Archinect - News

Your Sea Wall Won't Save You

2018-03-29T09:21:00-04:00

Concepts like “making room for the river,” which works well in the Netherlands, can mean mass evictions in the Global South. Too often, the rhetoric of climate adaptation is doublespeak for the displacement of poor communities, and an alibi for unsustainable growth.

As coastal megacities adapt to climate change, they often bring in outside planning experts who push highly engineered, technocratic resilience programs. Lizzie Yarina looks at how this trend is affecting local communities in Bangkok, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, and Jakarta, and argues that "resilience is not fundamentally a technical question. It is social and political. Planners and designers must recognize and negotiate the diverse "resilience imaginaries" across the cities in which they are needed."

Manila's new "wavy" mixed-use tower opens in the city's booming financial district

2016-12-13T17:12:00-05:00

Despite recent geopolitical tensions, The Philippines is projected to have one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and one seeming indicator of that is the increasing number of tall corporate towers — some with, uh, distinctive designs — that are sprouting up throughout Metro Manila. Another one of those developments is the newly opened City Center Tower, a mixed-use building that will house the Philippine headquarters for major tenants like Google, Filipino telecommunications giant Globe Telecom, and American healthcare companies.

Designed by Brooklyn-based Carlos Arnaiz Architects (CAZA), who also has an office in Manila, the 30-story tower was completed this month in the booming Bonifacio Financial District. The building also features three floors of commercial retail and a rooftop restaurant. The building distinguishes itself by the "organic wave pattern" on its exterior facade, formed by a series of concentric circles that extend across the horizontal axes of each flo...

Daniel Libeskind’s 60-story Century Spire breaks ground in Metro Manila, Philippines

2014-05-30T20:51:00-04:00

Daniel Libeskind is at it again with the recent unveiling and groundbreaking of Century Spire, a 60-story tower that will be built in the city of Makati in Manila, Philippines. Showrooms officially opened on May 28, and Libeskind joined Century Properties and Armani/Casa officials at the groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting. The tower is scheduled for completion in 2018.

Daniel Libeskind collaborated with Robbie Antonio of major Philippine real estate firm Century Properties Group and Giorgio Armani's Armani/Casa Interior Design Studio in designing the office and residential tower — which they all believe will reshape Metro Manila's skyline (It sure will...)

So, Archinecters, any thoughts on Libeskind's latest project? (I know you do). Feel free to share them in the comments below.

Populous Designs World’s Largest Arena in Manila

2011-08-29T14:27:00-04:00

Construction has commenced on the world’s largest indoor arena, designed by Populous, in Manila, Philippines. In a ground breaking ceremony held last week, the arena design was described as a ‘phenomenal structure’.