Aecom bags BCDA Clark Green City design tilt

A top global provider of architecture, design, engineering, and construction services has won the design competition for the 9,450-hectare Clark Green City in Pampanga, which is being touted to become the “international business hub of the Southeast Asian region.”

In a statement, the state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said Aecom bested five other groups as it provided the best optimized design for Clark Green City’s Conceptual Master Development Plan.

Other finalists were Hong Kong-based UDP International; London-based Atkins; Walters and Webster (AWW) Inspired Environments; Philippine-based Palafox Associates; and Filipino architects Angelo Ray Serrano and Jan Carlo San Luis.

BCDA president and CEO Arnel Paciano D. Casanova said the design of Aecom balanced “nature and economic vibrancy.”

BCDA said the judges were impressed by the “clearness of the land use layout,” which was legible and easy to understand. The design was also lauded for “making a connection between the city and nature.”

Aecom—an acronym for architecture, engineering, consulting, operations, and maintenance—is a premier, fully integrated infrastructure and support services firm with offices in more than 150 countries. The firm has nearly 100,000 employees, composed mostly of architects, engineers, designers, planners, economists, scientists, and management and construction services professionals. Last year, Aecom posted $19 billion in revenue.

So far, there are at least 11 local and foreign investors that are keen on developing portions of the 9,450-hectare Clark Green City.

In the first phase of the project, an initial 1,300 hectares will be developed, generating around P59 billion worth of investments, to be shouldered by international and local private sector proponents.

Casanova declined to identify the interested parties, but major developers like Ayala Land and Megaworld Corp. have earlier expressed their intention to look at Clark Green City’s prospects. AL AHLI Holding Group, a multibillion-dollar conglomerate based in the United Arab Emirates, is also interested in developing tourism and entertainment projects.

Once fully developed, Clark Green City may contribute approximately P1.57 trillion a year to the economy and generate 925,000 jobs.