Palafox celebrates 40 years as 2 Torre Lorenzo tops off

MANILA, Philippines -  Celebrating 40 years of being one of the most well-respected architects and planners in the country, architect Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr. recalls how his passion for architecture came about: “I think in retrospect, what really helped inculcate the fascination in building and creating structures evolved from my early exposure to the basics of it. When I’m not running errands for my parents, there were two places I would frequent, one is the church where I serve mass every day, the other is the beach.”

“While other children would make sand castles, I would make sand townships, cities, and buildings with rivers and bridges out of the sand. From there, my fascination in building and creating such miniature structures evolved into a passion for architecture.”

In the late 1970s, Palafox started his career as a senior architect and planner in Dubai, “I was only 26 years old when I was offered the job and I was 27 when I reported for work, one of 20 expatriates,” says Palafox.

“The Ruler of Dubai gave instructions to design a garden city out of the then barren desert, and plan a world-class 21st century city. That project reminded me of my childhood days on the beach.”

Over 10 years after his Dubai stint, he founded world-renowned architectural design and planning firm in the Philippines—Palafox Associates.  He led and managed the firm in the planning of more than 12 billion square meters of land area and the architectural design of more than eight million square meters of building floor area, undertaking more than 800 projects in 34 countries.

Palafox Associates continues to set the benchmark in the country’s planning, architecture and design scenes emerging it as a top Filipino architecture firm as recognized by the London-based World Architecture magazine.

Among Palafox’s distinct projects is the premiere university condominium 2 Torre Lorenzo located across De La Salle University in Taft Ave., Manila.  “In every project that we do, we make sure that it’s unique, identifiable, and memorable.  It must satisfy not just the design goals of Palafox Associates but also our development concepts of vertical urbanism and new urbanism.”

Grand Metro Lorenzo, the management group behind 2 Torre Lorenzo, is known for the irrefutable quality and success of its first major university condominium project, Torre Lorenzo. Its efficient and expert property management has raised the standard of student living in the area.

“I believe in the project. I was a student once, and I know the need of students to be closer to good schools without the hassle of commuting.  Moreover, the developers we worked with are renowned and known to deliver high-quality products,” Palafox explains.

Palafox highly considered the context of urban planning in his design principle for 2 Torre Lorenzo, “We looked at the neighborhood axis of Taft, Vito Cruz, the LRT, Rizal Stadium, and the neighboring cluster of De La Salle and St. Benilde.  I think the greatest challenge for us was to make sure that the tower meets the ground, not just reach for the sky. It should relate to the pedestrian movement by providing easy access to public transportation, as well as for private transportation.”

For inquiries and other details, call +632 3108888 or visit www.2torrelorenzo.com.