Megaworld to complete new BPO bldg this mo

Upscale residential condominium and office building developer Megaworld Corp. is set to complete its newest business process outsourcing (BPO) building this month for simultaneous fit-out by prospective lessees.

The building, One World Square, is at the main entrance to McKinley Hill, a mixed-used project the company is also developing in Fort Bonifacio.

Megaworld is set to invest P12 billion over the next few years to make McKinley Hill a haven for BPO companies. It will also set aside P3 billion to develop the project’s commercial components. Another P18 billion is alloted for the residential component, including McKinley Hill Village, which Megaworld is promoting as "the most beautiful village in Metro Manila."

"One World Square is our very first BPO building in this very prime and new location. McKinley Hill in Fort Bonifacio provides our clients easy access to Makati and Ortigas and the airport via C5 and EDSA. It is ideal for companies that are looking for another location that’s comparable to and offers significant business advantages like our pioneering Eastwood City," Megaworld chairman and chief executive officer Andrew Tan said.

The building will rise 11 stories and provides 30,000 square meters of prime office space. It is also the first office tower to feature varying floor plates.

"This makes it very easy for BPO companies to adjust their operations depending on the demand. For instance, a start-up can lease just 700 square meters and once demand picks up, it can lease the adjacent floor or move into a bigger floor. One World Square is the perfect solution for the BPO industry’s demands," Megaworld first vice president Jericho Go explained.

He also revealed that clients also have the option to expand into new buildings to be constructed by Megaworld within McKinley Hill Cyberpark.

The company has committed to construct at least two new BPO office buildings per year in this area alone.

The building’s completion will make it available "just in time" for BPO locators, Go said. He shared that BPOs which are now looking for prime office space can inspect the building, sign the lease agreement, do simultaneous fit-out while the building’s mechanical, electric and life support systems are being completed. Thus, when the building officially opens in May, BPOs can start operations immediately.

"Companies which have their interior finishings done within the next two months save on valuable time and resources," he noted.

Go also announced that One World Square has already been approved by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) board as an ecozone. With the project’s endorsement by the local government of Taguig City and armed with various clearances from various government agencies, Megaworld is now working on getting a presidential proclamation of One World Square and the entire McKinley Hill Cyberpark as an ecozone. Once this is processed, locators can then apply with PEZA for fiscal and non-fiscal incentives.

One World Square is significant for Megaworld for many reasons. First, it enables Megaworld to offer multiple locations to the BPO sector, after Eastwood City – the country’s first information technology (IT) ecozone. Other locations in the offing within the next few years for Megaworld are Newport City across NAIA 3 and Cityplace in Binondo, Manila .

Second, it is an important component of McKinley Hill’s proven "Live-Work-Play-Learn" credo that made Eastwood City highly successful. Residents of posh villages and nearby condos have that chance to work in this exciting township’s BPO locators or set up their own businesses. The various amenities and a planned commercial strip will provide the "Play" component. A "Learn" component also adds to the quality of life experience for families, as top international schools and colleges have chosen McKinley Hill to house their facilities.

Megaworld expects to build approximately 400,000 square meters of office space over the next five years, primarily for the outsourcing sector.

"Not only is BPO generating a high level of employment, investment, and demand for office space, but it is also creating demand for mid-income housing through lease and purchase from the BPO workforce," Megaworld officials earlier said.