Thin pickings in property awards
Phuket usually grabs a stack of silverware in the Asia Pacific section of the annual International Property Awards. But this year, possibly in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, entries from the island were thin on the ground, and just two Phuket entrants won their classes.
Kata Rocks Club Penthouse (CG image) won the Best Apartment in Asia Pacific award.
Each year, the various entries are ranked with either five stars or a “highly commended”. Of the five-star entries, one is chosen as winner in the category, but all five-starred entries go through to the international finals, sponsored this year by Bloomberg TV.
Kata Rocks took first place in the Best Apartment class for its Club Penthouse. It also received a “highly commended in the Best Development” class. It is currently under construction at the tip of the headland between Kata and Kata Noi beaches, at the behest of investors headed by British developer Richard Pope.
The clifftop Villa Amanzi won the Best Architecture (Single Unit) for Originla Vision.
Winner of the Best Architecture (Single Unit) award was Hong Kong-based Original Vision (which has an office in Phuket), for its design of the six-bedroom Villa Amanzi at Cape Sol on millionaires’ mile in Kamala. Like Kata Rocks, this huge private villa perches high over the sea, with wide views of the ocean.
In terms of exposure, Original Vision are probably the biggest winners in the contest – they are also the architects for Kata Rocks, with the Phuket office handling project management.
Baan Yamu Phase II received five stars in the Best Architecture (Multiple Units) class – design by Tierra Design. It also picked up a highly commended in the Best Development class – as did Kata Rocks.
One final Phuket award: realestate.phuket.net, the real estate arm of hotel booking giant Phuket.Com, snagged a highly commended in the Best Real Estate Agency Website category.
The lists of winner in the awards can be seen here.
