Torre Lorenzo celebrates 25 years of creating spaces designed for tomorrow

It was an elegant yet cordial affair that celebrated 25 years of creating exquisite spaces.

Torre Lorenzo Development Corp. (TLDC) welcomed guests and employees Thursday night to a short yet endearing celebration of its 25th anniversary—a three-act gathering mixing gratitude, nostalgia, and bright hopes for the company’s next quarter-century. It was a beautiful combination that had put everyone in high spirits as they shared stories, paid homage to longstanding partners, and celebrated the company’s impressive milestones.

Such warmth, sophistication, and camaraderie fittingly reflected the essence of every TLDC development, designed to create a sense of community and comfort, while offering residents and visitors a luxurious yet inviting environment.

History, experience, excellence

A heartfelt speech from TLDC chief executive officer Tomas P. Lorenzo aptly set the tone of the occasion. His anecdotes brought back fond memories and highlighted history, experience and excellence—attributes that TLDC offers with passion and purpose.

“Opportunities happen because of experiences,” said Lorenzo as he shared his journey that led to the founding of TLDC.

Lorenzo recalled that when he was in grade school, his mother would send the driver to pick him up but without a car—which meant that, for a time, they had to ride the jeep. And as they would do so, he would think to himself: it doesn’t have to be this way, there must be a better way.

And when Lorenzo studied abroad, he also saw how the students were living well—a building with a doorman, marble-lined elevators, and a washing machine inside the room. He realized then that there can be a market for this in the Philippines—for premium, safe and convenient living spaces tailored particularly to the needs of students.

“Experiences help improve people’s lives and my experience of riding the jeep led to what we have now. The level of excellence and the level of quality that I ask of everyone came because of that—that it doesn’t have to be this way,” he said.

Gold standard

No doubt, Lorenzo’s experiences taught him the importance of innovation, quality, and customer-centric features. These have become hallmarks of all TLDC developments, which have become a gold standard for premium university residences in the Philippines.

Established in 1999, TLDC pioneered premium university residences in the country with the turnover of the first Torre Lorenzo. From this 21-story residential building, now considered a landmark along Taft Avenue in Manila, it has since ventured into upscale hospitality and leisure projects outside Metro Manila.

Meaningful impact

Indeed, the last 25 years have been filled with milestones and achievements that enabled TLDC to earn its rightful place in the industry.

TLDC chief operating officer Cathy Casares-Ko shared how they have gentrified sub-prime locations in Manila, Batangas, and Davao and how they took pains to ensure that all their developments would continue to uphold and exemplify their standards of excellence.

According to Ko, partnerships with international brands like Dusit and Ascott also helped elevate TLDC’s offerings to world-class standards, whereas their sustainability efforts and corporate social responsibility projects allowed them to make a more meaningful impact to the society.

As TLDC moves to its next phase of growth, Ko said they intend to pass on the same foresight, passion, and work ethic to future stewards of the company.

‘Designing for tomorrow’

And this early, TLDC business development manager Monica Lorenzo is already excited, and maybe a little nervous, about the future of the company. As TLDC begins to design for tomorrow, the younger Lorenzo is all geared to help future proof their upcoming developments.

These include two new residential buildings within its Katipunan development: the Torre Lorenzo Loyola West Tower, which recently broke ground, and the Gallery at Torre Lorenzo Loyola, comprising 36 spacious luxury residential units; the Merano Tower, the second building to rise in Tierra Lorenzo Lipa, and Dusit Princess in Tierra Lorenzo Lipa, which recently topped off; Crown Residences, an emerging community in Davao City; Crest Suites at Tierra Davao, which meanwhile offers serviced residences; and a new university residence in Manila.

“At 25, we are just starting to spread our wings, dreaming of the future, moving forward with much energy and continuing to build a history of real estate achievements. The next 25 years will bring tremendous change. But we will be at the forefront, leading the way and continuing to raise the bar for what is possible in real estate. Thank you all for being part of this incredible journey. I can’t wait to see what the future holds. I see a very promising future ahead of us,” she said.

Impact Awards

It was indeed a night of reflection and gratitude as TLDC also paid homage to 25 of its longstanding partners who have been part of its success story over the past two and a half decades—from agencies, banks to its pioneer employees and the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“I would like to thank each and every one of you—all of you who see the quality we give. You’ve gone beyond just being our business partners, but being our neighbors as well, so thank you very much,” the older Lorenzo said.

Throughout the night, guests enjoyed a delightful mix of arts, music, great food, conversations and a warm, welcoming ambiance—all of which created the perfect backdrop to celebrate TLDC’s legacy and future.

TLDC welcomed guests and employees Thursday night to a short yet endearing celebration of its 25th anniversary. It was night of reflection and gratitude as TLDC paid homage to 25 longstanding partners who have been part of its success.