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Takenaka brings 400 years of expertise to Phl

MDTK will be driven by a vision of becoming customers’ and stakeholders’ trusted partners by delivering value-adding solutions through advanced design and building expertise.

Pauline Songco

Makati Development Corporation and Takenaka Corporation cemented a formal partnership to bring 400 years of extensive architecture, engineering and construction experience and expertise to the country.

MDTK Corporation endeavors to put forward world-class construction projects to the country. The partnership signals a significant milestone that will open opportunities for the two companies to take on complex design and construction projects and introduce new technologies and methodologies that will benefit the Philippine construction industry.

(seated, from left) Shoichiro Shibuta, executive managing officer, Takenaka Overseas Construction Business; Dante Abando, Ayala Land Inc. senior vice president, MDC president and chief executive officer, and MDTK chairman; Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Ayala Corporation and Ayala Land Inc. chairman; Yuichiro Takenaka, member of the Board and senior executive managing officer of Takenaka Corporation; Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Ayala Corporation director; Hideki Izumi, managing officer and general manager of Takenaka's Asia Regional Headquarters; (standing, from left) Masao Doke, manager, administration of Takenaka Corporation Philippine CAD Center; Tamotsu Takao, general manager for Construction and Planning, Takenaka Asia Regional Headquarters; Masamichi Yamaguchi, project director, Takenaka Asia Region and vice president, technical of MDTK Corporation; Robert Baffrey, Ayala Land Inc. vice president, MDC chief operating officer, and MDTK president; Mariana Zobel de Ayala, Ayala Land Inc. senior vice president and head of Leasing and Hospitality; Grace Lee, assistant general manager for Administration, Takenaka Asia Regional Headquarters and MDTK chief administration officer; Takeshi Yanagi, general manager for Finance and Administration, Takenaka Asia Regional Headquarters; and Ryusuke Kojio, architect and head of Sustainability and Circularity, Takenaka Asia Regional Headquarter. | PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF TAKENAKA

"This is a wonderful opportunity for our teams to integrate best practices into our developments. The MDC-Takenaka partnership will become an avenue to advance more innovative and sustainable solutions that will benefit the communities that we serve, especially at this time when the Philippines is primed for exponential economic growth," Augusto Zobel de Ayala, chairman of Ayala Corporation and Ayala Land Inc., said.

Meanwhile, Shoichiro Shibuta, executive managing officer of Takenaka Overseas Construction Business,  said that the Japanese construction company has long dreamed of expanding its operations in the Philippines. He said, "With shared values and trust, establishing a joint venture with MDC from the Ayala Group, known for their innovative urban development projects in Makati, BGC and nationwide, is a significant honor, and we are grateful for it."

MDTK's president, Robert Baffrey, added that the company will be driven by a vision of becoming the trusted partner of customers and stakeholders by delivering value-adding solutions through advanced design and build expertise. He said, "We aim to create sustainable developments and contribute to nation-building through innovation and technology, construction excellence and extraordinary teams."

The two leading design and construction companies finalized the agreement at a ceremonial launch event on 21 March, attended by top executives from Ayala Corporation, Ayala Land, Inc., MDC and Takenaka.

MDC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ayala Land Inc., is an Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Construction Management company in the Philippines. An ISO-certified company and a Quadruple Platinum-licensed Contractor in the Philippines, MDC's 50-year track record spans more than 800 completed projects in the commercial, residential, industrial, land development and infrastructure sectors.

Takenaka is one of the five major general contractors in Japan. The company provides architectural, engineering and construction services and has headquarters in Osaka, Japan. With 70 percent of its projects under Design and Build, Takenaka has completed over 5,400 projects across the globe. The company took part in the construction of Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 and Bacolod-Silay Airport early in the 2000s. Currently, its group company, Takenaka Civil Engineering and Construction, is constructing the Metro Manila Subway and the Davao City Bypass projects in the Philippines.