Mixed use office residential developments

Property giant Federal Land Inc. has its origins as a hobby of the late business magnate and Metrobank group founder George S.K. Ty. Five decades later, the builder is betting its future on a sprawling partnership with Nomura Real Estate (NRE) Development Co. Ltd., one of Japan’s top developers, to bring Japanese technology and aesthetics to the Philippine property market. The two real estate powerhouses teamed up to form Federal Land NRE Global Inc. (FNG), the vehicle that would develop a series of townships across the country, including a 100-hectare Japanese “smart city” in Cavite and a mixed-use project along Manila Bay. Federal Land chair Alfred Ty said on Tuesday investments could reach roughly $2 billion in less than a decade. Other local developers have expanded into townships, which typically refer to masterplanned communities offering a combination of residential, commercial and office projects, but Ty said FNG would go beyond this model. “FNG is looking at offering … [Read more...] about Federal Land, Nomura to build ‘smart’ Japanese townships

It is tempting for jaded observers to think of Mayor Abby Binay’s move last week to declare a “state of climate emergency” in Makati City as a gimmick to buttress her position at the top of the political hierarchy of one of the country’s wealthiest local government units (LGUs) and premier business hub. But to do so would be to dismiss unfairly all the good that the policy pronouncement can bring to the city and, ultimately, to the rest of the country if this experiment is executed properly and ends up achieving its goals. A cursory glance at the city will reveal that, while its central business district is dominated by high rise buildings and gleaming skyscrapers, many residential areas along its fringes are less affluent and particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Yes, Makati City has its share of densely packed and densely populated neighborhoods that are not part of its iconic skyline. In these parts, pollution caused by human activities is high and, when … [Read more...] about Makati’s climate leadership

This story is part of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business 2022 . Explore the full list of innovators who broke through this year—and had an impact on the world around us. advertisement advertisement Picture the coolest, most ridiculously awesome room you can imagine. Maybe it’s got a golf simulator and a billiards table, or radiant-heat floors, or polychromatic India Mahdavi furniture, or meticulously cultivated hygge. Whatever it is, whatever you’re envisioning, it would be even better if it had a secret door leading to another room. And of course, a secret door has to reveal itself in some sick way, like how you run through a wall to get to track 9 3⁄4, or wade through a coat closet to get to Narnia, or turn a bronze eagle on a bookshelf, or push the correct button on a soda machine. It can’t just be a switch labeled secret door, though that’d be kind of funny. That kind of meta humor would be very on-brand for Mark Rober, except … [Read more...] about How Mark Rober became the Willy Wonka of engineering

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin There are countless ways for one to connect with a destination. For the gastronome, local flavors are telling of a country’s diverse culinary culture. Art and design enthusiasts will most likely head to museums, architectural landmarks and gallery spaces as a means for enriching the travel experience. Adventure seekers will head to less-beaten paths, all in search of an adrenaline rush. For the beauty and wellness advocate, healing traditions of a region are the biggest draws for packing a bag and hopping on a plane. It was in May of this year when Malaysia finally opened its borders to foreign visitors. It had been over a decade since my last visit to the beautiful Southeast Asian federal country. A full spa tour itinerary was an opportunity to return and get to know the Malay Peninsula better. YTL Hotels’ Spa Village was an irresistible concept that inspired me to finally book my ticket and make room reservations after … [Read more...] about Reconnect With Self Love And The Divine Feminine At Tanjong Jara Resort’s Spa Village

MANILA, Philippines — The government is pushing for the country’s reliance on indigenous power resources to cut high electricity rates in the country, according to Malacañang. “This move aims to reduce the country’s dependence on importation of power resources over the past years, as ordered by President Marcos to the Department of Energy (DOE),” Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said in a statement posted on the Facebook page of her office. Angeles, who joined a press briefing with Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla on Tuesday, said that he had vowed that the government would “develop measures to reduce the Philippines’ dependence on power resources from other countries.” Citing data from the DOE, Angeles said that 56.8 percent of the country’s energy needs were imported while 43.2 percent was from local sources. In his first State of the Nation Address on July 25,  Marcos said the government must build new power plants and push for the use of renewable energy to lower the … [Read more...] about Malacañang seeks shift to local power sources

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Apple is under fire for relenting to pressure from the Chinese government and removing a controversial app that the authorities in Hong Kong claim is being used by protesters to track the movements of the police. The issue for Apple is that this came within a day of Chinese state media threatening the U.S. firm with “consequences” for its “reckless” decision to allow HKMap Live into its App Store. This situation has been a PR nightmare for Apple. HKMap Live was originally submitted to the App Store on September 21, rejected on September 26, resubmitted on October 2, rejected again the same day. Then it was approved on October 5 and rejected again on October 9, after those threats. Dizzying. The threats had come in the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. “Nobody wants to drag Apple into the lingering unrest in Hong Kong,” it warned, “but people have reason to assume that Apple is … [Read more...] about China Threats Force Apple Retreat

- A + A (Aug 9): China’s top auditor is conducting a review of the US$3 trillion trust industry, paving the way for a potential overhaul of a key shadow banking sector where losses on property loans are mounting. In an unscheduled move, the National Audit Office — which previously led an examination of bank exposures to Jack Ma’s Ant Group Co — has for the past month been inspecting the books of at least 20 trust firms, including the top five, to gauge the risks they pose to financial stability, according to people familiar with the matter. The firms are being asked to report on their risky loans to developers and any plans to dispose of them, the people said, asking not to be named as they’re not authorised to speak publicly. The audit office is expected to submit its conclusions to policy makers in Beijing, who may decide on the future reforms of the sector, the people said. While it is unclear what regulatory action the scrutiny will spur, the move illustrates … [Read more...] about China orders surprise audit of US$3 trillion trust industry

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Continuing my search for examples of Practical AI , I found a great one in a recent discussion with Vipin Gopal, chief data and analytics officer at Eli Lilly, the $28.31 billion (2021 revenues) pharmaceutical company. It’s practical because it demonstrates how the recent advancements in machine learning, specifically deep learning’s success at analyzing images, can be shown to quantifiably improve a traditional process, in this case in manufacturing. Gopal reported that inspecting the quality of the syringes Lilly produces used to be done manually. The process was then automated using a vision system to find defective syringes. But now, with deep learning algorithms, the overall accuracy of the system improved, with about 20% of previously discarded syringes proven to be non-defective. This resulted in reduced downtime and did not even require replacing the existing hardware component of the system. Another example of … [Read more...] about Eli Lilly And Parexel Talk About The ROI Of Practical AI

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. (File photo) Dear Reader , A day before the monetary policy announcement, the yield on the 10-year bond fell sharply on a media report that the MPC would signal a pause after Friday’s hike. Thankfully, the MPC held firm, refusing to oblige the bond markets. Not only did it increase the repo rate by 50 basis points, but also the MPC signalled more rate hikes in future by refusing to tone down its ‘withdrawal of accommodation’ stance. Much is being made of the fact that the policy rate is now at the pre-pandemic level. At 5.4 percent, the repo rate is now back to where it was in September 2019. But that is n​o big deal. GDP growth was a measly 3.7 percent in 2019-20 compared to RBI’s projection of 7.2 percent in 2022-23; retail inflation was a much lower 4.8 percent in 2019-20, compared to a projected 6.7 percent for 2022-23; the current account deficit was a comfortable 0.9 percent of GDP in 2019-20 as against projections of around 3 percent … [Read more...] about Moneycontrol Pro Weekender | Shaktikanta Das refuses to pivot

People think that you need a utility patent in order to license an invention. But that's not the case. Design patents have more value than they used to. Recently, I helped two orthodontists license a simple improvement in their field using a design patent. I've been told many times that design patents don't have a lot of value. However, if an invention must be shaped a certain way to work correctly -- which was true in their case -- a design patent may afford some protection on the overall appearance. (Particularly if a utility patent is still pending or unobtainable.) In this way, a design patent can still be a significant barrier to competitors. Dr. Christopher Cetta of St. Petersburg, Florida and his partner Dr. Richard Kaye from Moorestown, New Jersey specialize in straightening teeth and correcting bites. In an interview, Cetta described the origin of his dental invention the Precision Aligner Button . "Clear plastic aligners are being used in orthodontics … [Read more...] about How to License a Design Patent