Last February 5, 2015, I had a chance to meet Principal Architect-Urban Planner Felino “Jun” Palafox, Jr. and Managing Partner/Senior Urban Planner Karima Palafox during a sneak preview of their new office at L.P. Leviste.
The open-plan layout of their uber-cool new headqurters is made more intimate by details like the display of Palafox's famous architectural works. Work environments are important as they tell visitors a lot about what to expect from the place they are visiting. And the entire work space is an obvious display of creativity.
The Palafox Office integrates a variety of colors that connote energy, growth, innovation, calm, and progress, among others. Visual connectivity and transparency are also main considerations in the design. These elements inspire collaboration and reflect the firms’ core values of professionalism, honesty, integrity, agility, and versatility. It is easy to tell who does most of the work because there is one private office in this place and it to belongs to Architect Jun Palafox.
The whole day affair included an exhibit of the architecture, planning, engineering, and interior design works of these multi-disciplinary firms.
Palafox Associates has been involved in the planning of more than 16 billion square meters of land and the design and architecture of more than 12 million square meters of building floor area in 38 countries. The firm has also received more than 200 awards and recognitions in the past 25 years, most notably as the first Filipino architectural firm included in the Top 500 Architectural Firms in the World of the London-based World Architecture Magazine in 1999, the only Southeast Asian architectural firm included in the list. For 2012, Palafox Associates ranks 89th in the list of the world’s largest practices and Top 8 in Leisure projects.
Palafox Associates has been creating beautiful, functional, and livable communities through the architecture, planning, and design professions. This multi-awarded and multi-disciplinary firm has done more than 1,200 projects in 39 countries since it started in 1989. Palafox Associates became the first and only architectural, urban planning, interior design, and landscape architectural firm certified by TUV of Germany for Quality and Environmental Management Systems.
Its founder, Architect and Urban Planner Felino “Jun” Palafox, Jr. has 43 years of experience in architecture and 41 years in planning. He holds a degree in Architecture from the University of Santo Tomas, a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of the Philippines, and Advanced Management Development Program in Real Estate from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.
Jun Palafox believes in social responsibility. He has have worked with different groups like Gawad Kalinga, Tzu Chi Foundation, and the Urban Poor Associates in building homes, schools, and healthcare facilities for the marginalized sector. And for his Architecture for Humanity advocacy, he has been noted as Ambassador for Peace from the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace given in New York, Outstanding Professional Awardee for 2012. He was also cited by Forbes Asia Magazine as one of the 48 Heroes of Philanthropy in Asia, one of four in the Philippines.
It was nice to learn about addressing the local traffic situation and overpolulation in the metro through urban planning and land use tips we had during the office tour. Thank you to Palafox Associates for inviting us.
Palafox Associates and Palafox Architecture Group, Inc.
5/F PCCI Corporate Center, 118 L.P. Leviste Street
Salcedo Village, Makati City
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