The ‘Wavy’ City Center Tower opens in Manila
Between Manila’s booming corporate towers, the recently opened City Center Tower stands high. The tower is designed by Carlos Arnaiz Architects (CAZA), a Brooklyn-based design studio with an office in Manila.
Photography By Frank Callaghan
The 30-story tower shall house the headquarters of major international companies like Google, Wallace, Globe Telecom, and the largest Philippine telecommunications syndicate. The first two floors contain a spacious double height entrance lobby, surrounded by a two-floor commercial retail and dining space. Above the retail section, there is a parking area with a cooling tower. The cooling tower acts as a passive cooler that reacts to Manila’s tropical climate. On the fifth floor, there is a rooftop restaurant and a large balcony, with a wading pool and lounge space, viewing the building’s adjacent park. The rest of the floors are occupied by corporate offices.
Photography By Frank Callaghan
What makes City Center Tower stands out from the crowd is its dynamic elevation with its wavy pattern. The designers introduced a series of concentric circles to the rectangular structure, mixing between structured and free-form shapes. The product is both efficient and playful. Architect Carlos Arnaiz says: “The City Center Tower could be one of the first projects in the Philippines that represents the changing nature of the workplace, where nature and offices interact in this 24-hour cycle—accentuating the reality of how the BPO office environment operates.”
Photography By Frank Callaghan
CAZA manage to achieve that. The series of circles, along the horizontal axes per each floor, form balconies and bulging mullions on the exterior façade. They provide the offices with a view on the lavishly green landscape and the metropolis.
Photography By Frank Callaghan
Project Info:
Architects: Carlos Arnaiz Architects (CAZA)
Location: Manila, Philippines
Architect of record: Esteban y. tan
Project team: Carlos Arnaiz, Jessy Yang, Tzu-yin Wang, Laura Del Pino, Jeian Jeong, Franklin Romero
Client: w group
General Contractor: Manny sy Assotiation
Consultant: Jones Lang la Salle
