The Residences for expats

Is there a single place where you can live well and work efficiently at the same time?

With the advent of globalization and the need to stay connected to business partners in many parts of the world at most times of the day, the question has gained some urgency. "The benefits of a place that allows expatriates to live and to work well are immeasurable," said Natalie McCarthy, Ayala Land Inc. leasing manager for the 28-unit townhouse cluster called The Residences.

Located at the fourth floor of Greenbelt 2, The Residences is a pioneering effort of ALI to tap a certain segment of the expatriate market, which accounts for a significant number of rentals in Makati and the Ortigas area. Expats of the Asian Development Bank and the US Embassy alone, for instance, create a demand of about 1,000 residential units.

"The Residences caters to those staying for 12 to 18 months, the average length of time it takes to set up a large-scale project. In contrast, serviced apartments cater to those in the country only for several weeks and months while those staying for only a few days opt for hotels," she said.

ALI is already positioned in both serviced apartments (Oakwood) and hotel (Hotel Intercontinental) categories.

Possibilities

The Residences connects to Greenbelt via covered walkways, which will eventually link to the rest of Makati’s walkway system from which most major offices are accessible. "The covered walk above ground level will free our residents from having to depend on a car and driver," aid McCarthy. "This is appreciated by Westerners for whom independence is very important."

Each townhouse unit, which range in floor area from 180 to 296 square meters, is provided with two telephone lines, two extensions, and two dedicated internet lines (dsl) which eliminates the added cost of internet lagtime. Synchronous dsl, which offers internet at megabit speeds compared to the dial-up’s 64kbps and leaps 128 kbps, is also available.

"The system makes use of switched technology that allows dedicated, not shared, bandwidth," said Greenbelt IT manager Johnny Alegre.

Connectedness

>Harder to quantify is the sense of connectedness.

Retired couples, for example, have expressed interest in the project, primarily because it allows them to stay close to restaurants and entertainment centers while enjoying the security of living in a place where a professional property manager takes care of maintenance and is always on call.

Equally interested are Manila-based expatriates who need to be easily reached at closing hour in New York (that’s the ungodly hour of 5 a.m. in the Philippines) and visiting consultants hired to set up large-scale projects as well as balikbayan businessmen with operations in the country but with residences abroad.

For these expats, The Residences may just be the ideal place for both living and working.