The Ayala Streets Lights Up Again For The Holidays

We all have yearly traditions. For me, I go to Ayala Triangle in Makati to see the lights that extends from Paseo De Roxas, Makati avenue and Ayala Avenue for the holiday season. This year, the theme is church altars of five Philippine churches like San Sebastian in Manila, San Miguel Archangel in Cebu, Molo Church in Iloilo, Immaculate Concepcion in Jasaan, Northern Mindanao and the Sanctuario de San Antonio in Makati.

It followed suit after previous year when the church structure was the theme. In addition of the altars, there are also Pinoy Christmas themed totems. This was designed by Zenas Pineda, a seasoned interior designer specializing in visual merchandising, who has been designing for Ayala Land street lights for seven years now.

This coming Friday night, the Ayala Triangle will once again feature the lights and sounds show and for the first time, it's a Disney theme.

Changing the Game: Ayala Land Pioneers Healthy and Active Living with Vermosa Sports Hub

Press release

MANILA, Philippines — January 2018. Ayala Land continues to redefine suburban living through Vermosa — a master planned community that thrives in fueling one’s passion for a healthy and active lifestyle.

                                                 

With over 700-hectares, Vermosa is currently the fourth largest mixed-use estate of Ayala Land Inc. It will be home to 6,000 households that highlight the diverse living options with the presence of four of ALI’s residential brands – Ayala Land Premier, Alveo, Avida and Amaia.

To complement the diverse lifestyles each brand offers, Vermosa is also set to debut the Vermosa Sports Hub.

Vermosa Sports Hub, the premier destination for sports enthusiasts

The Vermosa Sports Hub is set to rise as a premier destination for triathletes, sports enthusiasts, and individuals who want to pursue a healthy and active lifestyle.  Designed specifically to offer a seamless integration of facilities and sports-related lifestyle elements, it’s meant to be a complete destination designed specifically to provide an effective and complete training experience for athletes.  Aside from the sports facilities, other components are also designed to promote healthy and active living.  The mall will highlight health and sports merchants for retail, while bike lanes, jogging, and biking trails will be available all over Vermosa. 

To back this up, the Vermosa Sports Hub will feature several groundbreaking firsts. It will be home to an Olympic-sized pool and an Oval Track follows International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) standards. To complete the development is a Sports Science Laboratory. “The Vermosa Sports Hub will be a perfect venue for professional triathletes and ordinary athletes who want to professionalize their training,” shares Jay Teodoro, Estate Head of Vermosa.

The Sante Fitness Lab

In partnership with Sante International, known as one of the fastest growing global providers of organic health and wellness products and services, Vermosa Sports Hub will be home to the a 800-square meter Sante Fitness Lab.

This partnership is geared towards creating an environment where people can hone their athletic skills, with a long-term objective of nurturing athletes who can be trained for international competitions, and in the future, bring home more medals and recognition for the country.

“Sante is a company with a very strong involvement in wellness and sports.  They are of course renowned for their health and wellness products and services, however, their dedication to health and wellness extends beyond their products.  Sante supports its own triathlon team and operates a fitness center dedicated to enhance fitness and athletic performance. Their CEO Joey Marcelo is an avid triathlete himself, and we believe that his personal experience and drive is where the company’s passion for health and fitness emanates from.

This passion is perfectly aligned with what we wanted to achieve in Vermosa – to create a modern community that promotes healthy and active living.” – Jay Teodoro, Estate Head, Vermosa”

Beyond national recognition and development of potential Olympians, the partnership is a tangible demonstration of two organizations taking a more active role in ensuring a healthy and active lifestyle for an increasingly sedentary generation.

“Sante Fitness Lab is also going to be a major leap in Philippine sports as the upcoming world-class center will feature a first-of-its-kind combination of facilities in the country. We envision it to become a one-stop venue for people who are pursuing a healthy and active lifestyle whether they are into competitive sports or they are common individuals seeking to lead an active life,” Joey Marcelo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sante International, said.

The facility will feature a strength and conditioning fitness facility, sports rehab areas, a dance studio, a spinning class area, bike shop and services, a nutrition and fitness café, VO2 max/lactate testing, plus conference and lecture rooms. All these go hand in hand in creating a space especially primed for the driven and the determined.

“Our new venture with Ayala Land will serve as an inspiration to other organizations to incorporate health and wellness into their course of doing business and contribute to their industry and the community. The direction of Vermosa is to promote healthy and active living, which is very much aligned with Sante’s vision of becoming a global provider of premier wellness products and services and our mission of helping people live better lives,” Marcelo adds.

Verde + Mossa

Vermosa was coined from two Latin words, Verde and Mossa. “Verde”, meaning green, references the lush environment within the healthy, sustainable, and suburban living concept of the estate. “Mossa,” meaning movement, represents the active elements of the project.  Combined, Vermosa represents a modern suburban community that promotes healthy and active living that stays true to its name.

With the goal of providing a premier training venue anchored on international standards, Vermosa Sports Hub is engineered to be a comprehensive one-stop training and lifestyle destination for everyone — whether you’re a casual sports enthusiast seeking to indulge in a more active way of life, or a serious athlete in need of a venue that will support your dream.

“One thing’s for sure – it’s engineered to be the home of those who choose to never settle for anything less,” Teodoro shares.

Watch out for it’s official public opening in the first quarter of 2018.

Pop-Up Town at Circuit and Arca South

Last year, I was able to go to last year’s Christmas Bazaar at Circuit Makati. I was able to buy the stuff I need from this bazaar. This is the only time of the year that this bazaar showcase stuff you don’t see in malls. I bought an educational toy for my baby nephew.

Now called as Pop-Up Town, Ayala Land once again will hold the bazaar not only in Circuit but also in Arca South in Taguig. There will be booths for fashion, locally made products, Celebrity Avenue where the stars will sell their products, and Mercato Centrale for pigging out.

The newest part of Pop-Up Town is the giant inflatable obstacle course by WOR. The Circuit leg of Pop-Up Town will be on Nov. 17 to 19 and the booths will go to Arca South on Dec. 2 to 3. The good thing about this bazaar is you don’t need to rush to a mall and braced the holiday traffic rush.

For more updates at Ayala Land, follow this blog and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

The Flats: Calling the City Home

Press release

Ayala Land Inc. introduces the co-living concept for young professionals in Makati.

Living in the heart of this country’s bustling business district certainly has its advantages—accessibility to work, being a stone’s throw away from commercial, recreation and leisure destinations, and the opportunity to check out diverse shopping and dining options when the mood calls for it.

These perks of city living, which ultimately draws young professionals to call the city home, are also the main reasons why it’s hard for them to do so. All this convenience and practicality, fused with bustling activity and diversity comes at a price.

“There’s something very aspirational about living in the middle of a thriving city like Makati. And our latest project hopes to make this ideal accessible to everyone. Makati is home to a very diverse set of professionals—including young ones who are just starting out, typically from the fast growing BPO industry, as well as other corporate and institutional locators,” explains Ms. Shiella Aguilar, Project Development Manager of Ayala Land’s Strategic Land Bank Management Group.

While certainly not limited to these fields, it’s undeniable that the demands of today’s workplace require more time from employees. The competition is tougher, and the challenges are more stressful. And one aspect that can help them manage their work-life balance better is being able to call the city home—a place where they can easily retreat to after a hard day’s work, without having to trudge through hours of traffic.

This is where Ayala Land Inc.’s pioneering vision behind The FLATS comes in. The Flats offers innovative and affordable co-living spaces that cater to young urban professionals.

“To serve the new breed of office workers, we created the concept which breaks out of the model of a typical Ayala Land product.  It is the company's first ‘residential for lease only’ development and is expected to raise the bar on co-living given the combined best practices from the residential, retail, office and hotel businesses,” adds Ms. Aguilar.

The FLATS would allow for young professionals, just starting out to live right at the heart of the city. Designed to provide co-living accommodations, employees now have the option to enjoy living near work, avoiding lengthy daily commutes and enjoying all the benefits of urban living. 

Designing the product with the millennial market in mind, Ayala Land takes a pioneering approach to project development. This meant exploring beyond the company’s common practices and methodologies on design, procurement, construction and operations.

The first building is set to rise at Amorsolo corner Dela Rosa St. in Makati. It will have 15 storeys with 22 square meter residential units that can accommodate a maximum of four occupants. There will be a total of 196 rooms and 728 beds. Each room is thoughtfully designed to offer built-in beds, workstations and ample storage, as well as a kitchen and toilet/bathroom. The building is internet and cable ready and will also provide ample security, key card access for residents, basic retail amenities such as laundry shops, a water refilling station, and a convenience store at the ground floor. 

The Flats delivers an affordable product that is benchmarked on the Ayala Land brand, allowing young professionals to enjoy comforts such as having a safe and secure environment and convenient access to the city and its amenities.

The Flats Amorsolo is located a few steps away from the Dela Rosa Walkway, making it conducive for residents to walk to their place of work. It will also be near Ayala Land’s upcoming two-tower mixed-use development that will house multinational and BPO offices, a 10,000 square meter retail podium devoted to dining and shopping destinations, as well as the 312-room Seda Hotel.

Makati has always been at the top of its game in providing service to individuals from all walks of life. With The FLATS Amorsolo, people can have the opportunity to live with ease, and feel the dynamism of the city that makes it happen-- truly an exciting and pioneering concept that will entice more of today’s young professionals to call Makati City their home. The Flats will also be offered in other estates of Ayala Land.

Vermosa adds Lasallian excellence in its community, opens to SHS students

Press release

Ayala Land, Inc.’s (ALI) Vermosa – a first of its kind in mixed-use destination and the fourth largest estate of ALI – recently added Lasallian excellence in its community with the opening of the De La Salle Santiago Zobel School (DLSZ) Vermosa Campus. On June 21, 2017 the DLSZ- Vermosa Campus in Imus, Cavite started its Senior High School (SHS) classes.

The 700-hectare estate brings together residential, retail, and business spots in one destination bolstered by sports and fitness amenities. The DLSZ-Vermosa Campus is located within the Vermosa Midtown, a pedestrian-focused, bike-friendly area, home to a campus-type commercial district with a lifestyle mall from Ayala Malls as well as the Vermosa Sports and Lifestyle Complex.

DLSZ-Vermosa houses three primary school zones—Academic, Sports, and Cultural. Within the zones, there are different modern facilities such as classrooms, laboratories, and faculty centers. Inside the Academic Zone are the administration building, middle (junior) and senior high school halls, and the Spark Building. There is also a premium sports complex—with a Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)-certified track oval and football field—together with a performing arts theatre, among others.

A unique feature of the estate is the Vermosa Sports & Lifestyle Complex that will have the Philippines’ first Fédération internationale de natation (FINA)-certifiable Olympic-sized swimming pool, the country’s first International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)-certified oval track, motocross track, bike trail, and the Philippines’ first Sports Science Laboratory that can serve as a training facility for DLSZ’s athletes. These facilities and features position DLSZ-Vermosa as a top-notch educational institution in the south within an estate that bolsters an active lifestyle and well-balanced family life.

Lasallian excellence and experience

The School Administrators and all the SHS teachers warmly welcomed the students in the Academic Year 2017-2018 to the Vermosa Campus. With the new SHS Building, students get to experience and enjoy state-of-the-art facilities.

The DLSZ-Vermosa Campus is set to ignite the spark of each Lasallian student as it continues to provide a world-class, learner-centered environment that produces lifelong learners who are reflective, creative, critical thinkers and problem-solvers in a transformative and innovative learning environment. It is envisioned to be a trailblazer in technology-supported learning in the Philippine education through “next generation blended learning (NxGBL).” This kind of learning is the incorporation of the use of technology into classroom teaching and learning.

The Senior High School program will continue to uphold a dynamic learning community through its existing student curriculum in the fields of academics, science and technology, sports, arts and music. Further, it aims to produce Lasallian graduates who are college-ready, career-ready and life-ready.

Ayala Land beyond Trinoma: Vertis North

Ayala Mall Trinoma is one of the busiest malls along EDSA. Not only that it is strategically located near the MRT North EDSA station, it also provides the transport terminal for commuters. Ayala Land continues to provide more options to than just malling.

Ayala Land introduces the Vertis North. Located just few-minute walk from Trinoma, situated the Seda Hotel Vertis North. Sedi Hotel offers not just temporary accommodation but also offers venue for different functions like events, parties, seminar and press conference like the one we just had.

We also toured Seda’s pool area, gym and of course, the rooms. Sedi Hotel is not the only facility in Vertis North. Ayala Mall has another mall in Vertis North. What makes it different from Trinoma is the cinema that housed a big movie screen that rivaled any IMAX screen. The seats are very comfortable and positioned like an amphitheater type that elevates from each row. On the rear, there are special Lazy Boy seats. We watched Transformers: The Last Knight because it was shot with IMAX cameras and it fit perfectly with the big screen.

Future movie premieres would be very exciting when it will be held in Vertis North Cinema. For more updates on Ayala Land and Vertis North, follow this blog and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.