SOM’s Zuellig Building, an elegant office tower located in Manila, Philippines, has been selected as a winner in this year’s Urban Land Institute (ULI) Global Awards for Excellence program. This annual award recognizes outstanding achievement in the entire development of a project. Judges consider planning, design, and construction excellence, as well as accomplishment in financing and management. Thirteen winners, selected from a finalist pool of 23 projects, were honored at a ceremony at the ULI Fall Meeting in New York City on October 22.
A press release from the ULI featured a quote from jury chair M. Leanne Lachman, president of real estate consulting firm Lachman Associates in New York City. Lachman noted that this year’s winners “demonstrate high-quality, innovative land use and building design. In addition, many involve historic preservation, public-private partnerships, environmental sustainability, and creative financing. This group of diverse projects is a timely reminder of how thoughtful design plays a central role in community health and longevity.”
The Zuellig Building has a distinctive presence on the capital’s skyline and is the first office building in Makati’s Central Business District that was pre-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council at the LEED® Gold level. The project is now LEED® Platinum certified. The double-paned, low-e glazed façade is designed to minimize solar heat gain and energy loss while allowing 90 percent of interior spaces to have access to natural light and views. Printed onto the glass, the tower’s frit pattern references local organic motifs and reinforces the vertical proportions of the tower.