Soon to rise: New Taguig City Hall

State-of-the-art building to mirror ‘probinsyudad’ pride

A new Taguig City Hall will soon rise and is set to be a dominant addition to the probinsyudad skyline.

The new building, which will be built along Pedro Cayetano Boulevard in Barangay Ususan, will be 17 storeys unified by the “strategy of contrasts” concept — an effort to strike a balance between old and new, true to Taguig’s way.

“We have dreamed of this new city hall for a very long time,” said former Taguig City Mayor and now Taguig 2nd District Rep. Lani Cayetano in a speech during the groundbreaking ceremony days before she turned over her functions as chief executive of the city to Mayor Lino Cayetano. “It does not just boast modern facilities and innovative technologies, but also mirrors the good governance of Taguig City.”

Mayor Lino Cayetano, for his part, considers the new building as a testimony of the selfless leadership in Taguig for the past 9 years.

“The city, under the leadership of Mayor Lani, opted to prioritize school buildings, health centers, hospitals, a senior citizen center and a PWD center among others, over a City Hall for her,” Mayor Lino explained, highlighting that Taguig became progressive because of the honest and effective Cayetano leadership.

The future city headquarters will showcase the competence, identity and potentials of Taguig, and will align with Mayor Lino’s vision of responsive, relevant and resilient infrastructure in the city.

The entrance will be a massive travertine wall with two glass protrusions. A lower four-storey glass cube will welcome guests to the Convention Facility and City Hall. This cube itself will have a seating capacity for a banquet of 600 people.

The structure itself will express both hospitality and a “we are open for business” vibe. On the fouth-floor main lobby, in view of the nature thriving on the 14-storey atrium, clients can clock in their devices to charge while waiting in the windows. There will be transaction lobbies in every floor.

The city hall will be totally PWD- and women-friendly. Women’s toilets will be bigger than the men’s so long queues would be avoided.

City Hall employees will start the daily grind with a pleasing view of the fifth-floor atrium leading to their working areas. It will generously welcome natural light.

The double-storey lobby will be a grand space to accommodate public function windows and business transactions.

Employees will love holding meetings. The city hall will have big and small meeting rooms in every floor that can host 20- and 8-person meetings. Teams might also want to meet at the facilities on the upper-level roof-deck garden.

City Hall will not simply be known for its modern scheme. It will be replete with details paying homage to the “probinsyudad” spirit.

Housing the Office of the Mayor and the workspaces of the direct staff will be a structure inspired by the indigenous “bahay na bato” architecture. On the 12th to 15th floors, this will be a rectangular glass box punctuated with stainless ventanillas. The frame will light up at night, making it an unmissable sight.

Two rooftop gardens will provide an overlooking view of Taguig. The first rooftop garden will be on the top of the Convention Center and Assembly Hall, an area with meeting pavilions, a garden with ponds, as well as a food court and a gym. The second one will thrive high above, on the 17th floor, conducive for outdoor dining, lounging and exercise.

The Parking Podium will be as green as it gets, with flowering shrubs and high shade trees expressing a park-like atmosphere. The above-ground parking space will accommodate more than 308 cars and 265 motorcycles.

The building and side facades will be dotted with stress-relieving terraces and balconies, rain harvesting irrigation facilities and plant boxes.

Architects Dan Lichauco and Dennis Guran, and Engineer Art Santos will oversee the construction of the new city hall until its expected completion within 2021. The target is to open the convention center after two years and the rest of the building later.

Better structures have been central to Taguig City’s agenda, with leaders convinced that these would provide a more efficient service for citizens.

Standing on this principle, public school buildings underwent a major up-do. Among the more recent projects is the seven-storey, 21-classroom, fully air-conditioned Signal Village National High School building, fitted with an elevator and roof deck. The building is fully furnished with chairs, blackboards, tables, electric fans, and other facilities. It was inaugurated in May 2019 as part of celebrations for the 432nd Founding Anniversary of the city.

In April, Taguig opened the Center for the Elderly. It is the country’s pioneer wellness hub for senior citizens. It is a five-storey building along Ipil-Ipil Street, North Signal Village, offering facilities for rest and relaxation to Taguigeño elders raring to recharge.

New additions to the city-run hospital —Taguig-Pateros District Hospital — were opened earlier this year to provide better and more efficient medical services to Taguigeños. These projects include the new Emergency Room, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, and Outpatient Department. ###

Filipino Version

Bagong Taguig City Hall itatayo

Makabagong gusali na sasalamin sa ‘probinsyudad’ itatayo

Isang makabagong Taguig City Hall ang itatatag sa tinaguriang probinsyudad ng Metro Manila.

Ang bagong gusali, na itatayo sa kahabaan ng Pedro Cayetano Boulevard sa Barangay Ususan, ay magkakaroon ng 17 palapag na base sa konsepto ng “strategy of contrasts” — isang inisyatibo na babalanse sa makaluma at makabago na kagaya ng lungsod ng Taguig.

“We have dreamed of this new city hall for a very long time,” wika ni dating Taguig City Mayor at ngayo’y Taguig 2nd District Rep. Lani Cayetano sa isang talumpati sa groundbreaking ceremony ilang araw bago niya isalin ang pamumuno ng syudad kay Mayor Lino Cayetano.

“It does not just boast modern facilities and innovative technologies, but also mirrors the good governance of Taguig City.”

Ayon naman kay Mayor Lino, ang bagong gusali para sa bagong Taguig City Hall ay testimonya sa malinis, maayos at mapag-parayang liderato ng pamahalaang lungsod sa loob ng syam na taon.

“The city, under the leadership of Mayor Lani, opted to prioritize school buildings, health centers, hospitals, a senior citizen center and a PWD center among others, over a City Hall for her,” wika ni Mayor Lino, kung saan inilahad din niya na ang Taguig ay naging progresibo dahil sa katapatan at epektibong liderato ng mga Cayetano.

Ang itatayong city headquarters ay magpapakita ng epektibong pasilidad, sariling mukha at potensyal ng Taguig. Naka-linya rin ang itsura nito sa vision ni Mayor Lino na responsive, relevant at resilient na infrastruktura sa syudad.

Ang entrance nito magkakaroon ng malaking travertine wall na may dalawang glass protrusions. Ang unang apat na palagag ay glass cube kung saan ang mga bisita ay agad na makikita ang Convention Facility at City Hall. Ang cube na ito ay may seating capacity para sa 600 katao.

Ang kabuuan nito ay magpapakita sa mga bisita na ang gusali ay bukas para sa tao at handang tumulong sa kanila. Sa fourth-floor main lobby, na may matatanaw na nature at mga halaman sa 14-storey atrium, kung saan ang mga kliyente ay pwedeng mag-recharge ng kanilang mga gadgets. Magkakaroon din ng transaction lobbies sa bawat palagap.

Ang buong City Hall ay PWD- at women-friendly. Ang mga palikuran ng mga babae ay mas palalawakin pa kaysa sa mga palikuran ng mga lalaki upang maiwasan ang mahabang pila sa pag-gamit nito.

Ang mga City Hall employee ay gaganahan sa pagtrabaho araw-araw dahil sa maaliwalas na tanawin ng fifth-floor atrium patungong working areas. Meron itong natural light na papasok sa loob ng mga kuwarto.

Ang double-storey lobby ay magkakaroon ng malawak na espasyo para sa mga public function window at business transactions.

Gaganahan ang mga empleyado na magsagawa ng kanilang meetings. Magkakaroon din ng malaki at maliit na meeting rooms sa bawat palapag na kakasya ang may 20- o di kaya ay 8-katao para sa meetings. Pwede rin magpulong ang mga grupo sa facilities sa upper-level roof-deck garden.

Ang City Hallay hindi lamang makikilala sa modern scheme nito kundi dahil sasalamin ito ng “probinsyudad” spirit kung saan nakilala ang Taguig.

Ang lugar kung saan ilalagay ang Office of the Mayor at ang mga workspace ng mga direct staff ay inspired ng indigenous na “bahay na bato” architecture. Sa 12th hanggang 15th floors, ito ay rectangular glass box na may stainless ventanillas. Ang frame ay umiilaw sa gabi upang madaling mapansin ito.

Dalawang rooftop gardens ang magbibigay ng overlooking view ng Taguig. Ang unang rooftop garden ay sa ibabaw ng Convention Center at Assembly Hall, ang lugar kung saan makikita ang meeting pavilions, ang garden na may ponds, at ang food court at gym. Ang pangalawang rooftop garden ay makikita sa mataas na palapag, sa 17th floor, pwede para sa outdoor dining, lounging at exercise.

Ang Parking Podium ay maraming halaman at puno na may park-like atmosphere. Ang above-ground parking space ay kayang tumanggap ng 308 sasakyan at 265 motorsiklo.

Ang building at side facades ay magkakaroon ng stress-relieving terraces at balconies, na meron ring rain harvesting irrigation facilities at plant boxes.

Si Architects Dan Lichauco and Dennis Guran, at Engineer Art Santos ang mamumuno sa construction ng bagong city hall na matatapos sa 2021. Ang target nito ay sa loob ng dalawang taon ay pwede nang buksan ang convention center habang ginagawa pa ang ibang pasilidad.

Maayos na istruktura ang nais na ibigay sa tao bilang kasama ito sa agenda ng Taguig City, na siguradong magbibigay ng mas epektibong serbisyo para sa mga nasasakupan.

Sa paninindigan at prinsipyo ng lungsod, ang mga public school building ay sumailalim ng rehebilitation. Ang mga nakaraan na mga proyekto ay ang pitong palapag na may 21-classroom, fully air-conditioned na Signal Village National High School building, meron ding elevator at roof deck. Ang gusali ay fully furnished na ng mga upuan, blackboards, lamesa, electric fans, at iba pang facilities. Inilunsad ito noong May 2019 bilang kasabay ng selebrasyon ng 432nd Founding Anniversary ng Taguig.

Noong April, binuksan din ng Taguig ang Center for the Elderly. Ito ay kauna-unahan sa bansa na itinatag kung saan merong wellness hub para sa senior citizens. Isa itong limang palapag na gusali sa Ipil-Ipil Street, North Signal Village, na nagbibigay ng pahinga at relaxation sa Taguigeñong senior citizen kung saan sila ay makakapag-recharge.

Bago rin ang city-run hospital na Taguig-Pateros District Hospital kung saan binuksan ito sa publiko para magbigay ng maayos, epektibo at mabilis na serbisyong medical sa mga Taguigeño. Kasama sa projects na ito ang bagong Emergency Room, Physical Medicine at Rehabilitation Unit, at maging ang Outpatient Department. ###