A CONTEMPORARY shift is underway in Metro Manila’s second most important business district with the construction of the 47-storey BDO Corporate Center Ortigas above the upscale shopping mall The Podium.

The design of the tower is unique in itself. It rises from the ground as one continuous, soaring form, but balances its mass by the transparency of its curtain-wall and the random play of the vertical metal panels in its facade. These silver stripes may vary in width and intervals, but they ascend ever upwards -- an abstract reflection of the business and aspirations of the building's owners.

“The building has been designed to international grade A standards. The planning is functional and efficient, and floor-plates allow flexible layouts for both single and multiple tenancies,” says Peter Brannan, director for Asia-Pacific of the internationally known Arquitectonica, the architectural firm in charge of the design of BDO Corporate Center.

Likewise, the tower has been carefully designed to achieve the Gold LEED rating, from its choice of construction and building systems, to the design of the curtain-wall, to the optimum lease depths for good office day-lighting. The building's LEED compliant design will not only benefit the environment or reduce the tenants’ operational costs. It will also create a better work surrounding for the building users, an important factor in today's competitive office market.

For BDO Unibank, Inc. (BDO), the Corporate Center is complementary to the bankwide expansion program, which, among others, includes the consumer lending, one of the Bank's key business segments.

Construction of the BDO Corporate Center Ortigas commenced in the first semester of the year and is targeted for completion by the first quarter of 2015.

This early, the structure is seen to further revolutionize the Ortigas Business Center backdrop. The new office population will provide an expanded market for surrounding malls, service industries and F&B outlets, and the quality of the building will encourage other developers to improve the level of their projects.

The tower is part of the grand development plan for the 2-hectare prime commercial property located at the corner of ADB Avenue and Julia Vargas Street led by BDO and SM Keppel Land, Inc. The master plan may also include in the long run the expansion of The Podium, a second office tower and another mixed-use edifice with hotel and service apartment components.

“Such diverse components will benefit each other to create an exciting new destination, making the BDO tower an ideal address from which to operate,” adds Brannan.