Environmentally sensitive, personalized office buildings are the way forward in Manila's CBD

As the dominant office developer of the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in the Philippines, The Net Group (TNG) pushes its expansion with The Net Metropolis, 5th Ave. development, conceived as a striking landmark to represent the developers' next generation of iconic and ecologically responsive buildings.

Leading international "green" architect, Chad Oppenheim, was selected to master plan and design the project - one of the nation's first under the Philippines' own green building rating system, Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE), which was conceived by the Philippine Green Building Council and supported by the World Green Building Council.

Oppenheim's designs for the The Net Metropolis, 5th Ave. master-planned development and its first tower, Net Lima, lead the way for the future of the country and answer the specific needs of its local environment. Because it is a pilot project, Net Lima was integral in the actual creation of the BERDE system.

"Net Lima is driven by our core social responsibility toward sustainable building practices," the president of TNG Carlos Rufino said. "We have combined Chad Oppenheim's visionary design with key learning on sustainability from the roll-out of our portfolio's first tranche of building developments."

The premium office tower, for example, features a dramatic high performance faade and sun shading system that reduces solar heat gain while providing maximum views and natural light to its occupants.

Careful attention is paid to the provision of vibrant public spaces, green amenity areas and sheltered arcades for circulation. Situated within the only central business district (CBD) of the Philippines with a dedicated economic zone, the 1.2-hectare mixed-use The Net Metropolis, 5th Ave. project in BGC covers an entire city block and features three towers.

Two office towers, Net Lima and Net Park, will offer premium office space for corporate headquarters and worldwide support services. The third tower, the Ascott Bonifacio Global City (developed by The Ascott Limited), will feature 220 units of luxury services residences. Together, the towers will add another 1.5 million square feet of prime office, hospitality and retail space to the Bonifacio Global City.

Cutting edge design

The cutting edge design has brought another standing ovation for TNG, which boasts a 100 percent-leased portfolio in the BGC area with their NetOne Center, Net Square, Net Cube, Net Quad and Net Plaza developments - a total of 1.6 million square feet of leasable space that will accommodate up to 20,000 people by the end of 2011. Jacques Dupasquier, TNG's chairman, came up with the visionary boutique office concept in 1999 and seized on the potential of the BGC to make the vision a reality.

"Our idea was to offer a unique concept, a boutique office building where you can go every day, you are cared for, people know you by name and the service is ultra-personalized." said Dupasquier, a French Filipino who, with his family, also owns a string of boutique hotels in Europe.

All TNG buildings carry trademark details that make it easy for tenants to conduct their business. "For one thing, they have the freedom to make their own decisions on communications providers, which is not how other office developers work," Rufino said.

"Then we provide on-demand air conditioning 24/7 with units that are customized and controllable in each area so that you only pay for what you use " adds Dupasquier.

Other customized touches include polite, efficient and professionally trained service desk staff wearing the latest designer fashions, individually styled lobbies and dcor in each building, art exhibitions and commissioned elevator music. On the business side, tenants benefit from excellent tax incentives as the portfolio is within the Information Technology Economic Zone of the BGC under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

Small wonder that TNG's portfolio is filled with Fortune 500 companies and large multinationals, such as JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, GE, Intel, Oracle, Ericsson and Quisumbing Torres (Baker and McKenzie.)

Dupasquier and Rufino both agree that TNG continues to redefine the workplace by making it more productive. They find that productivity fosters loyalty, and people tend to stay longer when they are satisfied. And keeping their clients satisfied in a boutique setting has brought about a fresh market brand that is in demand.

No doubt that when the project is finally completed, it will be a central landmark in one of Manila's most exciting central business districts, supplying premium-grade office space that will help fuel growth in the city and the country for years to come.

(China Daily 08/03/2011 page20)