Architectural firm’s reputation the cornerstone of its success

Recognized as one of the most awarded architectural firms in the country, Edward Co Tan +Architects, or ECT+A, has committed to designing, building and developing structures and communities that move and inspire our society.

The company has forged since its inception in 2002 an enviable reputation of achieving excellence and quality in its projects to meet the demanding standards of architecture and building industry professionals as well as the satisfaction of its clients.

In line with the multidisciplinary design practice, the firm’s philosophy of having all parties on a project collaborate creatively in multidisciplinary teams is highly valued by clients for its design results and economic effectiveness. Today, that reputation remains the cornerstone of the company’s continued success. The company pursues to provide not just quality but outstanding service to its clients.

With this in mind, the firm is guided by effectiveness and efficiency in all its designs in three major aspects: construction cost, space planning and sustainable operation.

Much more economical

Edward C. Tan, principal architect at ECT+A, said: “We have developed a system in designing buildings unlike others. We would like to offer our services that emphasize on efficiency for a better yield to your business. This system is much more economical than others, considerably by at least 5 percent, without sacrificing the integrity of the structure and quality of materials.”

He explained: “Our technique considers all aspects of construction. Structural concerns (mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection) are never left unconsidered. Our aim, in fact, is utilizing structure as architecture. We plan not just the area but the volume as well, considering not just the shape but the form. However, we are different because we key in the cost factor by strategizing the unusable versus the sellable volume, which is probably never observed by others in the industry.”

Moreover, this type of structural system makes use of the Interactive Wall System, which has been used in the Philippines only on low-rise housing from the 1980s until recently. The firm has adapted this system on high-rise, upscale housing and hotels as what is being done in other developed countries like Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Canada and some European countries.

Architectural landmarks

According to Tan, since their business is architecture, they make sure to never leave out aesthetics. They intend to make their buildings architectural landmarks. In addition, their company prides itself on not having column and beam protrusions in the units that hinder space and furniture planning. This gives versatility to areas that would have otherwise been dictated by these protrusions.

Tan said: “Our value engineering does not come from using cheaper materials but from the efficient operation of three-dimensional planning. It starts on the first stroke of our pencil during the conceptual stage. In shorter description, our system works through the management and control of the use of the total building volume.”

His keen interest in the high-rise industry gained him numerous high-rise commercial and residential projects. Tan continuously applied the same principles of efficiency in his work. His firm ECT+A was among the country’s top 10 architectural firms for 2013 and 2014, awarded by BCI Asia.

Hoppler, which claims to be the most advanced online tool that helps you search, buy, sell and rent properties in the country, featured ECT+A as one of the top architectural firms and companies in the Philippines.

The company embraces building environmental assessment methods like the PhilGBC Philippine Green Building Council (PhilGBC), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and US Green Building Council (USGBC).

Their notable projects include the Hive Mall and Residences in Taytay; Central Mall in Cavite; the Sanctuarium in Quezon City, which is the first fully integrated memorial home cum columbary; and the Ritz Hotel in Davao.