Live and Let Live

by Ana Valenzuela
Published Manila Standard Today September 8, 2011

When looking to buy property there is an age old rule: Location, location, location. This means one must consider a property’s accessibility to main thorough fares, proximity to school, churches and hospitals and shopping outlets, and whether or not it is in a flood-free area.

However, for many of us it isn’t just a dwelling place that we are looking for but also for breathing space. As the metro gets jammed, developers show their resourcefulness with condos that offer lush greeneries for tenants. Nowadays, it isn’t just a condo unit with a pool and gym but with green, open spaces with lush, shrouding trees, jogging paths that allow your kid to run around, and often even clubhouses to enjoy life. One such developer is SOC Land’s Anuva at Muntinlupa, which offers 80 per cent of open space for greeneries, and other amenities such as a lazy river, lagoon, lake, themed parks and gardens, and a yoga meditation garden.

“We have 80 percent open space. What does this mean? We are actually three times the industry standard of 30 per cent standard,” says John Paul Reyes, SOC Land president. SOC, maybe a newbie in the Real Estate biz, but it has all the backup it needs, as it is a subsidiary of South China resources, an affiliate of construction companies such as Puyat Steel Corporation, International Pipe Industries Corporation, and Puyat Flooring products.

Anuva is strategically located in Muntinlupa, along the east service road of SLEX, one kilometer from Sucat Interchange and about 10 to 15 minutes away from Makati and Alabang. Recently, the condo project had its ground breaking, vice president and Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) chairman Jejomar Binay was present at the event.

He says, “It is nice to know that here is a developer who invests in high rise. Our (HLURB) idea is that from Pampanga to Manila, Manila to Calamba is that the development would be medium rise so that the land would not be put to waste. If you build single detach, the land would not be maximize. But if you go with medium rise or high rise with open spaces and basic facilities are added then land would not be put to waste.”

Also present was renowned landscape architect Paulo Alacazren who is working on Anuva.

“For Anuva we started with understanding what cosmopolitan Filipinos needed and wanted, and what would make the project distinctive and delightful at the same time. The formula we developed includes the ingredients of extensive green spaces, expansive water in ponds, pool and fountains, and extremely fun and fascinating amenities,” he shares.

“The extensive green includes over 300 shade trees and palms, close to 100,000 shrubs and close to 3,000 square meters of lawns and ground covers. The expansive water includes several fountain, ponds and pools totaling 1,800 square meters. The extremely fun and fascinating amenities including play courts, playgrounds, jogging paths and lanais and al fresco nooks in between buildings cover another 2,000 square meters or so of wonderfully open space accessible and distributed among all the units of the development,”adds Alcazaren.

Aside from the open spaces, Anuva would have its distinctive look as it would be in tandem style, 14 and 20 floor residential towers. The units would range from 22 square meters studio units to 54 square meters two bedroom units. “The second biggest feature that we have, if you noticed some developers give you a rectangular shaped unit, what we have are square units. It makes for an easier problem, if you want to call it that. The problem of furnishing, it’s difficult to find good furnishings at an affordable price, and then you also have a problem with furnishing your unit,” says Reyes.

The square units provide better ventilation and would be a lot easier to furnish as condo units would be delivered to buyers bare. This, according to Reyes is another advantage of the projects. Clients can choose the interiors that are more suited to their needs, plus it would not be part of their mortgage, unlike in furnished condos.

Space is now something to consider when signing for a check for a real estate buy. Picture your children frolicking around the condo’s amenities without you having to worry while relaxing in a comfy residence. Spacious indeed.