A Sneak Peek At Manileño: The City Of Tomorrow

Mariel Abanes | Metro.style

October 23, 2020

“God creates new people, but not new land,” is what Horizon Manila President JR Legazpi’s grandmother used to say whenever she buys another piece of land with her extra money back in the days. Fast forward to 2017, his company had a bit of extra money, and remembered these wise words from the old lady.

“We remembered our grandmother’s advice and thought about investing in real estate,” JR says. “But the real estate prices of properties within Metro Manila were worth a king’s ransom. So then we thought, what if we create new land?” That’s how the concept for Horizon Manila, which they call “Manileño,” came to life.

For this project, they worked together with WTA Architecture And Design Studio. Horizon Manila is the only completely Filipino-owned reclamation project and the only one master planned by a local Filipino firm, which showcases the competencies and capacities of our local practices and developers and is thus able to embrace a future that is truly Filipino.

The idea, the design firm’s William Ti shares, is to develop a master plan that focuses on the people who make up the storied and vibrant communities—from Chinatown to Tondo, from Quiapo to Baclaran—that define Manila and make it the distinct heart of our country.

“Instead of the usual top level master plans, Manileño seeks to stitch together diverse communities (or barangays) that come together to form a kaleidoscope. Each community is developed around unique public amenities and plazas that allow its residents to develop a shared experience. These unique features are never too far from the next, encouraging not just exploration and interaction, but also making sure that the next community will have its own features that define the boundaries between communities. Shared experiences and defined boundaries strengthen and reinforce communal identity,” William explains.