UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
Architectural Design 7
Plate 2 Written Report
Melco Crown Medical Center
Submitted by:
MARALLI, Constancio Angelo III I.
POBLETE, Oscar Renuel
4 AR-7
Submitted to:
Ar. Annalyn C. Dumaual
Architectural Design 7 Course Facilitator
December 16, 2023
I. Site Selection
The Melco Crown Medical Arts calls for an expansion for a general hospital, to be
named Melco Crown Medical Center. The site to be selected by the researchers and
designers focuses on the proximity of the site to the existing medical arts building; to City of
Dreams Manila, a resort entertainment owned and managed by Melco Resorts and
Entertainment Ltd.; to the residential areas of Aseana City and Pasay City; to major roads;
and lastly to the commercial areas scattered across the site.
With the five focus points for site selection, the process is narrowed down to only one
possible site - the open site beside the existing Melco Crown Medical Arts.
As part of Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd. and Crown Resorts Ltd.’s venture to
medical tourism, the proposed site is to be located along Aseana Avenue, bounded by J.
Fuentes and J. Maceda Drive, and L. San Pedro Drive on the rear. The site boasts the view
of the golden City of Dreams Manila, attracting medical tourism enthusiasts to the medical
center.
The Site
The site being the center of entertainment, commercial, residential, with great
proximity to major roads such as Aseana Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, Macapagal Avenue,
and EDSA, makes the site visible for all residents and tourists looking for medical assistance
may it be emergency or outpatient treatments.
Focus Points
Proximity to City of Dreams
The proposed Melco Crown Medical Center is to be the frontier of medical
tourism in the Philippines.
Proximity to Commercial Areas
The commercial areas scattered across the site sets the proposed medical
hospital as a well feasible site for self promoting and visibility among residents,
shoppers, and tourists.
Proximity to Residential Areas
The site is located near a medium density residential area which may have a
number of residents needing medical assistance. The proposed medical center will
not only cater to City of Dreams clientele and tourists, but also the residents of
Aseana City and Pasay City.
Proximity to Major Roads
The proposed site is directly accessible via Aseana Avenue and indirectly
accessible via Macapagal Avenue and Roxas Boulevard through L. San Pedro Drive.
The major roads sustain a well populated area within the site and ensure the
commercial viability of the hospital complex to be built as part of City of Dream
Manila.
Figure 1. Vicinity Mapping of Chosen Site
II. Site Studies
Figure 2. Site Analysis
A. Nearby Establishments
● Directly Across City of Dreams Manila
● Ayala Malls Manila Bay
● Mall of Asia Complex
● Okada Manila
● PITX
● Baclaran Church
● Crown Bay Tower Condominium
● Bayview Garden Village
B. Immediate Analysis Discussions
The Site is Located in the reclaimed area of Manila Bay and within the growing
Aseana City in Parañaque– that has its own rules and regulations for developments.
The site is bounded by the four roads; Aseana Avenue (South), San Pedro St.
(North), J. Fuentes St. West), and J. Maceda Drive (East) with an existing water
channel on the east side of the site. No Foul smell was observed during the site visit
in different weather conditions but is still considered as a threat and push factor for
visitors and potential clients.
The nearest healthcare facility is the Trinity Healthcare Services in G. Cruz St.,
Baclaran is situated more than one (1) kilometer away from the chosen site. It is a
small healthcare facility that has no known supporting hospital facility that they can
be in collaboration with in catering the needs of patients. The presence of Trinity
Hospital may be seen as a collaborator rather than a competitor.
Across Roxas Blvd., from where the site is located, is a densely-populated area
of Parañaque City. Crown Bay Tower Condominium and Bayview Garden Village are
some of the existing private-owned residential developments near the area. These
would be the primary prospected visitors and guests of the planned development.
Modern Jeepneys and UV Express vehicles pass by the site making it
accessible and visible to the public. Providing a quick drop-off area for Public Utility
Vehicles and Jeepneys would attract more patients and customers to the hospital
due to the added convenience in terms of accessibility. It is also a walking distance
from the route of EDSA Bus Carousel and other majora bus routes from the north
heading to and coming from the PITX.
C. Pre-design Planning Analysis Discussions
Given that the length of the site is more than 100 meters, two locations of the
building core are suggested in the site analysis since a hospital has many and
various functioning branches that may or may also not be housed within a single
central area. The planning of the interior spaces can be departmentalized with each
department functioning independently from the others, but providing a space for the
central administration of the building is still necessary. Therefore, a two-core building
would be beneficial, if not necessary.
The blue-shaded area on the south side of the site is indicated as the “best
location for main entrance and pick-up/drop-off” for private vehicles. It is a prime spot
with enough distance from intersections to allow drivers to maneuver heading into the
site– also in consideration of the curb cut rule in Aseana City to have a minimum of
12 meters distance from the intersection.
In relation to allowable curb cuts, green-shaded areas of the Site Analysis are
indicated as “best location for Ambulance parking and drop-off” since these are also
prime spots that can be easily seen by the public and are the most accessible points
in the site for vehicles. These spots can also be alternated as an access road to the
parking basement of the development.
Lastly, the yellow-shaded areas are the best locations for utility drop-offs and
access points since it is relatively hidden from major roads and doesn’t carry heavy
vehicular traffic usually. Placing utilities on the rear side of the site is a norm in
planning as it allows prime vistas on the front where many people can see, and
“conceal” the utilities and other services that work that keeps the building alive.
III. Design Parameters and Requirements
Design Parameters and Requirements are provided by the Aseana City Developers
through the Aseana City Development Standards and Guidelines (July 2013) Manual.
A. Sustainable Design
This section states that “the design guide encourages Aseana City to develop
as a more sustainable community. To achieve this goal, good choices must be made
at all levels of planning and design - from land use and development decisions to
building massing and materials choices - with an emphasis on walkability and the
making of great streets, districts and neighborhoods.” The design principle also
includes Transportation Choices and is elaborated as a factor that “Enable people to
move around easily on foot, by bicycle, transit, and auto.”
B. Setbacks
a. Non-arcaded buildings may have a maximum building frontage projection of 1/3
of the podium front setback.
b. For side and rear setbacks of the podium, a minimum of 3-meter setback is
observed.
c. Basements should have a setback of 1 meter from the property line, and also be
subject to public and roadway easements.
Figure 3. Aseana City Setback Plan (2013)
C. Facade
a. 2 Buildings should provide for a hierarchy of horizontal and vertical expression
and patterns that should relate to the particular form and proportion of a building.
The purpose of detailing is to create consistency among the building frontage
(tower) and other architectural features, such as the building entrance, comer,
and variation in setback, etc.
b. All parking above ground shall be confined in parking structures and be visually
screened with approved architectural treatment.
c. The main entrance to a building should be clearly defined by its size and form as
well as in the use of colors, texture, materials and lighting.
IV. Regulations
A. Vehicular Access
a. Vehicular curb-cuts must be at least 12.00 meters away from street corners
b. Three (3) Curb-cuts for mixed-use developments must not be greater than 9.00
meters in width.
c. Exceptions may be made provided that developers write a letter to the Aseana
City administrators.
Figure 4. Vehicular Access Plan of Aseana City (2013)
B. Parking Requirements
a. DOH Parking Requirements
A hospital and other health facilities shall provide a minimum of one (1)
parking space for every twenty-five (25) beds.
DOH Parking Calculations for 250 beds:
1 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡
25 𝑏𝑒𝑑𝑠
× 250 𝑏𝑒𝑑𝑠 = 10 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑡𝑠 (minimum)
10 parking slots are said to be obsolete and should consider the current lifestyle of
people.
b. Truck Loading Slot Requirement
The National Building Code of the Philippines requires a minimum of one (1) truck
loading slot for hospitals.
