Description

A grand addition to the urban landscape of downtown Manila is a twenty four-storey neoclassical high-rise structure. Cloaked in a shell that respects the historical context of the locale is an interior molded by modern programmatic needs. Located in the bustling district of Binondo, Chateau Lorraine is a contemporary soul in a dignified old stature. 

Chateau Lorraine is a residential tower that seeks to define and uplift the lifestyle of its residents while exuding an elegant charm before its neighborhood. It is an upscale development which aims to serve as a catalyst of revival for the once glamorous district of Santa Cruz, Manila, a renewal that now seems to be underway as evidenced by succeeding constructions in the area. 

Contrast and detachment explains the relationship between its exterior and interior. Referencing Manhattan buildings as described in Koolhaas’ Delirious New York, Chateau Lorraine treated the exterior and interior as two entities serving different purposes. The exterior answers to the historical context of the site while the interior responds to the needs of modern-day sensibilities and aesthetics.