Context
Menarco Tower is a boutique office development along 32nd Street in Bonifacio Global City. It is currently home to offices like Facebook and Urban Ashram. It is the first building in SE Asia to receive both Gold in LEED and WELL certifications, making it the healthiest building in the region.
Boasting of superior indoor air quality, safe and clean water, access to green areas, incentives for bike commuters, as well as minimizing environmental impact, Menarco Tower is an example of human-centered design.
We began our partnership with Menarco in 2014. The project was, in a word, comprehensive. It included a brand identity, wayfinding for the entire building, event collaterals, and a bespoke publication for interested buyers.
Identity
The bedrock of our identity was inspired by Menarco’s unique architecture. Vertical wooden fins are the building’s distinguishing feature, spanning from the ground to the 32nd floor.
We wanted the identity to be structurally and visually consistent with its architecture. Everything, down to the spacing and design of the icon and custom logotype needed to reflect the same strength and symmetry found in the building’s design.
The fins also inspired the brand’s key visual element. Using our brand colors, these fins or bars are used as highlights throughout the identity in printed layouts and signage.
This identity was also used to communicate the more technical details and features of the building.
Wayfinding
But we didn’t stop at the logo. In order to connect with Menarco’s tenants, we designed a comprehensive wayfinding system that can be found as high as the top floor and down to the parking lot.
A key feature of the wayfinding system were our custom icons. For consistency, we modelled the entire set on the curves of the Menarco logotype. Less like hazard signs and a lot more personal, we designed each sign to be conversational, thoughtful, and a moment of delight for anyone who encountered them.
The Menarco Journal
Most commercial building lessors in the Philippines are often stiff and uninvolved, oftentimes a very transactional relationship. We wanted to reimagine this while helping potential tenants understand Menarco Tower’s values and principles.
The result is our own version of the typical tri-fold brochure: The Menarco Journal. The journal is 52-pages long, akin to a mini-magazine. It contains interviews with the architects, illustrations, feature articles, recipes, and more. The whole And A Half team was involved in the conceptualization and production of the magazine.
From breaking ground, to topping off
We’ve been with Menarco in all of their biggest milestones. From breaking ground to topping off, we helped design the showroom and made other materials for their key events such as their Topping Off ceremony.
