IS there a flexible response to the controversy facing DMCI Homes Inc.’s Torre de Manila project?
The situation pitting the developer and a handful of groups advocating cultural heritage has been all over the newspapers the past few months. It has even reached the halls of the Senate after Sen. Pia Cayetano, who chairs the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, summoned the parties involved for a Senate inquiry on September 4.
Heritage conservation plays a crucial role in the business of real-estate development, particularly for developers aiming to nurture a sense of provenance for their properties. This approach to property development allows developers to weave their own stories to an already decorated one, thus bringing more value not only to the property but also to its immediate community.
Addressing the point of anxiety
Let’s be objective about the Torre de Manila situation. They’re faced with a challenge other local developers are too familiar with: you have a heritage building on a prime piece of property you want to develop. With protests mounting against your initiative, what kind of options do you have at your disposal?
You can go on and finish building the entire development, that’s fine. But know that you’ll be putting your integrity and reputation in question by doing so. Will you be willing to take that risk? Are you prepared to handle the criticism? The backlash to your business? That’s the question you need to ask yourself.
Or maybe, you can tear down the entire development, adaptively reuse it, and build something else on its place. You can tear it down and build something that pays homage to the heritage of the place, or something breathtakingly innovative over it.
Risks and rewards
What are the risks and rewards that come with these decisions? What can you do to mitigate them?
If you choose to restore it, you’re bound to become everybody’s hero, but you won’t probably earn back the investments you’ve made. If you adaptively reuse it, from a public relations and business efficiency’s standpoint, you will probably get the best of both worlds. However, it may cost you a bit more and may limit some of your design options.
The next option is to build something with homage to the past. If the original building doesn’t survive, you can integrate elements related to history into it. It’s a gesture of respect. You won’t win the hearts of architectural purists but it may address some of the more vocal criticisms.
Finally, there’s the whole idea of tearing down the entire tower and putting a brilliantly iconic and innovative development in place. By doing this, you don’t only silence your critics but you can also drown them out of admiration. Plus, this may be your most expensive option.
Do you think you’re ready to weather the fire? Remember, when asking yourself this question, don’t look at the situation from the point of view of what can typically happen; look at it from the idea of being the worst-case scenario because you will never know when you would be pissing off the wrong person.
For heritage conservation efforts to yield rewards and favor your initiatives, you need to strongly consider the voice and the sentiments of your host community. As I’ve mentioned before, successful programs within this realm are those where communities are engaged and rally for heritage conservation.
Always make the case for your actions from a civil society’s standpoint. Be responsible enough to help the public understand what you are doing. If you take away something that has a prominent standing in history, you’re depriving the public their right to enjoy our heritage. At the end of the day, no matter what decisions you choose to take in this situation, know that you will have to endure a significant amount of bruises afterward. That’s something you need to prepare and be able to overcome moving forward.