When The Estate Makati tops off in a few years, it will stake its claim as the crowning jewel of Ayala Avenue, altering the cityscape. To get this highly ambitious project off the ground, a partnership between two of the country’s esteemed business families was forged— SMDC of the Sy family and Federal Land Inc. of the Ty family. The partnership tapped the award-winning architecture firm Foster + Partners for this milestone of modern urban living.
Foster + Partners started the design process with a study of Makati topography, including the patterns of sunlight and wind direction. As Perry Ip, one of the project principals, says, it’s a building “literally shaped by the sun,” which meant orienting the structure in such a manner to minimize exposure to the sun’s rays. “As the sun in the Philippines is quite strong, we designed the windows to be angled a certain way so that it doesn’t spill onto the unit but still provides enough light—without compromising the breathtaking views of the Makati skyline,” said Luke Fox, head of studio and senior executive partner, who is leading the project. The firm also used double-glazed windows throughout the structure to reduce the flow of heat and external noise.
Theo Beggs, MACE TPM project manager for The Estate Makati, and SMDC president Jose Mari Banzon
Gary Coscolluela of W.V. Coscolluela, Architect on Record of The Estate Makati
Further addressing the sun’s effect, the firm created a cross-shaped building. From its core extend the four wings, making each unit a covetable corner unit. The façade overhang of about one meter extending from the structure between every floor enables the building to provide its own shade. Added to this is the benefit of using double-glazed windows; cooling the building becomes highly efficient.
The Estate Makati is designed by the global firm of Foster + Partners
The Estate Makati has 53 floors above ground, housing a total of 188 residential units. These units range from spacious 151 sqm two-bedroom flats to the massive multi-level 763 sqm super penthouse suites. Each unit has the architectural feature that puts The Estate Makati above others: the double-slab technology. By concealing things such as utilities, plumbing, and electricals, in between double slabs of concrete, the unit layout becomes flexible and can be customized according to the homeowner’s preferences. Indeed such feature truly creates these “lots in the sky”—each unit without columns or partitions.
Each unit has the architectural feature that puts The Estate Makati above others: the double-slab technology
Highlighting the possibilities of design flexibility is the concept of “inhabited façade”—a bay window like you’ve never seen. In this specially designed three-dimension space constructed with double-glazed glass and a stain-resistant shell of glass fiber reinforced concrete, residents can maximize function—a work desk, a bench, a day bed, breakfast nook, even a bathtub with the cityscape at your feet. Privacy is not an issue. These facades have been skewed by more than 10 degrees, making them face away from the neighboring unit. Given the building’s orientation, views from either the Ayala Avenue or Apartment Ridge Road side (facing Urdaneta Village) are awesome, even from the lower floors. On the uppermost levels, the nearly 270-degree views of the city are simply breathtaking.
Envisioned to be homes of the captains of business and industry and A-List society, the units are tapping the best finishes and foremost brands.
The living spaces will have Bianco Sierra marble from Greece.
There is the prestigious kitchen appliance brand Gaggenau, a pioneer in innovation and design since it was founded in Germany more than three centuries ago. The brand collaborates with culinary experts during its design process to achieve the best quality kitchen appliances.
Ferdie Ong, general manager of Living Innovations and distributor of Gaggenau, shows off the built-in refrigerator, the standard feature in the show kitchen.
bulthaup is another award-winning luxury home brand of kitchen systems. For more than 70 years, since its founding in 1949 by Martin Bulthaup, the brand has been known for using premium materials and construction techniques.
The German company Miele, founded in 1899 by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann, for 122 years, has been developing a wide range of appliances and machines, from dishwashers to motorcycles, and even centrifuges. The company tests each appliance for up to 20 years of use, making sure each Miele appliance that enters a home grows and thrives with its owners.
The show kitchen has a Miele stove top and oven, while the island counter has a a quartz top from Silestone with built-in drawers by bulthaup.
Acy Antonio and Jhoanna Dorillo of Focus Global Inc., distributors of Miele and Siematic
Elio Baggio founded Elba in 1950 in the village of Marostica in Vicenza, Italy. The initial main business was the operation of an enamel plant which later branched out to producing household appliances.
Founded in Germany by August Siekmann in 1929, SieMatic aims to develop and create not only intelligent designs and products, but also sustainable ones. Their idea of exemplary kitchen is one that lasts decades.
The service kitchen at The Estate Makati will have cabinets from Siematic, and a stove top range hood, and dishwasher from ELBA.
A famous German furniture brand founded in 1940 in the humble carpenter workshop of Alois Hüls in Stadtlohn, Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, hülsta is one of the best known furniture brands, still owned by the same family and now run by the third generation. They don’t use tropical wood to ensure its carbon footprint remains low, and exclusively use environmentally friendly lacquers and glues.
Cabinets in the master bedroom are from German brand Hulsta.
All fixtures, sink, and tub in the master’s bathroom are by Kohler.
In this modern living space, the importance of the human touch has not been overlooked. The guiding philosophy will be “The House receives, the House provides,” where all the benefits of living in a serviced residence or apartment are taken to the next level. Staff at The Estate Makati can handle daily tasks, such as receiving residents’ food and mail parcel deliveries, and can accommodate requests that include housekeeping, catering, and laundry needs.
Staff at The Estate Makati can handle daily tasks such as receiving residents’ food and mail parcel deliveries, as well as housekeeping, catering, and laundry needs
Residents can also enjoy the amenities, such as the wine cellar where residents can store their own bottles and bring guests to entertain, a fully equipped gym, a sky garden to relax in, a business center, swimming pool, function rooms, and first-class medical services provided by Lifeline.
The elevators are very spacious, one of which is large enough to accommodate a horizontally-oriented stretcher in the event of a medical emergency. Should any of the residents require immediate treatment, the building’s helipad can be used to transport them to the nearest hospital. Gearing up for the future, the building’s parking facility is equipped to handle electric vehicle-charging needs, with a charging point provision for each unit owner.
For more information on The Estate Makati, visit www.theestatemakati.com, or email contact@theestatemakati.com.
