Being property specialists in Macau, Ambiente team members are often called upon for a comment or opinion relating to what is happening in and around the property scene here.
The Macau Closer magazine has an opinion column, ‘In Residence’, which Ambiente managing director Suzanne Watkinson writes each month. Some of these opinions are featured here. We also intend to include thoughts or comments from other publications that we feel would be of interest to our readers.
Brain Drain, with a Difference
I drive a very respectable car with all the mod cons expected of a 2 year old vehicle. But call me old fashioned, I still far prefer driving our ‘spare’ car – a little 22 year old white Mazda 121. Often rudely referred to by my friends as The Marshmallow, it’s zippy, can fit into pretty […]
Smelly Business
Whenever newcomers to Macau ask me whether its safe to drink the water, I always give them an emphatic “Yes!” Why I feel pretty sure about this is that years ago I met a government official who, as a young engineer in the 70s, came out from Portugal to head the water department. He assured […]
Showing Solidarity
Peter Newton, Chairman of Architecture Sans Frontieres (ASF), and his Board were faced with a challenging decision to make recently. For the first time ever their long planned 2015 annual General Assembly meeting was to be held outside of Europe, and Kathmandu, Nepal had been the chosen location. The date: 15 June, less than 2 […]
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Earlier this year there was an article in the local Chinese papers highlighting the issue of illegal structures in residential buildings; essentially pointing to the many thousands of dwellings in Macau that have unauthorized buildings on their roofs.
Logistics Lament
Officials of China‘s National Development and Reform Commission have stated that urban planning at multi-city level is now being prepared nationally. More than 20 urban agglomerations around the country will be classified in order to provide strategic level guidance on “development goals, infrastructure construction and function orientation.”
“Non, je ne regrette rien …”
Many readers will be excused for not being familiar with this French song “Non, je ne regrette rien”. “No, I regret nothing”, written in 1956 is best known through singer Edith Piaf’s 1960 recording. It’s a great song by the way, and is used to this day by the French Foreign Legion, so if you […]
Renting furnished or unfurnished?
We are often asked by expatriates arriving to work in Macau whether it would be better to rent a furnished or unfurnished home here.
Hengqin Horror Show
The imposing new building across the narrow sea straits from Coloane is the Chimelong Hengqin Bay Hotel and its Ocean Kingdom. Some architect friends had told me how “amazing” it is, “you really must go”, so I excitedly went to see for myself.
Fit For All
Three cheers for the Macau government! Or specifically, IACM, the Civil and Municipal Affairs Bureau. What a magnificent park, running and cycle track facility has been built along the waterfront in front of Ocean Gardens, stretching almost, and soon, I understand, to be continued all the way to Galaxy.
