In Tbilisi’s development market, where scale has often become the main measure of success, Elia Construction and its founder Ilia Shakhmanov chose the opposite path: only 14 apartments, a concept built on privacy, and a premium new address at Elysium on Elia hill.
Elysium has just 14 apartments. Why did you decide to build such a small project instead of going for a bigger scale?
Today we live in a world where a lot of things are built precisely on the principle of scale – more housing units, chaos, a fast pace of life. Instead, we chose quality, attention to detail, and creating an environment where a person can genuinely live in comfort and the number of apartments is defined by the concept of the project.
Therefore, our goal wasn’t to build as many apartments as possible. It was important to us to create a quiet, private, and harmonious environment where people know their neighbors well, respect each other’s personal space, and feel protected and comfortable.
Accordingly, we chose a boutique, intimate format and limited the project to just 14 apartments. In my opinion, true luxury today isn’t in scale but in quality of life. The more residents a building has, the harder it is to preserve calm and good neighborly relations.
We believe the quality of our project fully matches its value. We’re offering residents not just living space, but a special way of life. A large number of small apartments would have completely changed this concept and stripped away the values we built it on from the start.
Our main goal is to give future residents a high standard of living, everyday comfort, and a harmonious environment where they’ll genuinely feel at home.
In a certain sense, Elysium reflects the very qualities that make so many people love Tbilisi – the chance to be part of a big city while still holding on to quiet.
Every high-end residential project promises buyers quality and comfort. What sets Elysium apart, and why should someone choose it over other premium projects?
Let me explain. First of all, from the very start we paid special attention to layout decisions. Elysium’s apartments are handed over to owners in an open-plan format, and that decision was entirely deliberate.
Of course, we understand well that every person has their own lifestyle, habits, and vision of an ideal home. That’s exactly why we left that freedom of choice to the future owners.
The project’s lead architect and designer, Ms. Elena Trofimova, founder of an international design school, developed a base layout concept for each apartment – one that can either serve as the foundation for the future home as-is, or be easily adapted to the client’s individual requirements and wishes. For customers’ convenience, four different interior design concepts were also prepared, allowing buyers to clearly picture their future living space right from the very beginning.
At the same time, we tried to spare future owners unnecessary complications. All the necessary engineering systems are already installed in the apartments – heating, hot and cold water supply – and the floor screed has also been laid. This lets owners get started on furnishing their home much faster and more easily.
Naturally, to maintain a high standard of finished work, strict daily quality control was carried out throughout the whole construction process. The current approach greatly simplified the commissioning procedures for us. The building has now already been commissioned, and all utilities are connected.
Elysium is fitted with modern engineering systems, an enclosed underground parking garage, 24-hour physical security, video surveillance, fire safety systems, a reserve generator, and a drinking water reservoir. All of this ensures the building can function autonomously at any time of day or night, including in unforeseen situations.
The building is served by KONE elevators – one of the world’s leading manufacturers of elevator systems. Their design was crafted specifically for Elysium.
We also deliberately kept the spacious and comfortable layout solutions. Every apartment is a through-type unit, which ensures the highest possible level of natural light and ventilation, creates a sense of space, and significantly increases the comfort of the living environment.
And, of course, our shared-use terrace is a real paradise. Surrounded by hundreds of plants and flowers, it houses a fitness area (yoga, jacuzzi, loungers) and a lounge zone, where our residents can enjoy 360-degree panoramic views of Tbilisi and watch the sunrise and sunset.
It’s worth noting that each apartment’s own terrace is unique too, with Tbilisi laid out right in front of it.
I think this combination of features is more than enough reason for our future residents to start living here.
The residence is located on Elia, which is an unconventional location for a high-end apartment in Tbilisi. What gives you confidence that this location has long-term prospects? Also, how do you see this district developing in the future?
In our assessment, the importance of the Elia neighborhood will grow even further in the coming years. Today, it’s already one of Tbilisi’s most promising locations, since it combines proximity to the city center, unique panoramic views, and high potential for the development of a premium-level living environment.
When we chose this location and started working on Elysium, there was no information yet about plans to develop a new government district in this area. However, shortly after the project was commissioned, the word spread that a number of significant state agencies were planned to be located right here.
For us, that was further confirmation that we’d chosen the location correctly. We saw its potential from the start because of its strategic position, striking views, and healthy, ecologically clean environment, and he development plans announced later only underscored this area’s importance for the city’s future development.
We believe that in the future Elia will take on an even more significant place in Tbilisi’s urban development and will become one of the capital’s most sought-after and prestigious residential districts.
Beyond the building itself, what will Elysium bring to Elia and to local residents?
I think a good development project should make the city better. Architecture stays in place for decades, sometimes even centuries. That’s why it’s very important to create a project that respects the city, its history, its character, and the people who live there.
In my opinion, a developer’s purpose shouldn’t be just the financial return from construction. The goal should be to create an environment that has a positive effect on the city’s built landscape and on people’s quality of life.
We’re going to live in this building with our own families, therefore, throughout our work on Elysium we judged every decision by one simple question: will this be comfortable for us?
When you know you’re going to spend many years of your life living in this space, your attitude toward the project changes completely. That’s exactly why Elysium turned out the way we’d pictured it from the start – focused on people.
For us, Elysium is an expression of the idea that anything that is truly valuable is rarely ubiquitous. It needs time, attention, and a special regard for detail. That’s the philosophy we tried to carry out throughout the entire project, and that feeling of “being home” is the most important outcome of our work.
As for the Elia neighborhood, we were the first to decide to build a premium-class project like Elysium in this district. Prices for investment land plots in Elia have already risen noticeably, construction of new projects has also begun, and naturally, residents who represent the more affluent segment of society will demand a high standard of service in line with their needs and lifestyle, which will give the whole neighborhood more opportunity for investment and development.
S
