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First United Building

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770608955454FUB old photo.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>First United Building when Escolta was a bustling commercial district. Photo from the FUB website</div>As the Good Design Award Philippines’ call for submissions enters its final stretch, it is an apt moment to look back at the recipient of its highest honor — the Gran Prix Malasakit Award — bestowed in 2024 on Escolta’s First United Building, or FUB as it is more popularly known.The award celebrates the Sylianteng family’s achievement in placemaking, shining a light on an Art Deco landmark’s reemergence as a model for adaptive reuse. An enduring example of the country’s architectural heritage, FUB has survived World War II, the tides of modernity, and the shifts of a changing economy. Built in the emotional heart of old Manila’s commercial district, FUB once housed a premiere shopping destination -- Berg Department Store -- and the offices of Filipino filmdom royalty, like Nora Aunor and Dolphy. The building eventually faded from prominence as newer commercial centers rose elsewhere.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17706115062651770609067635FUB FACADE 2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>The First United Building&#x27;s facade. Photo from thebeat.mnl</div>As FUB’s current co-owners, the Syliantengs, faced overwhelming challenges — not least of which was the cost of maintaining a structure already showing signs of age. Yet with the family’s history deeply rooted in the area, the Syliantengs began exploring ways to preserve the building’s heritage while adapting it for modern use.“My mom (Lorraine Sylianteng) was really bent on having something different,” recalls Robby Sylianteng, now FUB’s managing director. “At least something different from what Escolta had been accustomed to over the last thirty years.”The idea to reimagine FUB as a creative incubator took shape through conversations with cultural practitioners. What if the building, or a part of it, could become a hub not just for commerce, but for people — for artists, designers, and small creative enterprises?<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770609188095Overlooking the HUB - credit to Isaiah Omaña (1) (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>The artist and maker-led space Hub: Make Lab on the ground floor of First United Building. Photo from Isaiah Omaña</div>Robby describes how his parents each played distinct but complementary roles in turning that vision into reality. His mother pushed for change, for breaking away from the sameness of banks and courier offices that had come to dominate Escolta. His father Robert Sylianteng meanwhile, anchored the project with conviction.That conviction was tested early on. When the creative hub — now known as Hub: Make Lab — was still struggling to find its footing, a major bank offered to take over the space for a substantial monthly lease. The offer would have solved many financial worries. Instead, Robby’s father declined.“We already committed to this,” his father said at the time. “So we should see it through.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770609242936Resting Pods at FIRST Co-working - credit to Isaiah Omaña (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>The artist and maker-led space Hub: Make Lab on the ground floor of First United Building. Photo from Isaiah Omaña</div>The creative hub became the springboard for a broader masterplan — one that honored FUB’s storied past while looking ahead. Today, the building hosts a dynamic mix of tenants, from cafés and offices to co-working spaces. Its penthouse has been reimagined as a venue for performances and public events. Most poignantly, FUB is also home to a museum housing the collection of family patriarch Sy Lian Teng, grounding the building’s contemporary life in personal and cultural memory.While initially hesitant to join the Good Design Award Philippines, the Syliantengs were eventually convinced by Heritage Conservation Society’s Gio Abcede. “He told me, ‘This might be good … If you win, it could be a win for heritage too,’” Robby recalls. <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770609331936062924 GDA_0734 (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Robby Sylianteng, Lorraine and Robert Sylianteng (center) receiving their Gran Prix Malasakit Award,  with (left to right) Former Rep. Christopher de Venecia, former NCCA Chairman Victorino Manalo, Jodinand Aguillon, former DTI Usec. Rafaelita Aldaba,  Design Advisory Council Co-chair Mylene Abiva, Design Center Executive Director Rhea Matute, Design Center Deputy Executive Director Lucky Lopez.</div>Apart from that, Robby thought that it would be a good way to honor what his parents have done not just for FUB, but for the community of Escolta as well. “I could feel that mom was also kinda, nanghihinayang na siya sa mission,” he says. “ There was a period when FUB had a tax exemption between 2020 and 2022, because it was classified as a heritage building. And there&#x27;s an ordinance in Manila that allows you to qualify for tax exemption if you are, like a category 2 heritage building.” That exemption was later withdrawn in 2022 with a change in leadership -- a painful reminder that preservation often comes at a cost few are willing to shoulder.While he admits applying was a lot of work, in hindsight he saw the benefits of the process itself. It gave the family a chance to examine their business from a different perspective to give them a clearer picture of where they want to be, going forward. “It gives you a great reason to start digging deeper into your business and understanding how it got to where it was,” Robby says. “Digging deeper into your designs. Once you start framing it in the context of why you deserve this award- is this malasakit? -- you start thinking of your design in different frameworks as well.” <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770609394695FUB Facebook.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="633"/>Much of the building’s interior character was preserved, like the penthouse where concerts and other events are staged. Image from the FUB Facebook</div>Earning the Good Design Award Philippines Seal is certainly an incentive, paving the way for new opportunities with strengthened visibility to reach a wider market. It’s also a gateway to the Good Design Awards Japan, where entries can gain international exposure and network with other creative leaders. Moreover, winning GDA-PH entries will gain technical and product development support, which includes access to valuable market data and a customized toolkit to support product refinement, storytelling, and market readiness. They can secure Intellectual Property protection with assistance in the filing of Utility Model, Industrial Design, and Trademark with the Innovation &amp; Technology Support Office (ITSO).On the business side, GDA-PH winners can also be endorsed to the Department of Trade and Industry’s Small Business Corporation (SBCorp.), a financing arm for micro, small, and medium enterprises, for access to related financing facilities.“You don&#x27;t have anything to lose by putting yourself out there and applying,” Robby shares. “When you apply for the Good Design Award, you&#x27;re also really applying for what you want to see more of  in the Philippines. But if you win it, there&#x27;s so much to be gained. You just have to shoot your shot and see if it works because if you don&#x27;t try it, nothing ever comes to you. So yeah … apply. There’s nothing to lose. Just do it.”There’s still time to be part of the search. Submit your entry <a href="https://www.designcenter.gov.ph/good-design-award-philippines">here</a> or nominate other Filipino designers through <a href="https://tally.so/r/dWWLNy">here</a>. <a href="mailto:gooddesignawardph@designcenter.gov.ph">Email</a> for more information.

As the Good Design Award Philippines’ call for submissions enters its final stretch, it is an apt moment to look back at the recipient of its highest honor — the Gran Prix Malasakit Award — bestowed in 2024 on Escolta’s First United Building.

As the Good Design Award Philippines’ call for submissions enters its final stretch, it is an apt moment to look back at the recipient of its highest honor — the Gran Prix Malasakit Award — bestowed in 2024 on Escolta’s First United Building.

How Escolta’s First United Building offers a blueprint for modern adaptive reuse

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How Escolta’s First United Building offers a blueprint for modern adaptive reuse

Devi de Veyra

Published February 09, 2026 12:32 PM PHT

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Good Design Award

First United Building

Escolta

architecture

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