| She owns three corporations, has homes on two continents and commutes to New York and Frankfurt. But when she withdraws from her peripatetic globally-mobile lifestyle and comes down to earth in London's Mayfair, the chances are that it will be to one of the finest refurbished apartments in the capital - and quite possibly the world.
So what do these people - they of the lifestyles most people struggle to envisage, let alone aspire to - seek in a West End pied-à-terre? Getting it right the first time“It's about detail and minimising hassle and just getting it right first time,” she tells us, with the sort of surgical precision that probably comes in handy when you're buying a business or appointing a new MD for your North American division. We meet in the back of a Mercedes en route from the apartment (somewhere close to Park Lane in the West End's 'Golden property square mile' - the exact location remains confidential) to Heathrow for another First Class hop across the Atlantic.We quickly realise that, actually, there are considerable similarities between the requirements of someone purchasing a significantly more modest property and those of high net-worth individuals like the woman we're with at the moment. There are also, as quickly became apparent, some very considerable differences. 'Must have' and 'necessity' take on a different meaningSitting there in the Knightsbridge traffic, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs comes to mind. Its central plank is that, as if in some achievement arcade game, we don't progress onto higher levels of tangible and intellectual indulgence until underlying levels have been satisfied. At its most elemental, this is about basic needs for survival. However, in the stratospheric world of the international super-rich 'must have' and 'necessity' take on completely different meanings.And the latest property 'must haves' in the life of people like the woman we're with at the moment? Those in the know still emphasise the importance of kitchens and bathrooms, the last sanctuary of the wealthy at the end of another day's moving and shaking. Maybe, after all, things aren't so different between your average suburban semi- and a £5m pad on Park Lane. Or maybe they are, because the Mayfair bathroom - or increasingly, what's known in the trade as 'a wet room' where you can relax under your own personal thermostatically controlled Monsoon - will feature the rarest Italian marble and architectural detailing that would buy a terraced home in the provinces. It's a world where owners don't blink at a £500,000 Persian rug from Harrods and the price of a single set of living room curtains would put a pair of family cars outside that terraced house. Resourcefulness is tested to the limitsAnd then there is the mechanical and electrical equipment, almost invariably state-of-the-art in the truest sense of the phrase.
Buildings such as Norman Foster's Swiss Re 'gherkin' or Erskine's Ark sum up London's architecture at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. Yet, many of London's most luxurious apartment refurbishments take place in buildings from earlier times. Given this architectural background, the latest mechanical and electrical installations - and the client's choice of interior design solution - will often be installed behind a Grade II listed façade. It's a requirement awash with implications for a builder's craftsmanship and their sense of responsibility for such national architectural treasures. It requires a special kind of development team. A special kind of builder. As we gradually draw our interviewee out of her normal pre-flight preparations, we discover that, as well as having awesome mastery of international finance, she has a notable grasp of the London property development scene. Lateralisation is really about London playing catch-up“Such a challenge,” she continues, “still focused on the finer points of mechanical and electrical installations will often be combined with a major lateralisation project.” We ask her to elaborate: “Lateralisation is really about London playing catch-up; bringing refurbished apartments into line with the expectations of owners who are familiar with properties elsewhere in Europe - such as Paris.” Why, we wonder, are we not surprised to learn that she had a place there for several years? Even more surprised to learn that she, and an erstwhile partner, only used it for a few weeks during that time. It's the way of their world. It happens.Co-operation is important in any building project, but the challenges are especially demanding when you are working on prime West End real-estate. The nature of the end client, so clearly evidenced by our current travelling companion, means that architect, developer, sales agent and builder need to be a special breed. It is a completely different world, compared to even the most expensive of 'regular' executive homes. For the price of many a Mayfair apartment a buyer could probably purchase a dozen harbourside properties in a progressive provincial city. And with so much at stake, the expectations and responsibilities of everybody involved in the project are magnified. Consider the role of the builder, as they interpret a demanding brief and work (behind that historical facade) to create the structure for somebody's super-lifestyle. A good builder will do an adequate job. But, when you are dealing with an individual who could buy-out your business on a whim, you need more than just an 'adequate' builder.
A special kind of builderAs we approach Heathrow, the end of our short time together draws closer and we learn how, while settling in to her new West End property, the role of the new breed of builder became even more apparent to her.“It clearly takes a special kind of builder to create this level of environment. You have to recognise that such a builder - along with the interior designer, the developer and the architect - has actually contributed to the lifestyle I'm fortunate enough to enjoy.” Curious, we ask about the builder and learn that it was none other than London-based Michael Brady Ltd - that claims to have probably refurbished the most luxurious apartments in London over the last few years. Séamus Cusack, with whom we'd spoken previously, is an executive of Michael Brady Ltd. Asked about the role of the new breed of upmarket builder on the London refurbishment scene he was quick to comment: “Developing luxury apartments at this level is all about bringing old-fashioned integrity to the building process, being involved all the way through the development process and doing what you commit to do on time, without having to be chased down by the architect. And of course, everything we do is done to an amazingly high standard.” At the top of their professionWith a track record of projects at addresses including Park Lane, Upper Grosvenor Street and Upper Brook Street, Michael Brady Ltd can quite rightly claim to have earned their place at the top of their profession.Cusack again: “We build to perfection, using the finest materials and bringing genuine innovation to projects. We are, after all, underpinning the future lifestyle of the occupier. Whether it is a 'simple' doorknob, a £100,000 fireplace or the refurbishment of a major period detail, what we do has massive implications for the ultimate delight of the customer.” And Michael Brady Ltd is nothing if not innovative, as demonstrated by details such as that future refurbishments will incorporate sophisticated high-resolution webcams to monitor the project. Using technology previously deployed for massive commercial developments, the new technology will bring architect, developer, builder and prospective client together with a PC and Web access - wherever they are in the world. Contributing to lifestyle just like the Aston Martin salesperson
All too soon, we're through Heathrow's infamous tunnel and gliding to a halt outside Terminal 3. The last word goes to our guest as, still thinking about the webcam idea, she leaves the car: “It's that sort of initiative that marks these people out from traditional builders. It's easy to take for granted that the building will be sound and that everything will be built as you want it. But, clearly, not everyone is as capable as everyone else. Do I believe that a builder like Michael Brady contributes to my lifestyle in the same way as my dressmaker or the Aston Martin salesperson? Yes. Absolutely,” she says, and is gone, into the crowded terminal, leaving us to catch the tube back into town.It's another world. |
In the world of the international super-rich, where the norm is to have a multi-million pound property at several key global locations, London's West End, with its rich heritage of 18th Century properties, still shines brighter than most maybe even with added vigour - as a residential location of choice for the world's movers and shakers.
"I know a couple of London's top developers," explains our travelling companion as we speed out onto the M4 and past Ralph Erskine's striking Ark, now glittering with a thousand lights against the West London twilight. "He's forever excited about the latest equipment they're putting in. His latest ('just around the corner from the US embassy') says everything about typical equipment expectations. Clients demand the most innovative - and as a consequence - highly-priced equipment in the world. Always the latest, the most sophisticated - and usually,” she adds with a grin, “the best in comfort cooling, comms systems, 'whole house' audio and heating systems. When a property sells for this sort of money, a developer's resourcefulness is usually tested to the limits - and so is their builder's.”