Office Building Spotlight: UnionBank Plaza in Ortigas, Pasig City

11/13/2019 | By Marella Gimenez

 

The Ortigas CBD

With numerous central business districts developing in Metro Manila, Ortigas has quickly grown into becoming among one of the most well-known. Its accessibility and practicality are what attracts most of the employees to work there and have contributed to the huge influx of businesses deciding to set up shop in the area.

This is a huge step up from what used to be known as a largely unused and barren land until Ortigas and Company gained the development rights to the place. Fractions of the huge land were eventually sold off in big portions and it started becoming a financial center in the 60s. From a 4,033-hectare estate, Ortigas & Co. now only own 100 hectares of the land and have transformed it into a thriving business center that spans three cities. Ortigas has blossomed into a significant business district with a skyline full of skyscrapers, dotted with financial and leisure hubs.

History of Unionbank Plaza

One of these notable skyscrapers is the UnionBank Plaza. It serves as the headquarters of the UnionBank of the Philippines which happens to be the nation’s 7th largest bank in terms of assets. Rising 206 meters tall, it is the tallest building in Pasig City and the 22nd tallest building in the country. It is situated in the same neighborhood as the headquarters of other big companies such as the San Miguel Corporation, Jollibee Foods Corporation, and Meralco. Being included within the vicinity of such big-name firms gives the building a prominent status around the Ortigas CBD.

The original developer of the UnionBank Plaza was Megaworld Properties and was known back then as the World Finance Plaza. However, in 1998 the entire venture was taken over by Union Properties, which is the real estate arm of Unionbank. It was designed by renowned architectural firm Recio & Casas and had the American architectural firm, RTKL Associates, as the design consultant.

Unionbank Plaza at present now accommodates other tenants such as major business process outsourcing companies like SYKES Enterprises, Branders.com, and PCCW. The building is also PEZA-accredited by the government, which provides businesses with certain tax and fiscal incentives.

A New Kind of Workspace

KMC identifies the evolving needs of its ever-growing client list and has recognized that Unionbank Plaza has the ability to provide for most of these necessities. It was then a natural choice for KMC to set up a location in two of its floors for its shared office services, located in the middle of one of the Philippines’ most distinguished CBDs. With 49 levels above ground and a floor area of 1,298 sqm, the building offers its tenants various amenities such as:

• function rooms
• a health club
• Restaurants
• a spacious food court
• an executive sky lounge
• rooftop helipad

This contributes to KMC’s vision of work-play integration and balance while still offering over 400 coworking seats in a progressive workspace. To additionally better serve their clients, the flexible workspace will also be undergoing major renovations to update its design and layout. Its latest project focuses on breathing new life into an old space to better complement the newer spaces KMC has opened up recently (i.e. Netquad in BGC).

Aiming to display a more modern and contemporary feel to the place through brighter accent hues and lush greenery. As biophilic design elements are proven to boost productivity and create a more collaborative atmosphere among workers. The lighter color palette and use of natural materials, like wood, also bring a refreshing and welcome change to the old space. Among the changes will be added amenities and coworking seats as well that will enable this KMC location to take on more coworkers. This new design is all planned with making a better, more conducive working environment in mind.

This will let KMC give new people work opportunities at one of the country’s thriving business districts, where almost everything is accessible. Perfectly providing them with more flexibility in their lifestyle.

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