Got a spare $1 million to spend on a luxurious new apartment in downtown Kyiv? If you have, better hurry up and reserve a place in St. Sofia Brama, one of the capital's most prestigious new housing developments.
Around 20 of the 26 available apartments in the newly refurbished building have already been sold. Prices range from $396,000 to $940,000 for apartments, which depending on their design, are from 198 to 470 square meters in area.
'St. Sofia Brama charges very high prices,' the deputy director of project manager HCM Property Management Gmbh Vadym Kushnikov said. 'But we've had no difficulty in selling our apartments, even at these prices,' he adds.
So what does the well-to-do homeowner get for his cool million. First and foremost, it's location, location, location.
St. Sofia Brama, as the name suggests, rubs shoulders with one of Kyiv's most famous historic monuments – the 11th century St. Sofia Cathedral.
The elite apartment block stands on 20-22 Volodymyrska. With five floors (each with a prestigious 3.8 meters ceiling height, and a two-story attic on the fifth floor), 10,000 square meters in floor space, the renovated building combines classic Kyiv 19th-century architecture with the latest in modern amenities.
Apartments come with a back-up electrical generator, independent gas-fired water boiler, digital phone lines and satellite TV connection.
According to Kushnikov, St. Sophia Brama is the first residential building to boast a state-of-the-art central air conditioning and fresh air supply system.
'The winter average temperature in apartments is about 22 degrees C, while the summer average temperature reaches 24 degrees C,' Kushnikov says.
The building's underground parking area has space for 100 cars – enough space for every member of the family to have secure parking for their vehicle.
The security of the apartment block itself is provided 24 hours a day by a private security firm.
Other conveniences include Klemann high-speed hydraulic elevators, and heating cables in the roof, which prevent the buildup of dangerous icicles on the edge of the roof in winter.
Work on the building is nearing completion. The owner of the property is Servis Zhytlobud, which won a tender from Kyiv City Administration to renovate the historic building. Local building company YugoZapadTransStroy is contracted to handle on-site construction work.
'Servis Zhytlobud won the remodeling tender last year, under the rules set by Kyiv's city administration,' Kushnikov says. 'No one could believe that a local company managed to find funds to forge ahead with this ambitious project.'
As well as residential space, the building includes on the first floor 11 blocks of retail space, ranging from 170 square meters to 260 square meters in area.
Anna Stepanenko can be reached at [email protected].
