07 Jan Menarco Tower values tenants’ wellbeing

As office buildings continue to rise in the Philippines’ central business districts, Menarco Tower stands tall and proud above everything else if only because it was conceptualized, designed, constructed, and managed by world-class Filipino companies. What makes this outstanding is that the project is both LEED Gold^(R) andWELLCertified™ Gold — one of the first in Southeast Asia.

AIDEA Philippines, Inc., Jose Aliling Construction Management, Inc. (JACMI), DATEM Inc., C|S Design Consultancy, Inc., and Arcadis Philippines all worked on the vision of Menarco Tower founder Carmen Jimenez-Ong: to build an office tower that puts the wellness of its tenants first.

The idea is to provide office workers with an environment that is safe, convenient, and healthful to induce productivity. It is a concept that shows Jimenez-Ong’s commitment to set a new standard of excellence among Philippine office towers of the future.

Another reason that makes Menarco Tower special is its intention to pay tribute to contemporary Filipino talent, having it designed as a vertical museum where Filipino works of art are installed in every floor for everyone to enjoy.

“Carmen genuinely cares about the well-being of all building tenants, resulting in the Menarco Tower becoming the first WELL

Certified™ Gold structure in the country. The desire to advance health and well-being of occupants in the building is reflective of her values as a person and introduces this new concept to the local building industry,” says AIDEA President and CEO Abelardo Tolentino, Jr.

“Integrity should never be compromised so that the project is completed in accordance with the agreed specifications and standards, within budget, and on time,” adds JACMI President and CEO, Jose Ramon Aliling.

Building features like energy efficiency and waste management has led many companies in the Philippines to be LEEDGold^Ò. Menarco Tower went the distance by infusing elements that are not found in ordinary offices in the Philippines. The building’s water filtration system, for example, makes tap water inside tenants’ offices drinkable. Its indoor air quality is comparable to that of international hospitals because of the high efficiency air filters being used to prevent particulate matter such as dust and smoke, and other pollutants from entering occupied spaces.

Considering the country’s climate, culture, and the work habits of Filipinos, Menarco Tower proves to be the right fit for the hardworking Filipino. The entire Filipino team behind the project pushed boundaries to show how an office building in the Philippines should be designed and built to be as efficient and hardworking as its occupants

This article is from Manila Bulletin.