(an article written by CleanAir@theFort,
a civic group based in Bonifacio Global City, in support of 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference
to be held in Paris from 30 November to 11 December 2015)
If you are looking for a place to
live or work in the Fort, such as in Bonifacio Global City or McKinley Hill, or
anywhere for that matter, you could do well by paying attention to the
information presented below, especially if you are someone who is also concerned
about the impact we make on the environment.
After selecting the area that you would like to
live in and your budget, you most likely will need to further narrow down your
choices by looking at the features that a particular building offers, and match
that against your priorities. Well, when you do so, do not forget to put the features
suggested below in your list of priorities. Use a point system so that you can
get an overall score for a building for easier comparison with other buildings
in your shortlist:
Energy efficiency
We
should care about energy efficiency of a building not only because the cost of
energy affects our pocket, but also because we care about the environment: you
know about the problem of climate change, right? Buildings that have incorporated energy saving
designs, such as insulated glass walls, procured energy saving equipment,
devices and appliances such as LED and motion-activated lights, have in place a
maintenance program to ensure good working condition of electrical equipment
and so on should get extra points on your list.
Indoor air quality
We
all know that air quality affects our health. When we spend a lot of time
inside a building, we should make sure that it has a good supply of fresh air.
Poor indoor air circulation can lead to illnesses and a cause of bacterial
infection such as LegionnairesÔÇÖ disease. Give more points to buildings that
have operable windows than those that do not, those that have good ventilation
system for public areas such as lift lobbies, and those that have a cleaning
schedule for air ducts that connect a unit to common area, such as the
ventilation system for bathrooms and kitchens, and ones that have well
ventilated parking area.
Water and effluent
Residents
of Bonifacio Global City know that water rate here is much more expensive than
elsewhere in Metro Manila. Purportedly this is because the water here has been
treated so well that the tap water is good enough for drinking without the need
for further filtering or disinfection. If a building has adopted measures to minimize
water consumption, such as regular and proper calibration of water pressure, or
provision to reuse grey water, then it will save residents money and conserve
precious water resources. Presence of a dual plumbing system, where rain water
is collected and used in toilet flushing, should definitely earn a building
extra points.
Other points
The
above are the more obvious points where a buildingÔÇÖs management and features
affect our health, our pocket and the environment. These are actually some of
the points presented in the Philippine Green Building CouncilÔÇÖs green building
rating scheme, called BERDE (short for ÔÇ£Building for Ecologically Responsive
Design ExcellenceÔÇØ), a voluntary standard for the measurement of environmental
performance of buildings developed specifically for the Philippine market.
|
Need some evidence? A report entitled ÔÇ£Health, Well being and Productivity in
Indoor air quality : a comprehensive body of research can be Thermal comfort: studies consistently show that even modest Daylighting and lighting: Several studies in the last decade Noise and acoustics: A |
Other points that BERDE cover in
measuring the environmental performance of a building are:
– green cleaning policy :
buildings should minimize the use of cleaning materials that are harmful to the
environment and humans;
– green house gas emission: measures that will
reduce green house emission compared to non-green buildings will earn a
building points in the BERDE certification process. Examples: use of LED light bulbs instead of compact
fluorescent lights or incandescent light bulbs;
– emission control : black smoke
when a generator starts up? Even an upscale neighbourhood like BGC cannot
escape the need to use stand-alone power generator once in a while, and some of
you must have seen black smoke belching out from a swanky building here. To
obtain BERDE certification, buildings must take measures to mediate emissions
from equipment operations, which involve combustion or burning.
– transportation : BERDE certified buildings are encouraged to provide preferred parking to carpool vehicles and other vehicles that shuttle groups of people from the building to other places.
(BERDE information from : https://philgbc.net/berde/berde-op/1.0.0/BERDE-OP-v100.pdf)
As can be seen above, many of the features that are good for the environment are also good for our health, and some are also good for our pocket ÔÇô triple baseline indeed, as they say in the greenies circle.
Green Buildings in the Fort
There are quite a few buildings in BGC and McKinley Hill
that have obtained green building certification from internationally recognized
green building bodies.
Buildings that have been accredited with a Green Rating from
one of the worldÔÇÖs green building councils have features that target at least
some of the environmental factors important to workersÔÇÖ health. For example, Sun Life Center at 5th
Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, which has obtained a Gold rating from the LEED
has CO2 sensors that help to flush out pollutants inside the building,
improving the distribution of fresh air. And it has a Green Roof that provides
relief and a refreshing view of the BGC skyline for cubicle-stuck employees. LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally
recognized green rating system for sustainable design and structures, and is
given by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Net Lima building on 26th Street, Bonifacio
Global City, has a 4 star rating from BERDE. Amongst its Green features, the
building has:
- a high performance glass wall and sun shades to
regulate sun light and temperature inside the building, while preserving the
scenic views;
- an air
conditioning system that uses the technology of Variable Refrigerant Flow to
increase comfort and reduce energy consumption;
- a water condenser feature, which is connected to
the VRF air-conditioning system. The feature has decreased water usage to just
a tenth of the consumption without the feature.
The BERDE Green Building Rating System is a
Philippine equivalence of LEED developed under the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE)
Program. It is a tool to measure, verify and monitor performance of buildings
above and beyond existing mandatory building and environmental regulations and
standards.
Below are some of the buildings
in the Fort area that have been certified green:
Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED / US Green Building Council)
Source: https://www.usgbc.org/projects
- Sun Life Philippines Head Office
(Platinum) - Wells Fargo Center Philippines
Buildings A, B and C at McKinley Hill (Platinum) - Ore Central (Platinum)
- Arthaland Tower (Gold)
- Mind Museum (Gold)
- The Curve (Gold)
- World Plaza (Gold)
- One World Place (Gold)
- Bench Office (Gold)
- Megaworld 8 Campus Place
Buildings A, B and C (Gold) - Sun Life Financial Headquarters (Gold)
Look up their score cards to see
how they score on individual parameters such as water and energy efficiency.
Building for Ecologically
Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE / Philippine Green Building Council)
- Net Lima (4 Star)
Thus, a green building is one that not only provides
environmental benefits, but also contributes to the well-being of its tenants.
If a green building has so many benefits, then why arenÔÇÖt
there more green buildings? Well, it is likely the same old story with many
environmental issues. While a green building is good for the public, its owners
and its tenants, the cost is borne completely by the building owner.
Therefore, constructing a green building is probably more
costly than building a conventional building.
Fortunately, there are developers who are committed to building green.
ÔÇ£You pay more, but you get a higher quality building,ÔÇØ said Mr. Ramon Rufino,
chairman of the Philippine Green Building Council. Mr. Rufino should know, as he is also an
Executive Vice President of the Net Group, which developed and manages seven
office buildings in Bonifacio Global City, including Net Lima.
According to Mr. Rufino, the higher the star rating of a
building under BERDE rating system, the higher the quality the building can
provide to its tenants. Furthermore,
many international firms have realized that environmental responsibility is
part of their brand image. When they look for office space to house their
office needs, they give preference to those that can contribute to their
environmental goals.
In fact, the Net Group is so committed to
building green that it has made Net Lima the first building in Metro Manila
outside Meralco properties with charging stations for hybrid or electric cars.
Other means to
improve health in office environment
Mr. Rufino informs us that the Net Group will be building
smokers lounges in buildings under its management, so that non-smokers can
breathe without worry about secondhand smoking.
He is also planning to upgrade the security system of the
buildings so that tenants can have access to stairways of the buildings without
having to compromise security of the building. Walking the stairs is actually a very good way to burn excess calories and strengthen our heart. The fact that it will reduce electricity consumption and wear and tear of the lifts are added bonus for the building owners.
We need more buildings with green features
Currently, all LEED or BERDE
certified projects in BGC and McKinley Hill are office buildings. Fortunately,
developers of residential buildings are beginning to be interested in getting
green certification. Arya Residences, for example, has applied for
certification under both LEED and BERDE. In order to encourage more developers
to build green residential buildings, next time you make enquiries for a
residential property in the Fort area, be sure to ask about a buildingÔÇÖs green
attributes, so that words get back to the developers to show that buyers care
about these things.
(Acknowledgement
: we would like to thank Mr. Chris de la Cruz, CEO of Philippine Green Building
Council for his time in explaining the work of PhilGBC and the BERDE rating system)
United Nations Conference on Climate Change will hold its 21st meeting in France from November 30 to December 11, 2015. The conference is crucial because the expected outcome is a new international agreement on climate change, applicable to all, to keep global warming below 2┬░C. Visit their website to find out more.
There will be a supporting event held in Bonifacio High Street on Sunday November 29 at 4pm to draw attention to this cause. The Bayanihn Parade will have a Global Climate March segment. Join us and show that you care about the environment!
