It is said that to see where a country is headed, you must look at the buildings. If this were true, then it is extremely evident that the Philippines’ future is bright indeed.
The growing demand for quality real estate projects for the booming economy has created a need for pioneering, world-class designs that can balance both commercial interests as well as ergonomic, people-related, and environmental concerns. After all, the new generation of Filipinos will need places to live and work in that can stand with the best the world has to offer. Among the architects that are at the forefront of the looming architectural revolution, few are as revered and respected as Architect Jose Siao Ling.
A wise man once said that show me who your friends are, and I will show you who you are. If this is so, then counting the SM group, the Robinsons group, STI, Toyota, Honda, Cathay Land, and so many other business luminaries as their main clients are surely a testament to the man’s excellence and quality of work.
It was thus a great honor that Anvil Business Club was able to hold the second REAL ESTATE ROUNDTABLE at Architect Siao Ling’s office in N. Domingo, San Juan. In his eight-floor green building that is emblematic of his pioneering designs, Arch. Siao Ling graciously shared with Anvil members his life experience, trends in modern architecture, his guiding principles in design, and much more.
While most of the discussion will not be included in this article due to confidentiality, there are at least some general insights that bear sharing:
These include:
1.) BE HOLISTIC:
In his own words, “Architecture is an endless search for perfection of artistic and holistic arrangement of man and his space, in harmony with his economic, social, cultural and natural environmental concerns in consideration with the tools in technical innovations, market and trends.” Architect Siaoling is known as among the pioneers in application of Feng Shui, environmental ergonomics, and green technology in design consideration in the Philippines. He has been at the forefront of numerous innovations in Philippine architecture that push the boundaries of beauty and aesthetics.
However, more than just the design, he is also mindful of the commercial consideration and welfare of the owner. His firm takes it upon itself to calculate the potential returns of the client, informing the client whether or not they believe the project can make money. In many cases, he says, he has even refused projects that he feels will lose money for his business partners.
Balancing both right-brain and left-brained thinking, aesthetic and logic, beauty and return, creativity and wisdom, passion and reason, is one of the reasons Arch. Siao Ling is trusted by many in the industry.
2.) INVEST IN KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNOLOGY:
From the time he worked as a fledgling architect in Hong Kong to now, in his current stature as one of the top 10 architects in the Philippines, Arch. Siao Ling has never stopped investing in knowledge and technology. In fact, he continues to further his research and knowledge base through travel, partnerships with foreign architects, and sending his team to world-class training and expos, in order to always be at the forefront of the industry. Whereas other architects specialize in a certain field, his dedication to innovation has allowed him to do projects as diverse as BPO buildings, recreational parks, university campuses, and world-class sports arenas.
3.) ALWAYS DELIVER ON TIME, AND BEYOND WHAT IS EXPECTED
Architect Siao Ling had a piece of advice for Anvil members who are in the construction industry and who wish to supply the top conglomerates in the country: always deliver on time, and beyond what is expected. Arch Siao Ling has never hesitated to take out suppliers who are lacking, even in the smallest things and in the shortest of deliveries, because for him, quality and time should never be compromised.
Because of his Spartan standards, which he himself follows to a tee when he commits to a project for any of his clients, he has developed a reputation for excellence that has stood the test of time. They know that if it is a Siao Ling work, it will end up well.
4.) DO NOT BE AFRAID OF TRAINING YOUNG PEOPLE; THEY ARE YOUR LEGACY
Whereas Chinese-Filipino firms do not usually train other Chinoys due to fear of competition, Arch. Siaoling has been the source of wisdom, personally training many of the top Chinese- Filipino architects in the country, the likes of Daniel Go, Jonathan Gan, and many others. He believes that doing this is his greatest contribution to Philippine architecture—for if they themselves in putting up their own firm embody the excellence that they have learned while interning in Jose Siao Ling and Associates, then Philippine real estate will surely be in a wonderful place for decades to come.
After the forum, Architect Siao Ling hosted the Anvil members to a sumptuous lunch in his 600 square meter function area. He regaled the wide-eyed crowd with stories of his projects, his dealings with some of the top businessmen in the country, and his life story. Afterwards, he even took time to tour some of the members who stayed around his wondrousv7th/8th floor loft.
The roundtable which was supposed to end at 12 ended up extending to 3pm, testament to the way he himself values giving back to the young people who may one day be movers and shakers of Philippine society, as just he himself is now. All in all, the real estate roundtable was a resounding success. Anvil members learned significantly from the experience, and look forward to the next session this July and August.
No comments:
Post a Comment