A partnership of heritage and experience brings upscale condo to Ayala Alabang

FRANCISCO Licuanan III, chief executive officer of GeoEstate, and Gizela Madrigal Gonzalez Montinola, chairperson of Stonebridge

Ayala Alabang district in Muntinlupa City is known as the enclave of the rich, an area where an exclusive community managed to develop its own brand of charm and appeal as the ideal place for upscale and gracious living.

This southern way of living is also apparent in the nearby bustling commercial district it has spawned, making Ayala Alabang a most-coveted address south of Manila.

Sonria, the first high-end condominium development to be built within the Madrigal Business Park in Ayala Alabang, promises to provide the same “suburban” experience and atmosphere.

“Ayala Alabang itself is quite a unique community. It’s a community that has its own character. People who grew up in Alabang or have lived there for so many years like the atmosphere. The air is cooler and the people more casual. They have come to love the place and would really like to stay,” says Gizela Madrigal Gonzalez Montinola, chairperson of Stonebridge Corp.

Partnership

Sonria project came about from the partnership between Montinola’s Stonebridge Corp. and GeoEstate Development Corp., led by Francisco Licuanan III.

Montinola, who is a Madrigal scion and whose advocacies include education, is no stranger to real estate development. Her family has been involved in a number of notable projects, which include the development of Ayala Alabang district.

Before it was developed 30 years ago, the Ayala Alabang property was a vast mango farm owned by the Madrigals. The family partnered with Ayala Corp. (which later became Ayala Land) to develop what is now known as Ayala Alabang village, Madrigal Business Park and Alabang Town Center.

Licuanan, on the other hand, is a real estate veteran, having led Ayala Land Inc. before putting up GeoEstate, which is involved in boutique-type of projects. The company’s first project is The Beacon Towers in Makati City.

U-shaped building

A U-shaped tower, Sonria rises only up to 21 floors and offers only 88 residential units. Units range from one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom to penthouse, with measurements starting at 56 square meters to 120 sq m for a three-bedroom unit. The units are priced at an average of P130,000 per square meter.

Every room in each unit are fitted with large windows that offer unobstructed views. Majority of the units face East and the amenities area, which is why the building has the unusual “U” shape.

Top designer Tina Periquet was brought in to render the building with a “human touch,” which is essentially capturing the concept of “gracious condo living” in Ayala Alabang. This is done mainly through very upscale interior finishes, features and amenities that will be enjoyed in exclusivity by a small number of residents.

“You can see the high-end nature in the finish and in the furniture,” says Francisco Licuanan III of GeoEstate.

Three things distinguish the project from other high-end developments, according to Montinola.

1Its prime location or address will be attractive to people already from Alabang. The target market primarily is young people from the Ayala Alabang village who seek independence but still want to have a home near their parents and empty nesters who would want to move to a condo because of the convenience. Sonria is also very close to Alabang Town Center.

2Sonria offers only 88 units, which is rare for a high-end residential building. Sixteen floors contain the residential units, with each floor offering only seven units. The low density assures the exclusivity and the security of the residents.

“If you notice in Makati, the condominiums that were built earlier were lower density and feature larger unit sizes, compared to what they’re doing now. In that sense, Sonria is able to do something like that in Alabang,” says Montinola.

3The project has all the hallmarks of a personal touch. Montinola, Periquet, Licuanan and rest of the people behind the project spent hours looking at the design, inspecting finishes and materials. It’s Geo’s first high-end project, and as such, it is executed meticulously and hands-on.

“I think this is the advantage of a private company. We like the idea of getting into the hands-on part of it. We can pay attention to it on a personal level. If you’re a big developer and have so many projects, you don’t have that time for a personal approach for a project,” says Licuanan.

The name Sonria means “smile” in Spanish, which generally connotes the atmosphere of happiness and lightness imbibed by the project. The colors that were chosen for the project follow the feel of Alabang.

“There’s definitely good quality and high-end feel but not extremely formal. It has the feel of the neighborhood and that particular casual aura of Alabang living,” says Montinola.

The entry of Sonria project in Ayala Alabang district is a “natural progression” of the development in the south.

According to Licuanan, the time is now perfect for condominium project in Ayala Alabang. “If you look at more broadly, development often starts with a house and lot. When real estate values start picking up, people start to look for townhouses and eventually condominium. This has happened in Makati and Ortigas areas.”

Montinola says: “We believe that it’s a project whose time has come. Sonria isn’t trying to create a real estate demand in Alabang, but rather serving a demand that is already present in the area.”