Rockwell Land sets benchmark for suitable workspaces
Ideally, workspaces should
be built with the comfort of users in mind.
After all, this is where any
typical office worker spends at least a third of his day, and could thus
greatly influence morale, productivity and any work related decisions.
With the limited spaces in
the metro however, a number of companies are forced to make settle for a
four-walled hole that resembles concrete jails big enough to house only a desk,
a chair and a computer for each employee.
Upscale property developer
Rockwell Land Corp., however, has changed the way office buildings in the
Philippines should be built. While known for its high-end residential and
commercial developments at the Rockwell Center in Makati, the company again
went beyond the norm when it developed the 1.3-hectare site within the compound
of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to build the Rockwell Business Center.
In an exclusive interview
with Inquirer Property, Rockwell Land officials said the company started the
construction of the center in 2007 and company tenants started moving in August
2009.
Seeing how vital a workplace
is for a business to succeed and the crucial role it plays in the welfare of
the employees, the company ensured that the Rockwell Business Center would
bring a new level of luxury to office space during that time. With its
well-appointed environment that integrates work with leisure and dining,
Rockwell Land has given its tenants business class service and amenities.
It was preleased and we had
a lot of deals going. But some had to back out because the United States was
hit with recession and there was slump in the BPO (business process
outsourcing) market, said Camie J. Mirasol, assistant manager for retail
leasing at Rockwell Land.
However, with a strong brand
and a solid reputation, Rockwell Business Center was able to bounce back.
Upward trend
We continued and we were
able to recover and just late last year we reached 100 percent occupancy,
Mirasol claimed, noting further that the upward trend in the BPO market
had helped boost the company.
Theres really an upward
trend in the BPO market and offices that around late 2010 office market started
to take off. This was the time when rents started recovering because there was
more demand and not enough supply, Mirasol added.
But what really sets
Rockwell Business Center apart from other office space in the country and a
top-of-the-mind choice among investors, according to Mirasol, is its strong
affiliation with the Rockwell brand.
Its the brand association.
When tenants are choosing between two developers with almost the same price
they end up choosing Rockwell Business Center because of the brand and because
of its association with high-end developments. For them its a guarantee that
we can deliver in terms of service and in terms of the quality of the
building, Mirasol claimed.
In fact when we asked
tenants why they choose us they say its because they want the Rockwell
address. They want the prestige that comes with it. The brand perception was
very strong for us and that worked in our favor, she added.
The Rockwell Business Center
has two towers with 12 floors on one tower and 14 floors on the other, as well
as six elevators for each tower.
Utilities
We didnt scrimp on the
utilities. We have 150-percent backup power. The promises that we have for our
residences are similar to what we give here like the facilities, and it is also
flood-free, Mirasol brags.
And as with other Rockwell
Land projects, Rockwell Business Center boasts 75:25 percent open
space-building ratio.
Landscape is very generous
with 75 percent devoted to open space and 25 percent concrete and thats
because we didnt really want it to be crowded, she noted.
Mirasol further said they
consider the business center as a complete replica of the Rockwell developments
within Makati.
Its like baby Rockwell,
you know when you walk around that it is not just a building. We really took
care of the area around it, we made sure theres a place to stroll, to hang
out. We even have a Koi pond, the peg was campus style, Mirasol shared.
Mirasol however admitted
that they, too, had to face a few challenges.
Main challenges
We have diverse tenants and
thats one of the main challenges. We have ask our tenants to project and help
us maintain a certain image to keep up with the Rockwell brand. We have set
house rules and explain to them that they cant just do anything that they want
because we have to keep the image, Mirasol explained.
To date, the Rockwell
Business Center has become a benchmark for office space, with its grade A
quality office towers designed for the modern knowledge-based business, latest
IT infrastructure and redundant back-up systems.
Al fresco cafs and
restaurants are located at the ground floor of each tower while banks,
convenience store and other services are also available for the convenience of
the tenants.
Our biggest edge is the
parking. We have underground parking like the one that we have in Makati.
Guests and tenants can cross underground to get to the next tower or building.
We have a total of 1,000 parking slots for the two towers, Mirasol concluded.
Philippine Daily Inquirer (January 20, 2012)
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