The Estate Makati also masterfully plays varying levels of privacy a Filipino family requires, giving homeowners various spaces to host any type of event, from the comfort of their own home, or within the property, should they hold their home sacrosanct. Spaces within the property are able to accommodate numerous types of events in one’s life, may it be a delivery of a party dress for their next intimate dinner, to important business meetings, to casual drinks with friends, or their once-in-a-lifetime milestones. The development is designed so homeowners are able to play, lounge, work, and socialize all within the property, at whatever privacy level is comfortable to them.
As with any Foster + Partners development, The Estate Makati is sustainably future-proofed through the use of vetted materials which cause no harm to the environment, nor the surrounding area, and are self-sustaining, lessening the need for additional maintenance. It boasts of several sustainable features including rainwater harvesting, energy efficient glazing, waste management and charging provisions for green vehicles.
Through the help of CREARIS, a Filipino landscape architecture firm, green space occupies 30% of the development, giving homeowners privacy, noise insulation, pollution absorption, reduction of the heat island effect, and the ability to connect with nature by simply stepping out of their homes. “The connection between nature and physical and mental health is something that we have been investigating for a long time. Extensive evidence demonstrates that biophilic environments–ones that incorporate real elements as well as those that mimic nature–exert a healing effect on the human body. it supports cognitive functions, physical health and psychological wellbeing, hence aiding the healing process. Schnizer mentions, “The need for people to interact with nature has been further highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Open spaces not only aid in social distancing, but they fulfil a fundamental role in fostering a sense of well-being in people’s lives.”
A Look Towards the Future
While The Estate Makati had been in development before the pandemic hit, it seems Foster + Partners have designed a timeless and iconic structure able to withstand the ever-changing landscape of the world. The Estate Makati was designed on the idea of flexibility, central to the firm’s sustainable approach. The design’s inherent flexibility has allowed it to adapt to an unknown future—demonstrated by the changes in the way people live and work brought about by the pandemic.
The Estate Makati and the lens of sustainability through which it was designed and built came at the perfect time: “Over the last decades we have witnessed key shifts in public attitudes to ecology and energy consumption. Developments like this support and encourage heightened awareness on issues of sustainability. Our projects have always anticipated these trends, pioneering sustainable design solutions. Buildings that emerge as a response to their environmental context tend to have better performance standards, allowing users a more pleasant experience,” Schnizer says.
