Vista Residences Elevates the Quality of Housing in Quezon City with its Vista Flats

By Vernon Velasco

EARNING itself the moniker “Quezon City’s University Belt (U-Belt),” Katipunan Avenue feeds into three of Metro Manila’s, and the Philippines’s, top learning institutions—Ateneo de Manila University, Miriam College, and the University of the Philippines.

The three universities currently serve about 98,000 students—give or take a few thousand.  With the country’s student population increasing by 7 to 8 percent each year, that means the number could grow by another 6,000 in 2016.

Since not all of Quezon City’s students actually reside in the city, or even within Metro Manila, student housing is a key concern for both the schools and the parents.

While most major institutes of learning offer in-campus housing, there usually isn’t enough. Thus, the students who don’t have relatives living nearby need to find residences in the dorms and boarding houses that mushroom outside the campuses. Even this has become difficult, as the demand is exceedingly high.

Understanding how crucial education is to the country’s youth, and its very future, Vista Residences  (VRI)—the condominium arm of the country’s premier property developer, Vista Land—offers a series of towers designed specifically to cater to the needs of students and faculty.  Called the “University Series,” the eight towers already in this exemplary roster will soon be joined by the ninth, Vista Flats, ready to rise as the group’s second condominium in Katipunan Avenue.

Vista Flats: Raising the Level of Student Homes in Katipunan

Vista Flats will very soon over Quezon City’s U-Belt, right at the corner of Katipunan and B. Gonzales Street—almost directly in front of the border between Miriam College and Ateneo de Manila.

Rather uniquely laid out, the tower’s triangular footprint makes perfect use of the three-sided, more than 1,000 square-meter property.  The vertical village will rise up to 37 storeys with six for parking, two for businesses, the ground floor for commercial establishments, and an additional floor for an amenities area.  The remaining 27 storeys will be residential with 24 units per floor.

Because of its unusual shape, the unit sizes range from 18.23 to 24.42 square-meter studios, to 27.71 to 30.96 square-meter one-bedroom residences—each complete with a study and dining area, kitchen, and toilet & bath.

In the interest of motivating our students to enjoy learning and focus on their studies, Vista Flats’s 37th floor amenities area offers an e-Library, a fitness gym, a swimming pool with a sun deck, a landscaped balcony, and a multi-purpose function room for hosting school meetings or study groups.  All of the towers in the VRI University Series are equipped with these facilities.

Another interesting feature in the design of the University Series condominiums is that each building uses solar panels in an effort to decrease their carbon footprint. The solar panels will be used to power select communal areas and mobile charging stations.  Further in the future, Vista Residences hopes to use solar energy to supply even more of its buildings’ electricity needs.

Possibly more crucial, and always a key concern of the VRI group, is the students’ safety and security. Vista Flats will be designed so that its residents—and their parents—have less to worry about.  The building will be equipped with a guarded reception area and parking floors, smoke and fire alarms, sprinkler systems, back-up generators, and CCTV systems in most of the public areas. For even better safety, the main entrance of the building will be facing the quieter B. Gonzales street, instead of the rather busy and hectic Katipunan Avenue.

As part of the Vista Residences’ roster of vertical villages, Vista Flats also comes with leasing options proprietary to VRI properties and designed to take the difficulties of leasing off owners’ shoulders.  Particular to the University Series towers is the ‘Condormitel’ program.  Selected units are leased and run as dormitories. There are from two to four occupants sharing a unit.

There is also a dormitory manager who looks after the residents and enforces certain rules such as curfews and study hours. This offers the protection and discipline of a school dorm while being in a more modern and comfortable setting.

Easy Transportation, Student-Friendly Establishments, A Stone’s Throw from School… One Can’t Get a Better Location

Vista Flats is located perfectly for anyone studying or working in Ateneo, U.P. or Miriam College. Beyond being designed with features and amenities that respond to the specific needs of students and the academe, the tower stands right in the middle of one of Quezon City’s commercial and residential hubs.

With the Light Railway Transit (LRT) 2, a brisk walk or a quick ride away, residents not only have affordable and easy access to the rest of Quezon City, but also to practically most of Metro Manila as well.

At the foot of Vista Flats is an expanse of the metro’s most popular dining establishments, groceries, bookstores, gyms and internet cafés.  While right behind the frenetic Katipunan Avenue is a spread of residential villages offering a quiet and safety perimeter, as well as the places of worship that are often found within local communities.

Down Katipunan Avenue sprawls the newfangled mall—the U.P. Town Center. This allows residents more lifestyle options and a place to de-stress and bond—creating student friendships that last most lifetimes. Along Aurora Boulevard are even more commercial centers, markets, and hospitals.

With its University Series condominiums, Vista Residences is giving students better living options while in school, trusting that this, in turn, will result in helping them learn better.

An Investment in Education, a Lifestyle and the Future

Vista Residences’ University Series condominiums offer four projects that have already been completely sold out: Crown Tower University Belt, Vista 309 Katipunan, Vista Taft and 878 España. Earlier this year, the group launched Vista GL Taft, Vista Heights, just off Legarda, Vista Recto on bustling C.M. Recto Avenue, and Vista Brenthill in the country’s summer capital, Baguio City.  Vista Flats is the ninth tower of its series.

These condominiums are also amazing investments, as they are also all located within the metro’s key commercial and business centers, allowing access not just to schools and universities but also to the main places of work and entertainment, as well as to transportation hubs allowing for easy movement.

These are investments that can be passed on from one generation to the next. While the university towers were designed for the more scholarly, its sizes, values, and locations also make them perfect homes for new families, and those who work in the metro, needing a ‘halfway home’ closer to their offices.

Learn more about Vista Flats in Katipunan and the Vista Residences’ other University Series condominiums and properties. Call 650-0753; mobile number: 09998871705; or visit www.vistaresidences.com.ph.

For news and other announcements, follow vistaresidencesofficial on Facebook and vistarescondo on Instagram.