This Building is Queen of the Street

 Until early this year, I was heavily involved in finishing my mother's project in Manila. It is a 5 storey residential building sitting on a narrow lot. The lot itself is about 72sqm or 775Sf. Built out of steel and concrete, it stands tall showcasing a modern look with its geometric ironwork and dark stonefinishes. Each floor is treated as a separate unit with its own main door and access to a stairway. Each floor has 2 bedrooms and 1 washroom with a front balcony. Of all my projects, there was a Ripley's believe it or not moment when we were undergoing construction . A private plane crashed less than a block away from the project site. The plane flew so close to side of the building, that our workers felt the heat coming off the plane.   

Nevertheless, my favorite part of the building is the deck. From the deck, you really get a good view of the neighboorhood. Within a radius of a kilometer, I could identify my grandfather's house, one of the oldest houses remained untouched by development in this area. Looking towards the west, I could see the green roof of the basketball court of the community I live in.  My uncle lives next door.  All that hustle and bustle, a whirl of humanity that makes me feel rooted. After all, I grew up in this neighborhood.   Of course, there's the dust, the noise, the pollution. It doesn't matter to me. From up here, this building stands proud and the view is amazing.     

Zulueta Architecture is a dynamic practice based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and Metro Manila, Philippines.