Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Century City Near Kalayaan Avenue Makati formerly IS International School
INTRODUCTION
email us at centurycity@pinoybroker.com
The following study presents a concept plan for the International School site (IS) in Makati , Philippines , prepared by Century Properties, Group. The project consists of a mixed-use development designed as a subdivision to be implemented in phases. The property is a 4.8 HA parcel located adjacent to the CBD of Makati and adjacent to Makati Avenue.The IS is designed as a true urban center, a community that operates 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. The project presents a mix of functions that guarantee a vibrant city life: residential, office, hotel, retail and open space. The close integration of all the above functions guarantees a unique offering: a lifestyle the combines live, work and play.
SITE ORGANIZATION
The site is bound by Kalayaan Avenue on the south side, Salamanca Street on the east, Valdez Street on the north and Spring Street on the west. Access and egress is offered from all sides except the west, although the southern connection to Kalayaan and the eastern connection between the site and Makati Avenue by means of General Luna Street are considered the main “front doors” to the development.
The development is organized in 5 different parcels plus a site dedicated for public use (school). The central parcel (parcel # 4) contains the majority of the retail program and the open spaces and acts as a connector to all of the other parcels surrounding it. This central parcel also organizes the access, egress and parking facilities for all visitors to the development.
The retail parcel is accessed from Kalayaan and General Luna. From here, vehicular circulation enters the development on the grade level into the central parking structure and can go dow from there. An underutilized service street along Kalayaan is re-used to direct traffic from Makati Avenue into the development, thereby allowing for Kalayaan to serve two-way traffic between the IS and Makati Avenue . The retail program starts at grade level and steps up to 4 more levels above the entrance. The parcels of the development (hotel and mixed use) are organized around the retail parcel, and each have their owen access and egress off of adjacent streets, accommodate their own parking needs and can all incorporate more retail into the lower building levels.
Each of the surrounding parcels can be developed separately yet its vehicular and pedestrian circulation is also connected to the central retail parcel. In this manner, the entire site will be perceived as an integrated development at full build-out. Residents, users and visitors will have the benefit of experiencing close and seamless connections to all the uses and amenities offered on the site.
URBAN FORM INTEGRATED COMMUNITY email us at centurycity@pinoybroker.com
The IS presents a mix of urban functions that are complementary to each other and all add up to a vibrant urban center. The central retail portion offers indoor as well as outdoor retail environments. The indoor portion offers a 3-storey covered arcade that is designed as a curving canyon, circulating between the two main entrances of the development and covered by a continuous skylight. Anchor retail stores and boutique retail is organized on 3 levels along the sides of the canyon. The outdoor portion of the retail environment presents itself as stepping terraces oriented toward the south and the views of the downtown skyline.
Restaurants and bars are located on each of the terraces to complement and benefit from the attractive open space. The terraces are connected on each level to the corresponding levels of the indoor retail canyon. This connectivity secures seamless pedestrian circulation between the indoor and the outdoor areas, yet allows for an independent functioning of the outdoor terraces as a place of vibrant nightlife even after the regular opening hours of the indoor retail.
A hotel is located on Parcel # 1. This hotel has all its operations, including parking, accommodated on its dedicated 1-hectare parcel. Guest drop-off, entry and lobby are accommodated on the ground floor, and its 5 level podium accommodates hotel support functions, amenities and parking. The hotel podium is connected to the central retail parcel of the development on every level. Additional retail is located on the hotel parcel as well. This allows for close integration with the hotel functions and seamless connection with the rest of the development. Private outdoor spaces dedicated to the hotel operations are located on a variety of different levels and rooftops.
Mixed-use buildings are located on parcels 2, 3, and 5. These towers can accommodate office as well as residential or hospitality functions. For now, they are visualized as towers representing the GFA that can be accommodated on those parcels. The final tower shapes will have to be adapted according to its final functions. The access and egress for both parcels are accommodated from Valdez and Salamanca Streets and the vehicular circulation is also connected to the central retail parcel (parcel # 4). On the parcels, the lower levels of the towers are connected to semi-private terraces and gardens located on top of the podium. From here, pedestrian circulation connects each parcel into the central retail portion.
Overall, the development is designed with variety of users, residents and visitors in mind. The complimentarity of the project components also offers added benefits to each of the elements. Residents can benefit from the adjacency of retail, entertainment, food and beverage. The hotel offers access to spa facilities and meeting rooms. Hotel guests do not have to leave the premises for access to retail and restaurants. The employees of the 24-hour functioning offices populate the bars and restaurants at various hours of the day. The variety of open spaces offers meeting places for everybody.
Click here for more details on Century Properties Communities online. Canyon Ranch in Cavite near Tagaytay South of Market SoMa in Fort Bonifacio Taguig SoHo Central in Shaw Boulevard Ortigas near Shangrila EDSA Grand SoHo Makati GSM condo in Buendia Makati near Ayala Century City IS International School project in Makati
INSPIRATION FROM NATURE The overall environment offered in IS is inspired by a naturalistic environment: the collection of strong tower shapes is connected by a green landscape reminiscent of terraced hillsides. The pedestrian and public areas of the project – both indoor as well as outdoor – are completely separated from vehicular circulation and provide for a multi-level spatial environment that provides for a completely different experience than the regular ground plane of the city.
The metaphor of nature as a beginning point for the architecture of the podium is based on the idea that the natural environment provides relief as well as counterbalance for the business and congestion of urban life. The architecture of the podium is inspired by man-made interventions in the hillside, as can be seen in certain rural areas of the country, and is developed into a language of stone layers that are extensively planted. This develops into a landscape of stepping terraces that allow for a variety of attractive open spaces on different levels. The terraces in the middle of the site are the central public open space features. Retractable shade structures allow for their use throughout the different seasons. These plazas are extensively landscaped, offer attractive outdoor environments for bars and restaurants and above all, provide for a dramatic panorama of the skyline of Makati.
The indoor areas of the retail environment are inspired by a canyon experience. As opposed to the lush landscape of the outdoor environment, this area belongs more to the mineral world and provides shaded areas, skylit by means of an undulating glass roof. The architecture of the towers can vary, its solid masses are reinforced by a material choice of stone and/or glass, but is punctuated and softened by occasional introductions of large terraces for outdoor planting. Besides the use of planting and trees for the creation of shade, screens and louvers are also applied onto the building architecture. Wood is the material of choice for these layers added onto the tower architecture. Attractive open spaces accessible for users and visitors are created on the top of the towers as iconic rooftop gardens floating above the skyline of the city.
email us at centurycity@pinoybroker.com Click here for more details on Century Properties Communities online. Canyon Ranch in Cavite near Tagaytay South of Market SoMa in Fort Bonifacio Taguig SoHo Central in Shaw Boulevard Ortigas near Shangrila EDSA Grand SoHo Makati GSM condo in Buendia Makati near Ayala Century City IS International School project in Makati
