Construction is currently underway on the BENCH Headquarters in Manila, a 24-storey office building for the Philippines' leading clothing and lifestyle brand.
Foster + Partners is providing fully integrated services for the project, to deliver a more holistic and environmentally responsive approach. The team also developed a custom tool to measure the building’s embodied carbon in real time, as their design evolved. This provided an important insight into the whole life carbon impact of the project and allowed them to make informed design decisions from the earliest stages.
Luke Fox, Head of Studio, and Roland Schnizer, Senior Partner, tell us more:
How did the BENCH Headquarters project initially come about?
Luke:
In 2019, BENCH came to us with an exceptional site in Bonifacio Global City, a new financial district in Manila. Our design for their new home was driven by understanding the company’s ambitions for their future workplace. To do this we engaged our in-house Workplace Consultancy team to monitor their operations - and develop the spatial and technical brief. A key finding was the company’s desire to create an interconnected, flexible workplace that would be climate responsive and very sustainable.
How is the project’s environmental impact mitigated?
Roland:
Working in close collaboration with our in-house Sustainability Group, we developed embodied carbon calculators, which allowed us to evaluate our live design options under development.
Using this method, we were able to assign all the materials in the building in the BIM model and measure the carbon emissions that they produce, during the earliest design stages. From the concrete used for pre-cast panels to the various components of the building’s cladding, every element was analysed and carefully selected. This enabled us to test multiple options before we settled on the right solution.
This detailed knowledge has allowed us to design in the most sustainable way possible, from the outset. For example, working with our structural engineers, we developed our proposal to improve structural efficiency, which significantly reduced the embodied carbon footprint of the building.
Which in-house teams are working on the project?
Luke:
We’re fortunate enough to provide fully integrated services for BENCH Headquarters, including architectural design, structural engineering, workplace consultancy, Applied R+D, environmental design, MEP, interior design and lighting design. This enabled us to provide a truly integrated and holistic design approach that made possible our goal of minimising the building’s embodied and operational carbon.
As part of the project, we are designing a flexible furniture system, developed by our own Industrial Design team. The shelving system can be used to reconfigure the workspace, creating spatial dividers that still allow for clear lines of sight through the space. Employees have the option to create more defined and private areas, while maintaining a sense of place and community.
What stage is the project currently at - and what are the next steps?
Roland:
The project broke ground in May this year and we have just started the substructure works.
Working closely with our local collaborating architect, Aidea, over the next few years we will see the project emerge from the ground and become a reality.
