newest residential project, The Milano Residences.
Founded in Milan in 1978 by Italian clothier Gianni Versace, the company designs, markets and distributes luxury clothing, accessories, fragrances, make-up and home furnishings under the various brands of the Versace Group.
A variety of other projects relating to lifestyle and design also bear the Versace signature: Luxury resorts and hotels, exclusive private residences and refined interior projects.
Slated for completion by 2015, The Milano Residences will make available a total of 340 units with one to three-bedroom configurations. Prime units in various sizes and layouts include The Penthouses, The Townhouses and Italian-inspired units called The Loggias that feature breathtaking private plunge pools – a first in a Makati condo.
“Versace Home, the authority in showing the essential art of luxury living, is now in Manila through the Milano Residences. To have a Versace Home interior designed address presents a rare opportunity, and an immense value to both end users and investors for units are very few and are considered collectible real estate,” said Robbie Antonio, project head of The Milano Residences and managing director of Century Properties.
The building’s architecture is expected to complement Versace Home’s elegant interior design, which will be shown in the grand lobby, hallways, lounge, library, pool garden and spa. Versace Home will also create interior inspirations that residents may adopt for their own units.
The Milano Residences is the latest residential project to rise in Century City, the flagship development of Century Properties. Masterplanned by the Jerde Partnership, the 3.4-hectare Century City, comprising luxury residential buildings, Grade A office buildings and a retail center, is envisioned to showcase the world’s best in one place.
The 24-year-old Century Properties is known for its track record in developing luxury projects which include the award-winning Essensa East Forbes in Fort Bonifacio. Its real estate portfolio and pipeline covers 63 buildings under management and development as well as current projects with over 42 million square feet; and more than 10,000 residential, office and commercial units.
The legendary Peis sign on for a Manhattan project.
For two Manhattan-based developers, The Centurion condominium project has been a waking dream. Their ardor stems from convincing legendary architect I.M. Pei and his son L.C. (Sandi) Pei to design it as their first ground-up, residential condominium building.
“I sometimes pinched myself that I am in a room with I.M Pei and Sandi,” says Roy Stillman, president of Stillman Development International. I.M. Pei is best known for creating The Pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris. He joined his son to create other projects such as the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan.
That’s why Robbie Antonio, managing director of Antonio Development, called The Centurion—now under construction—“the highlight of my career.” But enlisting a legend meant that The Centurion had to make history of its own. “Since it is the first ground-up condo project by Pei, it had to be globally known,” Antonio says. “It is also the first residential community in two decades in the vicinity. We knew we had to differentiate our project from the tall, glass edifices close by.”
When faced with local zoning rules that affected the building’s setbacks, the Peis solved the problem with angled setbacks instead of the more traditional “wedding cake” style. “The angled setback is the most distinguishing feature,” Stillman adds.
The building will also stand apart for its material—exclusive French limestone from a specific quarry favored by the Peis. “We describe The Centurion as a bespoke tailor describes his art: a balanced composition of exquisite materials and richly crafted details that will never look old or dated,” Sandi Pei said in a statement.
The 48 one- to-four-bedroom homes are expected to cost between $1.9 million and more than $10 million when completed in early 2009.
American Campus Communities is developing 4,000 on-campus beds at the University of California, Irvine. The multi-phase project, designed by KTGY Group, will be located on up to five separate land parcels on the East Campus. The first phase is expected to commence construction in 2008. The project will target a silver or higher certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system.
Novare Group has opened TWELVE Centennial Park in Atlanta, the newest offering in the TWELVE Hotels & Residences brand. The development includes 517 one- and two-bedroom condo units in a 39-story tower adjacent to a hotel tower featuring 102 one- and two-bedroom suites. Both hotel and condo units offer floor-to-ceiling windows with views of downtown Atlanta; kitchens with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops; 10-foot ceilings; and balconies. Residents can enjoy the hotel services, which include housekeeping, car valet, and a 24-hour concierge. A second residential tower is planned for the site for a total of 1,002 condo units.
POKO Partners is developing Delany Lofts, a 24-unit for-sale community in Harlem. The one-bedroom units feature 9- to 10- foot ceilings, washers and dryers, and open kitchens with granite countertops, stainless steel, and Energy Star-rated appliances. The units range from $420,000 to $1 million. —Listings compiled by Rachel Z. Azoff
