Senate picks winner of design for new building

The Senate adopted Monday a resolution confirming architectural firm AECOM Philippines as the winner of the Global Conceptual Design Competition for the new Philippine Senate building.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Accounts committee, introduced the Resolution 748, together with Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senators Nancy Binay, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Francis Escudero, Sherwin Gatchalian, Gregorio Honasan II, Loren Legarda, Joel Villanueva, and Cynthia Villar.

AECOM was declared winner after review and evaluation conducted by the Technical Evaluation Committee, Bases Conversion and Development Authority officials, the senators of the 17th Congress, and the Senate community, with a mere 0.36-point difference from the second choice.

AECOM was among five firms chosen to compete for the design of the new legislative building. 

The others were Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Henning Larsen Architects, Leeser, and Aidea.

The five presented their respective design before the panel Monday morning.

They were judged using a comprehensive scoring system: the Technical Score comprising 40 percent of the overall score; the People’s Choice at 5 percent; and the Executive Ranking at 55 percent.

“We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to AECOM. There is no doubt that your conceptual design for the Senate’s permanent home best represents the honor, dignity, and legacy of this independent institution,” said Lacson.

The Senate Committee on Accounts was tasked to pursue the relocation and oversee the eventual construction of the new and permanent home of the Senate.

“Finding a home that the Senate of the Philippines can call its own has long been a standing dream of this institution, and plans of relocating and constructing a permanent Senate building has been proposed and considered as far back as the year 2000 during the Senate Presidency of Senator Aquilino 'Nene' Pimentel, Jr.,” the resolution stated.

Through a survey conducted within the Senate community on September 19, 2017 and the adoption of Resolution 293, filed by Gatchalian, an 18,320 square meter parcel of land owned by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), located at the Navy Village in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, was chosen as the site for the construction of the new Senate building.

The Senate and the BCDA launched a Global Conceptual Design Competition for the new home of the Philippine Senate on February 14, 2018.

AECOM, as the winner, will have the opportunity to undertake the detailed architectural design of the project upon successful selection of the design and build contractor by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the development of the new Senate building.

“With this milestone, I officially announce that we are moving forward to the third phase of the Project Road Map, the Procurement of Design and Build Package,” Lacson said.

The new building must be green, secure, functional, and iconic. With the Senate having recently celebrated its first centennial, the design would be "a landmark for the Filipino people, and a design that can take the Senate of the Philippines to the next 100 more years and beyond.”

Lacson earlier said the DPWH would oversee the construction of the new Senate building, and would conduct the public bidding for the Detailed Architectural and Engineering Design and Construction Package.

construction of the new Senate building would take two years, from January 2019 to December 2020.

“In order to make sure that the new Senate building will be ready come 2021, we will commence the procurement of furniture, fixtures and equipment during the last quarter of 2019. We expect that the supply and installation of the items will be made on the second quarter of 2020,” Lacson said.

Barring any major setback or delay, the Senate would open the Third Regular Session of the 18th Congress in its new building in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City in 2021. —JST, GMA News