Up-Ayala Land Technohub

The UP-Ayala Land Technohub, inaugurated November, is a business-commercial complex located on the property of UP Diliman near Philcoa, along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

This technohub houses buildings for companies like IBM Philippines and some business process outsourcing companies (BPOs). When I was living in Tandang Sora, around 7 years ago this land was idle, occasionally used as the venue for an outdoor fair/carnival every Christmas season. Today, this area is a bustling business community 24hours a day, seven days a week.

The transformation never seizes to amaze me. Turning an idle patch land which was dark and filled with grass into this economic zone near the largest state run University is definitely an improvement and I hope a sign of progress.

What better way to promote business inside this hub of technology than having one of the biggest names in the industry, IBM Philippines to hold its office in the premises. Other companies include BPOs like Convergys Philippines, HSBC and Manulife among others also hold office in one of the buildings inside the technohub. Before the business district was mainly located in Makati City, then came along Ortigas Center and the residential-commercial-business district, Eastwood City. With the emergence of UP-Ayala Technohub, today this once dark area of Commonwealth Avenue is an upcoming business district, teeming with life and activity filled with bright lights. I got curious as to what the Technohub offers to those who do not work for the companies within the complex, to satisfy my curiosity, I went there to check the place out with a good friend of mine. We arrived at around 4PM, tired and hungry from our Photowalk, we decided to look for a place to rest and eat. But of course being a shutterbug, I can’t help but take a photo of the place when I first set foot on the plaza

Surrounding the fountain of the plaza is the commercial building. Some notable establishments have put up branches inside this new hub.

 National Bookstore – a place to buy office and school supplies. We saw some families here buying school supplies for the kids who are going back to school.
 Mini-Stop – a convenience store which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
 Timezone arcade – While the parents are busy shopping for supplies, the little ones can go to Timezone to play a video game or two.

 Starbucks – for your daily dose of coffee
 Kanin Republic – where the viand serving is good for two to three people and unlimited rice you can eat.
 Yellow Cab – if you’re craving for pizza, this is the place to go.
 Red Kimono – a restaurant serving Japanese cuisine
 Razon’s – for authentic Kapampangan style of cooking. Their halo-halo (a creamy Filipino dessert of milk and shaved ice with a mix of various ingredients), is very popular and is rated as one of the best in the Philippines.
 Reyes Barbeque – serves a wide variety of grilled food, from pork barbeque to grilled chicken’s ass.
 Flapjacks – a restaurant that serves awesome breakfast. The best deal when you go there, the refillable coffee.

This fountain is the center of attraction for a lot of people, including myself. Children and kids at heart can pass by the middle and play near the water, which also serves as a good backdrop for personal photos. It was a shame that I didn’t bring my laptop when I went there, it’s a technohub! I could have checked my email and go online anytime, anywhere since it’s a free wi-fi zone. The UP-Ayala Technohub, a place that just doesn’t nurture the information technology businesses and young minds that work in their offices, it is also a place to relax, have a quiet dinner and a place where children can enjoy is definitely a place to visit.

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