and on approach one is confronted by a soaring concrete canopy, canti- levering 15 metres from above the main entrance. A ramped entry leads up to the marbled main entrance which is as first floor level.
On either side of the ramp is a reflecting pool, 10ft. wide. It extends beneath the building itself, which is raised on piers to first floor level, and is functional as well as decorative, acting as a primer for fire pumps should they be needed.
Strength
The Lopez Building has 15 floors, including basement and reaches 249ft. above ground level. It stands at the corner of Ortigas Avenue and E. de la Santas Superhighway, dominating an 18-hectare Manila Electric compound. Other buildings within the compound include a 60-bed hospital and outpa- tient department, a 290,000 sq. ft. operations building, warehouse and outdoor storage, recreation building, motor pool, vehicle sheds, power cen- tre, switching station, baseball field, tennis and basket ball courts and other employees facilities.
A design feature of the Lopez Building is its great strength. On plan it is a segmental arch, bisected at the crest by a lift shaft - a shear wall core that acts as a firm spine.
The six-unit elevator shaft also holds the pipe chases, toilets, air conditioning ducts, drinking fountain, utility rooms and storage for each floor level, so providing completely open space on the office floors. At the lower levels the lift shaft is linked to a 1,080-seat theatre at the rear of the building.
The structure, generally of in situ reinforced concrete, was designed pri- marily by adopting the ACI Building Code. The principle of shear walls and the implementation of the dynamic approach to earthquakes, as called for in the Uniform Building Code, was used. The building is founded on adobe and no piling was necessary.
Pre-stressed T-joists with a 21⁄21⁄2in. concrete topping make up the com- posite slab floor system in which the raceway underfloor ducts for electric power and communication outlets are embedded.
The office areas are moduled at
6ft. 10in. x 4ft. 6in. on the inner curve side and 6ft. 10in. x 5ft. 10in. on the outer curve.
The selection of a segmental plan for the building served several func- tions among them to insure stability against hurricanes and earthquakes, and to avoid the 'train effect' of long corridors. For added stability, futher storage and utility areas are located at the ends of the building to act as a buttress. The fire escapes and mechan- ical services rise through these two areas of the building.
Each floor, except the stepped- back top storey which houses an ex- ecutives club has a working space of 14,250 sq.ft. It has an average usable length of 300 ft. and an average usable width of 50 ft. Four storage and re- cord vaults, totalling 1,000 sq. ft. are included on each floor and all floors are served by goods and letter lifts.
The six passenger lifts have a cap- acity of 20 persons or 3,000 lb. each, and two escalators connect the first, second and third floors.
Columns are spaced at 20ft. at ground level, but are generally at 10ft. centres with two mullions in between.
Far East BUILDER, December 1969
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Above: Entrance ramp and canopy at the rear of the administration block
East face of the Meralco Theatre and cover- ed walkway link to the Lopez Building
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