Youssef Akila, Head of Design for Masterise Homes, shares how the art of ‘world-class’ standards in luxury real estate projects can elevate the living experience of its residents

From your international experience in architecture, how do you define a luxury real estate residential project?

A luxury product can never be defined by criteria, formula or a set of finishes present within a product. Luxury is felt with all five senses and not just by what meets the eye. It is about comfort, convenience, security, exclusivity, sophistication, and a healthy amount of refined taste. Luxury can be found in the little details of design, to the smell of air we breathe, and everything in between. It is about elevating the wellbeing of the user.

You worked in Dubai for approximately 10 years. What is your opinion of luxury real estate in Dubai compared to in Viet Nam?

In Dubai, this segment has started growing as a direct result of the demand, reaching maturity when competition across this segment became intense and developers competed towards offering a higher level of luxury just to get noticed.

Meanwhile, in Việt Nam, there is much room for growth within the luxury segment. It is important to note that the region has strong fundamentals to allow for this segment to grow rapidly. We anticipate for it to catch up with international standards and to be in sync with major cities across the world in no time.

As the Head of Design for Masterise Homes, can you share the design philosophy of Masterise Homes?

Building up a unique and recognisable identity is the top priority in our design. We have been constantly refining and evolving that identity to stay ahead in this domain.

Our design philosophy starts and ends with the customers. We pride ourselves as being a customer-centric developer, constantly exploring ways to add value to our product, enriching our customers' way of living, and making their lives a bit more convenient while maintaining high-quality standards.

While we do have a separate set of design standards for each of our segments to differentiate our products, we embark on designing each project to be a unique one, exploring design opportunities that are unique to the location, and in line with the desired market positioning.

Why does Masterise Homes aim for world-class design standards in its developments? How can those design standards differentiate its developments from other projects in the same segment in Việt Nam?

We believe there is a huge demand for bringing world-class real-estate property to the Việt Nam market. With design being an integral part of creating that product, we place much emphasis on the design aspect and the process by which it is executed.

It is important to note that “world-class standard” is neither a slogan nor a way for us to promote our products. It is simply a term to bring best engineering practices to the Việt Nam market, as well as to bring in tested design principles that aim to develop unmatched products.

What is the strategy of Masterise Homes to bring world-class design to Việt Nam?

At Masterise Homes, our internal teams are diverse and come from many different countries and backgrounds. We see this as  an essential process to bring in the checks and balances needed to deliver a world-class design to the Việt Nam market.

With this wealth of expertise coupled with partnering with top international design firms, our product develops as a natural result of a well-thought-out design process creating unparalleled real estate projects.

Our design partners are carefully selected based on a long list of criteria and a stringent internal evaluation process. We are constantly on the lookout for well-versed consultants that can bring in an international design flair while also having a proven track record of delivering world-class projects within the region.

Asian people like to incorporate feng shui into the design of their homes. Does Masterise Homes apply some feng shui into its projects?

It is part of our responsibility to align our designs with local cultures and practices in order for a design to function in a manner suitable to how people live. That being said, feng shui is a set of principles which focuses on energy forces and ways to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. To that end, we view feng shui as an integral aspect that complements our designs and makes it more holistic -- thus worthy of embracing as much as possible.