SOM recently shared with us their new tower located in Manila’s Makati Central Business District that has been shortlisted for a 2012 MIPIM Asia award. Rising 33 stories to height of 160 meters, the Zuellig Building is the first premium office tower in the Philippines to be erected since 2000. It is also the first building in Makati that has been pre-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) at the LEED Gold level, and is expected to achieve LEED Platinum certification by September 2013. More details after the break.
Housing nearly 65,000 square meters of Class-A office space and 2000 square meters of retail space, the highly desirable location at its prominent intersection is intended to accommodate future development. The overall form of the building was derived from the geometry of the site that is bound by Makati Avenue and Paseo de Roxas. The fan-shaped floor plates taper towards the southern face – which allows the building’s facades to be set orthogonally to the east and west property lines while also directly engaging the fabric of the city in those directions.
Each floor plate offers between 1,870 and 1,945 square meters of leasable office space per floor with a column-free layout that provides maximum efficiency and flexibility. A raised floor system at all levels allows modular office layout modifications and conduits to facilitate upgrades in computer and communications technologies. A double-height open-air terrace on the 30th floor provides outdoor gathering space for tenants and visitors. A low-rise pavilion attached to the tower houses two street-level retail lots, a food court, and an executive lounge containing a restaurant and meeting rooms. Open air terraces provide views to the Ayala Triangle Park and Urdaneta Village.
The signature curtain wall glazing system employed utilizes a ceramic frit pattern for its distinctive exterior aesthetic. The dual pane low-e glazing in conjunction with the fritting ensures minimal solar gain and energy loss whilst simultaneously flooding 90% of the interior office space with natural daylight. The integral frit pattern takes inspiration from local organic motifs while reinforcing the vertical aspect of the tower. A smart building control system that utilizes sensor controlled lighting systems in combination with efficient HVAC systems has helped to reduce the buildings overall energy consumption by 15% when compared to conventional office towers. Grey water recycling and rainwater collection are projected to save nearly 29 million liters of water annually.
