It was a vision that came into form and whose grandeur continues to unfold.

Over the past two decades, Rockwell Land Corp. has successfully gone beyond claims of luxury as it created out of an old power plant site self-sufficient, self-contained communities offering lifestyles with that distinct and elusive mark of prominence, prestige and respect.

“It’s been a great 20 years. It may seem like a long time if you try and look back. But actually, how we got to where we are now from where we started, it’s like it just happened so fast. From the time we started with just the old power plant, the clean up, to looking for access solutions—now it’s there and everybody is benefiting from it,” explained Rockwell Land President Nestor J. Padilla.

A member of the Lopez Group of Companies, Rockwell Land was established in the mid-’90s to create intelligently planned calamity-proof developments within the 15.5 hectare Rockwell Center, which was once the site of a thermal power plant. Rockwell then had set out to cater to a niche market that lived and breathed opulence, comfort and class, and in doing so, had also developed iconic masterpieces and landmark developments that had set new standards and raised the benchmarks in the Philippine property scene.

“We are proud of what we have achieved, not only because of the structural masterpieces we have created over the last 20 years, but also because of the infrastructure that we have built and from which people continue to benefit. From the Edsa-Estrella flyover, to the road works done within J.P. Rizal and Kalayaan to avoid flooding, Rockwell Land has allowed almost every individual to somehow experience and benefit from the standard Rockwell Lifestyle,” Padilla explained.

“At Rockwell, we don’t stop at merely developing world-class structures. Rather, we look for ways to improve even the infrastructure around the development. This is because we believe that the private sector has a part to play in the overall improvement of a community. At Rockwell, we always aim to work with and improve the environment. We commit to develop every place where we are present and make sure to always preserve its beauty,” he added.

Challenging times

Since its inception, Rockwell Land’s cornerstones of strength and legacy was its ability to build first-class skyscrapers that redefined the city skyline and showcase a beautifully landscaped environment, as well as to understand and go beyond an individual’s needs. It has likewise recognized the need to extend its breadth so that the Rockwell signature of rarity and opulence would be felt even outside the comforts of one’s home.

But its prominence and success didn’t happen overnight. If anything, Rockwell has had its share of challenges in proving itself worthy of a slice of the market that was then caught amid a sea of developments long present in the market. As it went head to head with some of the more established names in the industry, Rockwell Land concentrated instead in steadfastly fulfilling its promise to the market by providing desirable sanctuaries for the high-end and upper-mid markets and by evoking a whole new level of condo living.

“We just had to stay true to our vision, stay true to our commitments to our buyers, bankers and stakeholders. The Asian financial crisis caught most of us by surprise but we managed to survive unscathed because we made sure that we paid our debts and deliver what we promised. Yes, there were difficult times, but our being true to our commitment paid off and now banks would gladly give us the credit facilities because they know that we never walk away from our promises,” Padilla related.

Next 20 years

After two decades of providing top notch developments and setting new standards in real estate development, Rockwell Land is more than ready to spread its wings to cater to a broader spectrum of the market.

“For the past 20 years, I think we have been able to make people realize what type of a developer we are. The next 20 years (would be) about making more people live ‘Rockwell’ not just here in Makati but all over the country. At Rockwell, we derive satisfaction knowing that we improve and raise the standards,” Padilla explained.

“We are now slowly spreading our wings only because our people are ready to do so. I personally believe that the real challenge would be how to unlock the energy that our people have. So our focus now really is to harness the talent and potential of our people and turn them into assets,” he added.

Currently, Rockwell has ongoing projects in key areas of the country, all of which are being developed with a rare and distinct quality that no other developer can recreate. Among its current and ongoing projects that continue to impress and excite the market are the Joya Lofts and Towers that showcased units with 20-foot ceilings; One Rockwell’s famed Z-Lofts; Edades’ Garden Villas; The Grove by Rockwell’s Garden Units; The Proscenium, which evokes that perfect symphony of a truly premium lifestyle; and 32 Sanson in Cebu, which seamlessly harmonizes the rich culture of Cebu and the signature Rockwell Lifestyle.

“I think we have already set really high standards that now, everybody asks their contractor to do a Rockwell. We have also established a property management philosophy that people would like to copy. So the next thing really is what Rockwell’s next surprise will be. And for sure, there will be something that we will bring to the market which will again set new standards,” Padilla explained.

Trusted, coveted developer

As every industry player attempts to create the biggest townships and to increase their portfolio of products, Rockwell Land will meanwhile continue to focus on projects that will set new standards and continue to make them the industry’s trusted and coveted developer.

“Everybody is building townships now. Sure, they have bigger balance sheets than we have. That’s fine. We are happy that we created a new way of doing things, but it doesn’t mean that we will not come up with something better again soon. I think our ability to do something really good and set a new standard in property development is what makes us a leader. We may not be a leader in terms of size, we may not be a leader in terms of number of projects but we are a leader in terms of setting new development thinking and standard, whether it is the quality of the community or the landscape. I think that makes us proud that we’ve achieved that,” Padilla noted.

“At Rockwell, investments come to life. When you buy a unit from us, you don’t just make good money out of that investment but rather you invest in your lifestyle. It’s an investment on one’s lifestyle that unfortunately is not available all over. Every Rockwell property allows one to invest in a new way of enjoying life and the monetary aspect is just as good,” he further pointed out.

Padilla admitted that Rockwell has become “everyone’s baby.” Everyone, he said, loves Rockwell and thus the task at hand is to make sure that the company doesn’t lose that touch.

“Rockwell would not have been what it is today if not for its people. It’s not the bricks and mortar that made Rockwell—it’s the people who made sure that the vision was fulfilled and carried out to create that unique service. If not for the people behind the brand, Rockwell will be no different than everybody else,” Padilla said.

The next five years meanwhile is poised to be an exciting period for Rockwell as the company goes full blast into the hospitality business after it opened its first serviced residences which is the Aruga.

“The hospitality business is a natural extension of Rockwell. We’ve been doing customer service everyday, and for us it’s always been about the customers,” Padilla noted.

Celebrating their 20 years in the industry, Rockwell Land promises to continue bringing its vision into form and to go on casting magic into the lives of its residents.

“You dream and when you reach your dream, you move on to another dream. Rockwell’s dream was to truly create something special and we’ve achieved that. Now the next dream is to make sure that we do something like this in Cebu, in Iloilo, in the north and in the south that will replicate our previous achievements,” Padilla concluded. ADVT