St. Francis Square Explained

St. Francis Square
Image Alt:Twin towers soaring high
Location:Ortigas Center, Metro Manila, Philippines
Coordinates:14.586°N 121.0582°W
Status:Completed
Start Date:1998
Completion Date:2000
Antenna Spire:221m (725feet)[1] [2]
Roof:197m (646feet)
Top Floor:196.8m (645.7feet)
Floor Count:BSA Twin Towers: 55 floors
St. Francis Square Mall: 4 floors
Elevator Count:10[3]
Cost:550,000,000 (1998)[4]
Floor Area:78600m2 (BSA Twin Towers)
23100m2 (St. Francis Square Mall)
Architect:R. Villarosa Architects
Structural Engineer:D.M. Consunji, Inc.[5]
Main Contractor:D.M. Consunji, Inc.
Developer:St. Francis Square Group of Companies
Owner:St. Francis Square Group of Companies
Management:CE Construction

St. Francis Square is a 1.3ha mixed-use commercial complex located in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong, Philippines. Groundbreaking and construction of the complex began in 1998 and was completed in 2000. Due to some controversies regarding the St. Francis Square Group of Companies, construction and the finishing of interiors were halted. Construction resumed in 2009 and the building was finished in 2011.

Complex

BSA Twin Towers

The complex has three buildings, but the main two towers are the most notable properties of the complex. Each tower stands high, occupying a land area of 3037.32sqm of the site's land.[3] The towers were topped off on 2000, yet was initially completed in 2011, wherein the two towers became the fourth-tallest buildings in the country. During the planning phase of the tower, the two towers were supposedly to feature a rooftop observation deck or a sky garden on their pyramid roofs, yet the plan was removed years later. The towers currently serve as a 3-star hotel and also serve as a radio transmitter and was also secondary studio facility of the FM radio stations 90.7 Love Radio, 101.1 Yes The Best and 96.3 Easy Rock, as well as temporary studios of AM radio station DZRH and community-formatted national FM station Radyo Natin, all owned by Manila Broadcasting Company.[6] At night, the towers are illuminated with a neon light display from the central part of the towers to the tower's pyramid-style roofs, with logos of the St Francis Group of Companies, AUX Aircon, and HKTV (HongKong TV) attached on the roof's exteriors.

The towers feature a lap pool, a lagoon pool, a restaurant, a children's playground, an outdoor jogging path, and a gym.[7]

St. Francis Square Mall

The St. Francis Square Mall is a four-storey mall located within the St. Francis Square complex. It is popularly known in the Metropolitan Manila for its advertisement jingle for the Super Tiangge shopping area which is located in this mall.[8] The mall has a total floor area of 23100m2 and are separated to the BSA Twin Towers by a massive parking lot that caters to the customers of the mall and nearby establishments.

In June 2019, the Super Tiangge area, the second and third levels of the mall, was vacated and closed for conversion as commercial and office space for business process outsourcing and other local companies.[9]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BSA Twin Tower 1 . . May 29, 2012.
  2. Web site: BSA Twin Tower 2 . . May 29, 2012.
  3. Web site: BSA Twin Towers . December 4, 2010.
  4. Web site: Project Financing . St. Francis Square Group of Companies . December 3, 2010.
  5. Web site: BSA Twin Tower . D.M. Consunji, Inc. . October 3, 2009 .
  6. Web site: MBC uses back-up facilities to 'minimize interruption' after Star City fire . ABS-CBN News . October 3, 2019 . October 3, 2019.
  7. Web site: St Francis Hotels Home . stfrancissuites.com.ph.
  8. Web site: St. Francis Square . live . . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/U1XHUGhv2d8 . December 5, 2021.
  9. News: St. Francis Square Mall closes down tiangge area . ABS-CBN News . June 1, 2019 . May 26, 2022.