High living in the heart of the city
Who says that those who build big will have difficulty going compact? Brittany Corporation, best known for their large community developments in the suburbs has moved some focus to the big city and is presently in the process of developing three high-rise residential buildings, two in the heart of Makati and one in Taguig’s Bonifacio Global City.
What you want, what you need
Mosaic, their first high-rise project, located in Soria St. in Makati’s compact Legaspi Village (a hop, skip and jump away from Greenbelt) is a sell-out, both colloquially and literally. Colloquially, because as their marketing materials claim, it gives “what you want, what you need, by design.” When talking about living space, isn’t this exactly what everyone is looking for: a condo that has each of your interests at heart? Studios to studio lofts to three-bedroom units fill up 31 floors, each one catered to a particular buyer. There are family units that are designed with extra space that can be made into family rooms or study rooms. For men, Mosaic makes provisions for adding a bar, a game room or a den. Plus, there’s lots of shelf space to house knick knacks and collectibles. Women would also love Mosaic’s offerings. Those who saw the Sex and the City movie and sighed over the walk-in closet Big had made for Carrie need not entertain envious thoughts anymore. Mosaic plays Big and offers units with space that can be transformed into mini-temples to clothes, shoes and bags.
Literally, Mosaic is a sell-out because, well, that’s exactly what it did. Seventy percent of the units were sold in just the first two months of pre-selling, with the turnover expected to be in October 2010. Recognizing the success of this first leap to the vertical structure, Brittany realized that “the success of one Mosaic deserves another.” Thus, the greenlight for KL Mosaic.
Art and living space
Located just around the corner from Mosaic, KL Mosaic on Gamboa St. will be built on what is now still the Kalaw-Ledesma condominium. The old structure will be torn down to give way to a 32-story building with balcony and window views overlooking Legaspi and Washington Sycip parks, an enticing feature that will make you forget that you’re in the middle of the metro’s commercial and business district.
Designed by WV Coscolluela & Associates, KL Mosaic is a monument both of and for modern art. This high rise pays tribute to what Brittany calls art-chitecture because of, first, its unique hexagonal structure — created to give an illusion that each unit’s balcony seems detached from the neighboring unit’s balcony — and because, second, KL Mosaic will be housing the impressive art collection of the Kalaw-Ledesma clan in a gallery that will be called The Biggest Little Room. Aside from displaying this in-house collection, the gallery will also regularly host works and collections by contemporary and up-and-coming artists.
It shouldn’t be a problem if you also want art to reign in your own model unit, Brittany has model units for the one-bedroom with den and their studio and you can see that there’s enough wall space in each to hang your personal favorite artist or even your own works on.
It need not be reiterated that KL Mosaic, slated for turnover in 2012, is also just a few short blocks away from Greenbelt on one side and is across the street from the weekly Legaspi Sunday market.
Green living on a high
Also located in a prime residential area is Avant, Brittany’s third high-rise project located at the Crescent Park West within the Bonifacio Global City’s so-called Golden Triangle. The designers of Avant, spearheaded by Asya Design’s Albert Yu made sure that the high-rise will be modern both in design and principle. The perspective shows a building which, on the outside looks very sleek and contemporary with huge square glass windows. You’ll soon be told that these windows are not just for aesthetic purposes. Avant is the first vertical development in the country to make use of the principles of “green living” and the sizeable windows are designed to, as Brittany’s very own newsletter Lifescapes explains, “utilize a cross-ventilation system that provides for naturally-ventilated hallways…and allow fresh air to come in.” It’s passive cooling at its most luxurious and felt more as you go up to the higher floors. Units also have bigger windows made of insulated glass. The prime aim: to cut out airconditioning, save energy and trim down your electricity bill.
The high-rise will also have an on-site lanai that will allow you to relax in a room with enough shade, cross-ventilation and heat-resistant, green-tinted glass. Adding to the green living principle is the fact that the Manila Golf Club is the Avant’s backyard. Some units in the 38-story residential building, will have views of the verdant, lush and peaceful expanse of this green stretch.
The units are nothing to be scoffed at either. The model unit, featuring Avant’s one-bedroom loft, displays a very sleek space with beautiful wooden block stairs, cabinets with a bleached wood finish and ample closet space.
One thing I noticed when I started looking around Avant’s one-bedroom loft model unit is how spacious the bathrooms are. The same can also be said of KL Mosaic’s toilets and baths. I don’t know if you’d agree but I find it a bit disconcerting trying to prettify and pamper myself in a space so cramped that you’d bang your elbow on wall tiles just trying to brush your teeth. Even KL Mosaic’s studio unit dedicates great space for the shower and toilet. The bathroom cuts in Brittany’s vertical projects are so spacious that you even have an option to store your laundry washer and dryer in them, either stacked one on top of each other or wedged along one wall right beside one another.
The bathroom fixtures are also ideal and were obviously not scrimped on: sleek, minimalist and very elegant, very much similar to those that they have in contemporary five-star hotels. Heaven help you if you decide on buying a condo unit based on bathroom fixtures alone, but with any of Brittany Corporation’s city high-rise developments, deciding on rainshower heads will get you far.
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To view our model units visit Brittany showroom at the ground floor, A1 First Midland Condominium, Gamboa St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.
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For inquiries and property previews, call 817-1714 or 817-1735 or visit www.brittany.com.ph.
