Iconic architecture
March 11, 2006 | 12:00am
No other trend in modern living has had such an impact as the high-rise condominiums have. The prime aspirational goal of most successful people, until recently, has been a house in a posh, green and amenity-filled subdivision within commuting distance of the central business district of Makati. Times have changed. That commute is now one of the disincentives to live out in the suburban sprawl – south, east or north of Metro Manila. Little green is left precisely because of that sprawl and whatever amenity offered is often of little use since little leisure time is left at the end of the day.
The growing alternative is living the high life – literally elevated above the maddening crowd and above this crowded mad city of ours. Towers have sprouted all over the metropolis, but height does not the best buildings make. The iconic characteristics of the best residential skyscrapers are those with the best location, the best views, and the best architecture. One exemplary project that fulfills all this is aptly called the Icon Residences.
Located in Fort Bonifacio, the Icon is a two-tower composition positioned with the best views of the central business district, a scant two kilometers away. From the units of the Icon, the silhouette of Makati’s towers of power can be seen hovering over the lush green landscape of the Manila Golf Club. The best international schools, malls, golf, polo, racquet sports, cinemas, musical theaters, museums, restaurants are a short SUV ride away. Even the airport is nearby and leaving for a short break overseas is simply a matter of "lock and leave." No worries, no hassle, no two-hour commutes just to reach home or leave home for a vacation. Excellent!
The people behind the project, in fact, call themselves – appropriately – Xcell Property Ventures. Xcell is a new name in the business, but is made up of experienced players in the field – Landco Pacific president Alfred Xerez-Burgos, Enrique Razon of ICTSI, Gerardo Lanuza Jr. of Philippine Realty Holdings, Ramon Sy of the International Exchange Bank, and top trader Wilson Sy. The company is run by veteran real estate man Rally Martinez, who is president and CEO.
Martinez explains that the project’s name reflects the future tenants – men and women of accomplishment and distinction, at the cutting edge of their respective fields. Xcell’s name also harks to modernity because it is "computerese" in form. More importantly, its physical form, as well as the functions that support the heightened lifestyles it supports, is the product of a firm now iconic of the best in Filipino modern architecture – Recio+Casas (led in this project by Meloy Casas). Another icon in the making, Harvard-trained Anna Sy of C/S Design Consultancy, fleshed out the Icon’s iconoclastic interiors.
Martinez, who took the time to tour me around the ultra-modern Icon showroom at the Fort, said that Icon is also an acronym for "Inside Comfort, Outside Nature." Cute, but really unnecessary once one views the possibilities of life at the Icon. Discerning buyers will note the rational layouts of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units – and their relationship to an efficient elevator bank and T-corridor spine. These possibilities are also interpreted at the Icon’s showrooms by interior designers Tina Bonoan (an accomplished architect and interior designer and my former editor at BluPrint before I took over), Antonio Mendoza (whose take on the classic Bauhaus is refreshing) and, of course, Anna Sy (who also designed the head-turning showroom building).
The Icon’s two towers hold 34 stories each, and rest on a 4,500-square-meter property. The P1.3 billion project will cater to young families, singles (yuppie or techie) and an expanding market of overseas Filipinos. A studio unit with an area of 36 square meters costs only about P3 million. A one-bedroom unit is spacious at 61 square meters and a two-bedroom unit is elegantly laid out on 65 square meters. The two-bedroom units are located at the ends of each eye-shaped building and offer amazing views from these corners. I want one of those.
Cornering a unit is actually made easy as Xcell offers a flexible payment scheme where a unit is paid over a three-year period, with 60 percent on the third year and 40 percent when the unit is available. No interest is charged. Completion of the project is targeted for 2008. Hmmm, I better check my bank account.
The Icon’s designers and developers have accounted for themselves well. They have cast an eye to providing the ultimate housing product for a new breed of city dwellers – those who have realized the advantages of living in the city but who know where the best location is, where the important amenities are and how architecture and interior design can enhance their urban and urbane lives. It’ll be interesting to find out what Xcell has planned next.
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