In a market that is no stranger to ultra-luxury residential developments, AKAI Estates is grabbing the attention of high-profile buyers looking to create their own private sanctuary in South Florida.
AKAI Estates has carved out 44 acres that will accommodate 16 custom homes in one of the few places left in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area where people can still escape the crowds, the high-rise condos and shoulder-to-shoulder living. The new development is situated in Southwest Ranches, an area that offers quiet, rural-like living, while still being a short drive – or helicopter ride – to all that Miami and Fort Lauderdale have to offer from sporting events and entertainment to culture and nightlife.
“There are almost no large blocks of land left in South Florida. So, when we came across this property six years ago, we immediately saw the opportunity to develop a boutique project that we could set apart from anything else that was being built,” says Alex Yokana, co-developer of AKAI Estates. After navigating the challenging process of acquiring the land, entitlement and permitting, AKAI Estates is now moving forward and quickly gaining momentum.
“This area has attracted a lot of business professionals and celebrities who are seeking large areas where they can have their own haven at home,” says Yokana. The master plan for AKAI Estates caters to people who want the ability to create a private home that fits their lifestyle. Each estate will be set on a 2-acre lot with floor plans that range in size between 8,000 and 15,000 square feet.
Rather than selling 16 pre-built homes, the development team is taking a design-build approach that allows the buyer to customize their home to fit their family and their lifestyle. “Where we really differentiate ourselves is that we’re giving our buyers a curated experience where they can interact with the architect,” says Michael Sochaczevski, co-developer of AKAI Estates. And the master designer and design consultant on the project is a big name in the architecture world – internationally acclaimed architect Vasco Vieira, founder and head architect of the Portugal-based firm Vasco Vieira Arquitectos.
Buying a Vasco Vieira home
AKAI Estate marks Vieira’s first residential project in the U.S. and a rare opportunity for buyers to own a Vasco Vieira home. Vieira has emerged as a “starchitect” in Europe who is known for his large, spacious, modern homes that are really art pieces, notes Bento Queiroz, senior vice president of luxury sales in the Bento Queiroz Group under Compass. The Bento Queiroz Team is the exclusive sales team for the development. “When you look at his designs, you can clearly see that it is a Vasco Vieira house. People really attach his name to the sophisticated creation of his architecture,” he says.
Home prices at AKAI Estates start at $8.5 million, but the quality, the design and the amenities are more on par with a $30 million or $40 million home. “We’re able to offer a unique value proposition because the property is not on the water and because the team was able to assemble the land at a lower basis,” says Sochaczevski.
Buyers can choose from one of five different ultra-modern home models with one, two or three stories and open floor plans that can be modified to fit the buyer, the family and their lifestyle. Buyers work closely with the architect and design team to customize the home both inside and out. The owner can move the master bedroom upstairs or downstairs, add an outdoor kitchen, a movie theater, or create a 500-square-foot closet just for shoes. Customization also extends to outdoor amenities, such as a tennis, pickle ball or basketball court. Instead of the typical swimming pools, homes feature resort-style aquatic entertainment centers. Homes also are designed with state-of-the-art features and smart technologies.
Another beautiful aspect of a Vasco design is his focus on lifestyle architecture and his ability to bring the outdoors indoors and create seamless integrations between indoor and outdoor spaces, adds Queiroz. As much as 30 to 40 percent of the house is outdoors, creating additional living space that is a great value for buyers. “When you walk the property, you quickly understand that you’re getting tremendous bang for your buck with all of this outdoor living space,” he says.
Development takes shape
Since kicking off the project last fall, AKAI Estates has finalized the sale of two homes and is in negotiations with two additional buyers. The Real Deal reported earlier this year that Prasad Hedge, COO of Miami-based investment firm 777 Partners, and his wife Ruby bought the first lot and construction is currently underway on their home. A private buyer also recently purchased a custom estate for a price of $15.05 million, which marks a record for the Southwest Ranches Community. Construction on that second home is expected to start in June.
“The experience of building an estate at AKAI is a perfect 10 out of 10. From the meetings with the man himself, Vasco Vieira, tech-infused visuals, the human touch from the entire team, this has been such a great experience. It’s a privilege to watch my buyers fall in love with the process of building their dream home at AKAI Estates,” says Alex Miranda, Realtor® and CEO of the Alex & Joe Team at Compass, which serves luxury residential clients from Miami to Palm Beach.
AKAI Estates also is backed by a solid development team who have deep experience in building homes in South Florida. “We bring a lot of professionals together to make an incredible experience for the buyer,” says Jairo Vela project co-developer. Originally from Colombia, Vela is an architect who worked on hospitality, commercial and residential projects in that country before he relocated to Florida in 1999. He and Yokana have been working on residential and co-working development projects in Fort Lauderdale for the past 23 years.
Yokana brings a background in construction. He is the CEO of Contempus Construction Company and holds a master’s degree in construction management. Sochaczevski is a Canadian developer and investor who has been working on residential development projects in the U.S. and Canada since the late 1990s.
As AKAI Estates continues to take shape, buyers are getting a sense of the uniqueness of the community as soon as they step onto the property. It was originally wooded acreage and additional lush landscaping is already underway with nearly 130 royal palms that have been planted to line the main roadway. In addition, the community is both private and secure with a fenced perimeter and secure entry gate that is staffed 24/7.
Even the sales office, which will serve as the guest villa on the final home, packs a “wow factor” with its use of a water feature and Vasco’s trademark integration of outdoor space. Visitors immediately see the sense of detail, with features such as a 15-foot façade door and 12-foot retractable glass panel doors that allow for a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor living spaces. “AKAI Estates really has a very different scale, finish, touch and design,” says Queiroz. “We are seeing a lot of clients that actually used to own properties on the water that are buying with us, because on the water you don’t have what we call our three pillars, or three important assets for a client, which are privacy, exclusivity and land space.”