{One of the biggest changes that I noticed upon my return is the number of condominium and commercia

{One of the biggest changes that I noticed upon my return is the number of condominium and commercial development that’s happened in Manila. My childhood friend and I were brought around the model suite for this project by California-based Guillermo J. Valdez + Efre & Associates (no site?). A few features of the suite felt very “Filipino” like a maid’s quarters, additional drains in bathrooms, no dishwashers (ahem, maids), special glazing to withstand typhoons… that kind of thing. But being in the model suite kind of took me by surprise because of how well-executed it was. Maybe I was being a little stuck-up. I think the designers did a really good job of creating such a metropolitan and polished interior, which could really sell condo-living to people who might be used to living in large ancestral homes. Or not, since my friend said the whole space seemed small. It’s funny because in Toronto, this would be pretty generously sized! Here’s a link to a “video” tour of the suite.} *video tour link updated -- source link

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