Vermosa: Your way to everyday active living

The concept of wellness has become an increasingly important global movement over the last decade and the Philippines is by no means, exempt from it.

Wellness, defined by the Global Wellness Institute as “the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health”, is the new norm sought by many Filipinos today—whether in the workplace, in a public sphere, a travel destination, a community, or even right within their own homes.

This explains the growing popularity of fitness gyms, wellness studios, nutrition centers, which all seek to empower both mind and body. 

Filipinos are also more drawn now to the lush greenery of parks and open spaces, and travel destinations that would allow them to flex and enhance their fitness in varied outdoor activities. Working Filipinos tend to opt for companies that offer a more conducive environment and encourage activities that foster one’s well-being. Naturally, this growing segment would also gravitate towards communities and homes, where they can freely and readily lead a healthy, active lifestyle within a safe, self-contained environment.

Accelerating the active lifestyle 

At the south of Metro Manila is a 700-hectare expanse where a seasoned property developer is focusing precisely on the Filipinos’ increasingly active and healthy lifestyle.

At Vermosa, Ayala Land Inc. is redefining modern suburban living with the provision of pioneering athletic amenities, perhaps, the first development to do so in the country. Beyond the usual offerings that make a community livable and sustainable, Vermosa is well poised to help you chart your own road to wellness.

“To realize our vision for Vermosa, we looked at market trends that will impact on how people live in the future,” said Jay Teodoro, estate head of Vermosa.

“People are becoming health conscious. You’ll see that with the proliferation of gyms and healthy packaged food. They are also spending more time and money to engage in physical activities, and we felt that there was a market for people who want to live a healthy and active lifestyle,” Teodoro explained.

Seeing that there were no facilities or access to facilities that would enable the market to do that along the Cavite and Daang Hari corridor, Ayala Land masterplanned Vermosa as a mixed-use, sustainable estate focused on giving Filipinos the opportunity to live a healthy and active lifestyle.

Impressive centerpiece

At the heart of this masterplanned estate is an impressive centerpiece—the focal point that makes Vermosa truly exceptional and one-of-a-kind.

The 8-hectare Vermosa Sports Hub, which opened its doors to the public in 2018, is a complete, one-stop training and lifestyle destination for triathletes and sports enthusiasts. Here, the public can have access to professionally-managed sports facilities that adhere to international standards. 

For instance, Vermosa Sports Hub has an Olympic-size pool equipped with the latest Anti-wave starting blocks and an automated Omega timing system, and the only IAAF Certified nine-lane track oval in the Philippines.

“We decided to open Vermosa Sports Hub to the public on a pay per use basis instead of selling membership shares. We also made our rates affordable, comparable with that of the public sports facilities, primarily to give more Filipinos access to international-standard sports facilities,” Teodoro said.

The creation of the Vermosa Sports Hub dovetails with the vision of Ayala Corp., the parent company of Ayala Land, to advocate and further promote sports in the country to help build the next Olympian. It would thus be crucial that the Ayala Group makes this hub all the more accessible to everyone.

As it is, the Vermosa Sports Hub is enjoying a flurry of activities for corporate events and school activities. New facilities are also being built to fulfill its vision for sports development. 

“We are further expanding our sports facilities. Vermosa Sports Hub now has a football field and by next year, we’ll be adding competition lights in the track oval, an athlete’s dormitory and a warm up pool which is a requirement to host international swimming competitions. We hope to also introduce an archery range and put up an indoor multipurpose sports facility for several types of indoor sports including basketball, volleyball and badminton,” he added.

In December, Vermosa Sports Hub will be hosting Underwater Hockey for the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games).

A home in Vermosa

Future residents of Vermosa can expect to be near the modern conveniences and business districts of Metro Manila, courtesy of existing major thoroughfares like the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway, South Luzon 

Expressway, and soon, the Cavite-Laguna Expressway. These road networks pave the way towards the next growth center of Southern Luzon.   

The 700-hectare Vermosa is situated along the Daang Hari corridor and spans the cities of Imus and Dasmariñas in Cavite. The fourth-largest estate in Ayala Land’s portfolio,  it was meant to redefine suburban living for the next generation with its pioneering athletic amenities and pedestrian-friendly environment.

Generous open spaces await residents, locators, and guests as 24 percent of the entire development will be devoted to parks and gardens. A 14-kilometer stretch called the Vermosa Greenway will encourage people to walk, jog or explore their neighborhood on foot while dedicated bike lanes make it easier to take a bike to work.

A 124-hectare central business district is meanwhile rising at the heart of Vermosa where office buildings, commercial lots and other establishments and institutions will offer an unparalleled level of ease and convenience for anyone who will live or work here. 

Apart from  De La Salle Zobel Vermosa Campus which has been operational for two years now, and the Vermosa Sports Hub, homebuyers can also look forward to Ayala Malls Vermosa, a transport terminal, motocross tracks, transient retail, a church, and the Campus Town, which will comprise of commercial lots for sale.

Upon its expected full development over the next decade, Vermosa will have 3.5 million sqm meters of built-up area with at least 30,000 residents or 6,000 households and a daytime population of 500,000 workers.

Cohesive plan

“This is the biggest development along Daang Hari Road and the only integrated, masterplanned, mixed-use  development in this area in Cavite. It’s a prime property where we are integrating all the components needed to have that active and healthy lifestyle that Filipinos deserve,” Teodoro said.

Apart from the Vermosa Sports Hub, the whole estate was designed so that everything conforms with that value proposition of providing healthy and active living.  

Ayala Malls Vermosa, which will open next year, plans to have about 40 percent of its tenants engaged in the business in health and wellness. There will also be bike paths and parking facilities while some of the open spaces, where people can walk, jog or run, will feature outdoor exercise equipment.

“We are happy to note that Vermosa continues to be successful in the sense that its value proposition is working. People are investing in Vermosa because they either want or they already live an active lifestyle,” Teodoro further said.

There is no doubt that Vermosa offers a safe and secure neighborhood, a complete and self-contained community, and a highly conducive environment where you are primed and poised to reach your goals, raise your families, and more importantly, nurture your health and wellness—all geared towards uplifting the quality of lives of the residents.