January 2008
Aidea's The Columns Ayala Avenue Project Completed
Ayala Land, the Philippine's premier real estate developer, together with its design
partner, Aidea Philippines Inc., pioneered the first branding exercise for the Philippine
real estate sector with The Columns Ayala Avenue.
The Columns Ayala Avenue, Ayala Land's first mid-market development, has become the
benchmark for modern urban living. Among the many challenges Aidea faced for The Columns
was to conceptualize a modern, nature-inspired Asian oasis in the midst of a concrete
jungle and define a unique brand for the development. Aidea integrated architecture,
interior design and environmental graphics from its early conceptual stage to give The
Columns its distinction.
Aidea chose 'bamboo' as the primary graphic motif for this project and is used within
the building premises. Its height and simple organic nature exuded a lush, elegant
vertical oasis, reflecting a serene and refreshing community in the midst of bustling
Metro Manila. As an element, it became a work of art and served specific functions
throughout the building. It is depicted as painted murals in different hues framing
the elevator lobby from the parking floor and also functions as an artistic form of
signage, with individual colors assigned for each tower. Applied as a screen, it
provided both natural lighting and ventilation for the carpark and visually connected
the ground floor landscape with the residential towers, achieving a complete vertical
language. In a faux bronze finish and cut-out steel frames, the bamboo screen is replicated
in the buildings' ground floor lobbies creating a sophisticated stamp of presence,
reinforcing the brand of lifestyle and image.
At present, a new development under The Columns brand name is being constructed at a
different location while still another is in the drawing board, proof of the success
of The Columns brand.
