BPO companies upgrade to more efficient office spaces
In the last decade, a new breed of office buildings designed primarily for efficiency and functionality has become the legacy in key Philippine cities of the BPO industry which has been a consistent growth driver of the country’s office sector.
At Bonifacio Global City, the traditional BPO office template is currently being challenged by Milestone at Fifth Avenue, a pre-certified LEED Gold building offering both efficiency as well as the fine finishes and designs required by multinational and local firms.
The 20-story building’s main entrance is on BGC’s most prominent thoroughfare, Fifth Avenue, where Google, Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble are headquartered.
Recently certified as a PEZA building, Milestone at Fifth Avenue will soon be completed and is now attracting inquiries from BPOs doing back office work or shared services.
According to Phillip Anonuevo, executive director of Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC), BPOs doing highvalue
work are now upgrading their office spaces in a bid to keep their work force engaged and loyal.
In keeping with its high-prestige address near BGC’s high-end residential apartments and landmark buildings like the Philippine Stock Exchange, Shangri-La at the Fort and Net Lima, Milestone at Fifth Avenue will be distinguished by an impressive lobby and premium retail spaces at its ground floor.
At the same time, it will be able to meet the highly efficient standards of BPOs by offering extra large floor plates typically measuring 2,164 sqm.
“You could call it a hybrid building since it appeals to two distinct office markets with disparate needs and requirements,” he said.
Jo Abellanosa, LPC manager, disclosed that large floor plates mean a firm can comfortably assign more people to a floor and maximize common spaces like pantries, conference rooms, and the like.
“Buildings with smaller floor plates would mean less people on a floor and perhaps more space assigned to pantries and meeting rooms and higher costs,” Abellanosa said.
Executives of LPC, the exclusive leasing agents of Milestone at Fifth Avenue, further pointed out that multinationals appreciate the large floor plate of the property. In fact, the building’s anchor tenant will be taking up 25 percent of the 28,263 sqm gross leasable area to consolidate its work force currently spread out in several office towers.
“They will be able to house more company divisions in one place and to create better synergies among them,” added Abellanosa.
Meanwhile, Anonuevo revealed that the building’s large floor plate was made possible by the fact that Milestone at Fifth Avenue’s footprint covers two back-to-back lots – one fronting Fifth Avenue, and the other fronting Fourth Avenue.
“Acquiring properties that allow such floor plates is a feat and the reason why there are only two properties in BGC with this feature,” he said.
Milestone at Fifth Avenue also offers two lobbies, eight passenger elevators, multiple telco providers and VRF air-conditioning. It will also offer energy and cost saving features by using LED lights and by utilizing doubleglazed curtain walls that allows natural light to come in but repel heats.
With these features, the building earned a pre-certified LEED Gold status.