Makati City Hall vs. London City Hall: What a P2.7B City Hall Building Looks Like

A photo is circulating on social media comparing the controversial Makati City Hall Building with London’s City Hall Building, which roughly costs the same price. Recently, the Makati City Hall and the Binay family are under fire for the building, which Makati mayor Junjun Binay has called “world-class” at a Senate hearing to discuss allegations of it being overpriced.

The original poster made the following comparisons:

Makati City Hall 2 cost: PhP2.40B-2.70B

London City Hall cost: PhP2.75B-3.01B (£43.00M using the 2002 exchange rate) Makati City Hall 2 Construction Period is 2007-2013 (six years)

Standing on alleged soft soil

Made up of 10 storeys (five for parking and five for offices)

With only two elevators

With viewing deck

Made up of reinforced concrete and glass

Without shading devices London City Hall Construction Period is 1998-2002 (four years)

Standing directly beside a river

Made up of 10 storeys (all 10 are for offices)

With seven elevators

With viewing deck

Made up of reinforced concrete, structural steel, and triple glazed low-e clear glass

With shading devices

The poster, who identified as a professional in the construction industry, said that he doesn’t “see anything unusual or exceptional about the design, the finishes, the materials, and the quality for it to be claimed world-class.” He cited sources from BBC, the London government’s website, Inquirer.net, and GMA News Online.

This was backed by a quantity surveyor, building officials, and engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), who inspected the building with Senators Koko Pimentel and Antonio Trillanes. According to them, the building used linoleum on the office floors instead of tiles, and drywalls (normally used for office partitions) instead of concrete for its internal walls. According to Greg Johnson, the quantity surveyor, “It’s a modern building of ordinary standard. I wouldn’t say it’s world class.” Sen. Trillanes was told that the building couldn’t cost more than P700 million.

The controversial Makati City Hall Building (photo from Inquirer.net)

However, the Binays still insist that the building is world-class. During the Senate hearing, Mayor Binay said that the building has granite flooring, centralized air-conditioning, two elevators, conference rooms, mini-function halls, and other facilities and modern amenities. He added that the Makati City Hall Building is also a green building, with a roof deck, an atrium, LED lighting, glass walls and panels.

Makati City Administrator Atty. Eleno Mendoza said that the building passed all reviews and the cost is reasonable, and Sen. Nancy Binay came to her family’s defense and joked that “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”

What do you think of this issue? Is the Makati City Hall Building overpriced? Let us know your comments.

Makati City Hall vs. London City Hall: What a P2.7B City Hall Building Looks Like