The Pontifical and Royal

University of Santo Tomas

College of Architecture
Espana, Manila

A Research submittal on
Architectural Design 7

Business hotel
and serviced apartments in Metro Manila
Minor Plate No. 1

Submitted by:
AVENIDO, Jan Marlo Z.

Submitted to:
Ar. Angelo Aguilar
Ar. Andrea Amador
CONTENTS
I. Introduction
a. History of hotels
b. Site context

II. Statement of the Problem

III. Project Objectives

IV. Design Objectives

V. Product branding and business hotel industry

a. General Information
b. Elements

VI. Airbnb, Inc.

a. Overview
b. Mission and Vision
c. Branding

VII. Case studies

a. Wooden skyscraper
b. Brownfield redevelopment complex

VIII. Bibliography
I. INTRODUCTION

a. History of hotels

Hospitality architecture has been present since the beginning of civilizations. The Greeks
developed thermal baths, the Romans built mansions, caravanserais began to rise along
Middle Eastern routes, monasteries, abbeys, inns, hospices and hospitals grew as the
Middle ages developed.

The beginning of hospitality architecture didnt have services available like meals. Inns
served for governmental transports and rest stops. These means of temporary shelters
became a venue for pilgrims and crusaders on their way to the Holy Land. The idea of
traveling was complemented with staging posts and inns.

According to Levy-Bonvin (n.d.), since the early times, hospitality architecture has
already included interior courtyards with arched porch access. Kitchen and public rooms
were located in front, stables and storehouses at the back and the bedrooms were laid out
along two sides of the court. Travelers became the primary reason why these structures
started to grow across the European and English states. Eventually industries began
developing including cuisine, stage coaches, gentlemens clubs and masonic lodges. The
Place Vendme in Paris was the first architectural complex built to accommodate multi-
use functions such as shops and boutiques, offices, apartments and hotels.

The industrial revolution furthered the development of hospitality industry in Europe,

England and America. In 1800s, the Royal Hotel in London was built and coastal regions
of France and Italy became sites of Holiday resorts. Asia followed with Japans Ryokan
guest houses and Indias Dak bungalows.

The evolution of hotels predominated the aspect of services availability with provision of
several innovations in technology such as hydraulic lifts for access, trains and highway
inns in place of stagecoaches, heaters in bathrooms, electric lighting, steam central
heating, Building Management System, et cetera.

Today, hospitality architecture has been innovative and grand more than ever. It is not
only catering the definition of providing a lodging accommodation for travelers.
Competitive hospitality market of suppliers is definitely more able to address demands of
different types of hotel users thus, combining savoir faire and inculcating
advancements in technology to give users, whether travellers, businessmen, government
officials, or even locals, an a la carte environment; genuinely personalized and fabricated
accordingly for a deluxe experience.
b. Site context

Location: Pandacan district Jesus Street corner Paulumpong Street

Lot area: 7,119.52 square meters

Historically, the site is known as the Little Italy and Little Venice (Santiago, 1898).
It is because of the districts topographic characteristics such that it is bounded by the
Pasig River to the east and several esteros or creeks surround it.

In the 19th century, culture and arts flourished in the district where certain personalities
came from such as Ladislao Bonus, the father of the Philippine Opera, Teodora San Luis,
a member of the opera company, and Francisco Baltazar. It was the golden age of
Pandacan. By mid-19th to late 20th century, ancestral houses were built around the area
that still stands until today. Romualdez Mansion, in secessionist architecture and the
Thelmo House, in a Venetial-style architecture.

However, despite these two prime examples of Old Manila architecture, the district has
lost its old glory. Multiple demolitions of historical structures have gone through and
fortunate enough that at least two have survived. Also, despite several beautification
programs, the district remains a brownfield site with its numerous informal settlers,
underdeveloped oil factories and lack of urban greeneries.

Source: JC Romualdez
David Nolasco
II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Source: pierrepichot.com Source: wpthesisskins.com

Source: infohotels.com Source: foundtheworld.com

Cities like Tokyo, Chicago, Copenhagen and New York create their city centers as
tourism hubs. According to World Travel and Tourism Council, 2012 , these nodes
contribute 9% to global revenue in terms of business and hospitality industry just in the
Asia and the Pacific. In 2017, the millennial group, ages 20 to 35 years of age, will rise
up as the new global travellers of the 21st century (The Global Hotel and Industry Trends,
2016).

Meanwhile, in Manila, Capital of the Philippines, Pandacan district is situated. It was a

flourishing Arts and Culture center in the 19th century but today, it has come to its
deterioration. Urban parks and landscapes have been neglected; informal settlers occupy
even a quarter of the site.

With the rise of the millennial and the increase of possible revenue from tourism and
hospitality industry, Pandacan regeneration is envisioned into becoming a cultural and
arts district of Manila again. The once glorious district, dubbed as Little Italy, has a
picturesque potential of urban gentrification and soon as a global tourism hub of the city
of Manila.
III. PROJECT OBJECTIVES

1. To design a dense, mixed-used building that will house a business hospital and
serviced apartments in Pandacan district of Manila.
2. To create a character for the building and the master plan in accordance to the 19th
century glorified district of Pandacan.
3. To develop a master plan for the district of Pandacan promoting its arts and
culture with the mixed-used building as the focal point of the development.
4. To gentrify the brownfield and attract businessmen and foreign investors to the
district in order to gain revenues for the macro-site.

IV. DESIGN OBJECTIVES

1. To design a mixed-used wooden skyscraper that is sustainable in itself and for its
surrounding site.
2. To design a building with a blend of neo-classical and secessionist architecture,
that was evident in the style of the old structures in Pandacan during the 19th
century.
3. To develop an urban regenerating master plan for Pandacan promoting lifestyle
and culture through green belts, historical building preservation and recreation,
and waterfront developments.

V. PRODUCT BRANDING
a. General Information

Product branding is a business element that speaks of the promise of the product to the
customer. It is the gist of what the consumers should expect from the product or the
services a business company will render. Product branding also considers the target
market. It differs the products offer from other competitors, hence, branding should be
derived from who the company is, who they want to be and how they want people should
perceive them.

b. Elements

Developing a brand is a process of building an identity. There are several processes to get
into finding a companys brand but Entrepreneur.com stated that some of these questions
would get the ball rolling:

What is your company's mission?

What are the benefits and features of your products or services?
What do your customers and prospects already think of your company?
What qualities do you want them to associate with your company?
Source: Williams, J. (n.d.). The basics of branding. In Entrepreneur.com.
Upon understanding and defining the identity of a business group, the elements of
branding are as follows:

1. Logo or wordmark
2. Different logo lockups; these are graphical arrangements for the logo whether
horizontal lockup or vertical lockup and it gives versatility yet consistency for
the product brand.
3. Color scheme; these set of colors, sometimes two or more, is derived from the
logo.
4. Additional color palette options; another set of colors that would complement
the color scheme for additional purposes.
5. Corporate typefaces
6. Standard typographic treatment
7. Consistent style for images
8. Full library of graphic elements
Source: 8 Essential elements to a comprehensive brand identity. In Visible Logic.

These listed elements could vary in a lot of circumstances especially today, that
multimedia is groundbreaking several innovations in design and technology. Nonetheless,
a product brandings most vital element is its DNA the experience that it offers, the
vision it foresees, and the steps it will take to reach the brands success.
VI. Airbnb, Inc.

a. Overview

Airbnb is a community market place for people to list, discover, and book unique
accomodations around the world. It is based in San Francisco, California and was
founded in 2008 by Joe Gebbia, Brian Chesky and Nathan Blacharczyk.

Airbnb is a platform for travelers and locals to share culture through hosting and availing
an apartment, a villa, or even a castle. They promote peculiar and unique travel
experiences in 34,000 major cities in 191 countries around the globe. Indeed, Airbnb is a
hosting outlet to share international and domestic revenues through monetizing a houses
extra space and create thriving tourism in local cities across the world.

b. Mission and Vision

For so long, people thought Airbnb was about renting houses. But really, were about
home. You see, a house is just a space, but a home is where you belong. And what makes
this global community so special is that for the very first time, you can belong anywhere.
That is the idea at the core of our company: belonging (Chesky, n.d.).

The company defined belonging as a strong connection of people among age and culture.
Airbnb takes the experience of belonging, which existed long before the industrial
revolution even begun and where cities used to be villages that people call home, to the
modern age. Getting in isnt a transaction, Chesky mentioned as Airbnb is not just a
financial business experience but a personal interaction for the hosts and the guests alike.

At a time when new technologies have made it easier to keep each other at a
distance, youre using them to bring people together. And youre tapping into the
universal human yearning to belong[] (Chesky, n.d.)
c. Branding

This is the belo, the universal symbol for belonging. The logo represents Airbnbs four
core values: People, who are the container and the containment; Places, to go and travel
to where the locals go, usually the roads less travelled; Love, of welcoming people into
someones home for a new experience, new culture, and new conversations; and Airbnb.

Belo signifies that anyone could draw it and could be seen anywhere. Its also a
recognition of Airbnbs commitment to creating sense of belonging everywhere; that
nothing could separate Airbnb from people. Thus, belo is a shared brand identity.
Airbnb also promotes sustainable hosting and traveling in all their accomodations.

Source: airbnb.com
VII. CASE STUDIES

a. Wooden skyscraper Wood Innovation and Design Centre

Location: Prince George, BC

Architect: Michael Green
Conceived to showcase the potential for building mid- and high-rise structures using
engineered mass timber products, there is no concrete used above the ground floor slab.
The design incorporates a simple, dry structure of systems-integrated CLT floor panels,
Glulam columns and beams, and mass timber walls.

Mass timber constructiona term that encompasses the use of prefabricated wood
components such as LVL, cross-laminated timber (CLT), laminated strand lumber (LSL),
and glue laminated timber (glulam)supported two goals of the project. It is strong
enough to support the WIDCs post-and-beam structure and lateral-load resisting system,
and it supports an exceptionally long life cycle. The buildings dry construction, which
was free of concrete and wet materials, permits the wooden components to be taken apart
and reused.

Glulam beams, which vary in size based on their location, transfer the structural
loads to glulam columns, which are 14 inches by 14 inches on the ground floor
and 12 inches by 11 inches on the upper floors. This post-and-beam
superstructure is secured by 2-millimeter to 16-millimeter glued-in rods and
stainless steel washer plates. The beam-to-column connection is made using a
proprietary, pre-engineered aluminum dove-tail connector. Four-, 6-, and 9-
 inch-thick CLT panels comprise the walls, stair, and elevator core. Three-, 5-,
and 7-ply CLT panels make up the custom, staggered design in the floor and
ceiling that hides and shelters all building services, and is fortified by two layers
of 13-millimeter plywood and semi-rigid fiberglass board insulation. Carpet and
-inch needle-punched polypropylene fiber underlayment provide additional
sound insulation on floor planes, while wood slats, fiberglass batt insulation, and
acoustic ceiling hangers help insulate ceilings (Hooper, 2015).

According to Green, 2012 this project has set many precedents in the North American
building context through the extensive engineering research and testing by the project
team to prove the safety and validity of mass timber construction techniques. The basic
structural concept for WIDC can be used for buildings up to 20 and 30 stories in height
with little modification, as described in The Case For Tall Wood.
b. Brownfield redevelopment Chaudiere Island Master Plan

Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Completion: On-going
Size: 38 acres; mixed use new development

Located on the Ottawa River, the project site

presents an opportunity to reinvent a
heritage-rich, industrial space into a
vibrant, mixed-use community.

Through residential, commercial and

communal developments, the Chaudire and
Wright Islands can be reanimated to bring
new life and energy to this once bustling
heart of industry.

The harmonious integration of modern

sustainable infrastructure into the heritage
fabric of the Isles will provide the people of
Ottawa and Gatineau with a new way to
experience and appreciate the natural
splendor of the Ottawa River.

The project is intended to be a world-class, sustainable community that combines the best
of urbanity integrated with the waterfront and is based on the following eight
development principles:

1. Celebrate Heritage 4. EcoSystems 7. Complete

2. Connect the capital 5. Vibrant Waterfront Communities
3. Healthy Living 6. Incubate Innovation 8. Create Views
VIII. BIBLIOGRAPHY

________ (n.d.). Brand statement. In airbnb.com. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
http://www.airbnb.com/

________ (2010). 8 Essential elements to a comprehensive brand identity. In Visible

Logic. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from http://www.visiblelogic.com/blog/2010/04/8-
essential-elements-to-a-comprehensive-brand-identity/.

________ (2012). Economic Impact 2012. In World Travel and Tourism Council.
Retrieved October 15, 2016.

________ (2016). The Global Hotel Industry and Trends for 2016. Retrieved October 15,
2016.

Green, M. (2013). Wood Innovation and Design Centre. In MGA.com. Retrieved

October 16, 2016, from http://mg-architecture.ca/work/wood-innovation-design-center/.

Hooper, E. (2015). Innovative Detail: Wood Innovation and Design Centre. In Architect
Magazine. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from http://www.architectmagazine.com
/technology/detail/innovative-detail-wood-innovation-and-design-centre_o.

Levy-Bonvin, B. J. (n.d.). Hospitality Net - Hotels | A Brief History - By Jacques Levy-

Bonvin. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from http://hospitalitynet.org/news/4017990.html.

Williams, J. (n.d.). The basics of branding. In Entrepreneur.com. Retrieved October 16,

2016, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/77408.