Thursday, May 15, 2014

How high can you go?


How High Can You Go?
One thing we can't help but look up in the metro are the buildings competing which is tallest among them. We have been talking about the tallest buildings in the world like the then PETRONAS Tower and now the Burj Khalifa or Burj Dubai. But ever wonder which one is highest in Metro Manila? Here's a brief line up of the skyscrapers of Manila.
THE GRAMERCY RESIDENCES – A high-end residential condominium in Century City along Kalayaan Avenue in Makati City. Its completion this 2012 will open 73 floors with a total height of 302 meters from ground to its architectural top.
THE PBCOM TOWER in Makati City has 52 floors and is 259m in height, including an 8-level radio tower. This is the home for one of the Philippine oldest banks Philippine Bank of Communications. The building was designed by a local firm GF & Architects in cooperation with an international architectural firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill, LLP, and the structural design provided by a local engineering firm Aromin & Sy + Associates.
G.T INTERNATIONAL TOWER – G.T stands for George Ty, the chairman of Metrobank Group. This is currently the 3rd tallest building in the country with 217 meters, 47 floors and 5 basement level parking, 10-storeys of which is the vertical fin that provides its virtual signature, and is located at Ayala Avenue corner H.V dela Costa Street in Makati Central Business District. This was developed by Federal Land, the real estate arm of the Metrobank Group.
BSA Twin Towers – The Philippines’ Tallest Twin Towers as awarded by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (Chicago, USA). This is strategically located in Ortigas Center, in between The Podium and SM Megamall, beside St. Francis Square. The official height of each tower is 215 meters including the spire atop the pyramid.
THE ST. FRANCIS SHANGRI-LA PLACE – Twin tower residential condominium in Mandaluyong City consisting of 60 storeys and 213 meters in height. This was developed by Shang Properties, Inc. This is the first building in the world to feature revolutionary “damping” system due to its location being close to active faults in a highly seismic region and subject also to typhoon winds, making St. Francis Shangri-la one of the safest buildings. Damping system reduces building accelerations, motion, or deflections.
The others which were not listed in the top 5 list were:
6
One Rockwell West Tower - Makati
210m, 55 floors
7
Petron Megaplaza - Makati
210m, 45 floors, Tallest building in the Philippines from 1998 to 2000
8
Union Bank Plaza - Pasig
206m, 49 floors, tallest building in Pasig City
9
Greenbelt Lorenzo Tower - Makati
205m, 57 floors
10
Golden Empire Tower - Manila
203m, 57 floors, tallest in Manila City
11
One Corporate Centre - Pasig
202m, 45 floors
12
Philamlife Tower - Makati
200m, 48 floors
13
Summit One Tower - Mandaluyong
200m, 49 floors
14
RCBC Plaza One - Makati
192m, 46 floors
15
One San Miguel - Pasig
183m, 54 floors
While the Discovery Suites in Ortigas Center, remains to be the tallest hotel building since 1999, with 40floors at 167 meters.
In next coming years, new and high rise buildings are coming. Among them are:
1
One Galleon Place - Pasig
400m, 75 floors, planning to be completed on 2015
2
Sky City - Mandaluyong
335m, 75 floors, partially built several basement floors but now on-hold
3
Lopez Center Tower - Makati
320m, 52 floors, proposed to be completed in 2015
4
The Stratford Residences - Makati
312m, 76 floors, now under construction; upon completion will become the tallest building