ELJ Communications Center

The Eugenio Lopez Junior Communications Center (also called 9501, ELJ Communications Center, or simply ELJ Center) is the corporate headquarters of the ABS-CBN Corporation and its subsidiaries. The center occupies ten thousand (10,000) square meters of land area adjacent to the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center and it includes two high-end office buildings, a state-of-the-art soundstage, three-level basement parking areas, a roof deck helipad, a film archives, a studio gallery, an exclusive executive dining restaurant, a garden, and the ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation building. The center has a gross floor area of 101,608.32 square meters; almost seventy thousand (70,000) square meters of office space and over thirty thousand (30,000) square meters of parking space. The construction of the center, which costed 6 billion pesos, began in 1995, but was delayed due to the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. It was opened in 2000, and was occupied gradually by ABS-CBN subsidiaries in the following years. It is a PEZA Special Economic Zone, designated as an IT center.[2] It is named in honor of the late Eugenio Lopez Jr., the chairman emeritus of ABS-CBN. The dedication of the building was held on November 4, 2010 in a ceremony that was attended by the then-Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.[3]

ELJ Communications Center
The center as viewed from Eugenio Lopez Street.
General information
StatusComplete
TypePEZA special economic zone, offices, soundstage
Architectural styleModern
LocationEugenio Lopez Drive, Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Coordinates14°38′22.18″N 121°02′07.79″E
Construction started1998
OpeningJanuary 1, 2000
Renovated2010
Cost₱6 billion[1]
(US$148.5 million)
OwnerABS-CBN Corporation
Technical details
Floor count15 above ground, 3 below ground
Floor area101,608.32 m²
(1,093,702.85 sq ft.)
Lifts/elevators13
Grounds10,000 m²
(107,639.10 sq ft.)
Design and construction
Architecture firmGensler
GF & Partners, Architects, Co.
Other designersLeandro V. Locsin Partners (interior design)
Main contractorDatem, Inc.

Structures

Offices
The ELJ Communications Center as viewed from ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center.

The offices of ELJ Communications Center are composed of two interconnecting building structures. These are the three thousand square meter (3,000), fifteen-storey and the two thousand square meter (2,000), twelve-storey buildings joint together by steel and glass structures.[4]

The ground floor level is a mixed-use commercial area called The Loop, which is home to the several retail shops, dining outlets, and a studio called The Loop Studio which is being used by the morning news and talk show Umagang Kay Ganda. A studio gallery, an executive lobby, and the main reception area are also located on its ground floor. Located on its second floor is the offices of Star Cinema and the network's human resources division, dressing and rehearsal rooms, and the hallway leading to the network's studios and technical rooms. The network's corporate offices are housed from the building's third to twelfth floors, with several floors being leased to some of ABS-CBN's subsidiaries. ABS-CBN Post Production unit, iPost, is housed in the third floor, while the network's legal department, corporate communications, licensing, and media asset management (Big Dipper) are located on the fourth floor. ABS-CBN Sports, tax accounting, and human resources could be visited at the fifth floor. Sky Cable is housed in the sixth floor. The eighth floor is the home of their Information Technology division, Creative Programs Inc., and ABS-CBN Publishing, while ABS-CBN Global and Digital Media Division could be found on the ninth floor. The thirteenth floor houses the conference center, while Restaurant 9501, the executive dining restaurant of ABS-CBN is located on the fourteenth floor of the building. Meanwhile, executive offices are located on the building's fifteenth floor. ABS-CBN Film Archives, the state-of-the-art film archives of ABS-CBN which holds the biggest film collection in the country, and a parking area located in the three basement levels of the building. In 2013, the whole center became one of the first 4G LTE zone in the country after Globe and Sun Cellular upgraded their respective transmitters inside the complex.

ABS-CBN's wholly owned subsidiary, The Big Dipper Digital Content & Design, Inc. (Big Dipper), with offices located on the center's fourth floor, is an approved economic zone enterprise of PEZA, making the company eligible for tax holiday and other incentives.[5] In 2010, the company has availed an income tax holiday incentives of 472 million pesos. In 2011 and 2012, the company has availed 188 million and 204 million pesos respectively.[6] In 2014, PEZA approved the application of Big Dipper for the entitlement of the Pioneer Status.

Studios

Studios in the ELJ building are housed in a four storey high, 3,000 square meter structure. It is connected with the rest of the center and is further divided into three studios. Studio 10, the largest studio of ABS-CBN, is used by the musical variety show ASAP and World of Dance Philippines. Studios 8 and 9 are temporary studio set-ups, where the props and set decorations are dismantled after the show. An elephant door is located in the studios that leads to the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center.

The west wing of the center
  • The west wing of the center overseeing the Millennium Transmitter.
  • The headquarters of ABS-CBN Corporation in Quezon City in 2019.
  • The headquarters of ABS-CBN Corporation in Quezon City in 2010.
  • The ABS-CBN Studio Annex.
  • The ELJCC "Tower Entrance."
  • The ABS-CBN Foundation building.

The east wing of the center
  • The glass structure connecting the superstructure and substructure.
  • The glass structure connecting the superstructure and Studio Annex.
  • The ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center as viewed from the rooftop of the main building of ABS-CBN. ELJ Communications Center (left) and Millennium Transmitter (right).
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References
  1. Dela Pena, Zinnia (July 8, 2003). "ABS-CBN building gets IT zone status". Philippine Star.
  2. "Philippine Inquirer: Inside the Kapamilya film vaults". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2011-01-07. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
  3. "PNoy leads ABS-CBN dedication ceremony of ELJCC building". Philippine Entertainment Portal. November 5, 2010.
  4. Eugenio Lopez Jr. Communication, Manilaofficespace.org, retrieved 19 March 2012
  5. Villanueva, Paul Michael (31 December 2011), ABS-CBN 17-A 2011, Scribd.com, p. 150, retrieved 8 August 2012
  6. Villanueva, Paul Michael (27 March 2013). "ABS-CBN Corporation 2012 SEC Form 17-A" (PDF) (Press release). Philippine Stock Exchange.
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