Builders say nature cannot be ignored

By Tessa Salazar

TAKE NATURE INTO CONSIDERATION, and the rewards will be plenty. Ignore nature, and the consequences are certain to be dire. The country’s top builders say they have always built on this principle.

Architect and environmental planner Henry L. Yap, vice president of Robinsons Land Corp.’s design and planning department, says the onslaught of the recent calamities has proven how ruthless the environment can be to the unprepared.

“We shall continue to do our share in responsible citizenship by making sure that we regularly clean our large drainage systems and continue to periodically assess its state/condition. The transfer of best practices that focuses on maintenance, repair and upgrade which greatly come in play with our in-house engineers will be continued and even be enhanced,” says Yap, who is also the general manager of the RLC office buildings division.

Yap adds that the typhoons had shown that RLC’s use of proper site considerations, including the evaluation of the ecological/environmental factors in arriving at its designs and decisions, “actually served us well as seen by the minimal effects on our projects. RLC will continue to ensure that we assess each location that we consider based on exhaustive site selection criteria/factors. Understanding the site profile will greatly influence our decision and will limit the negative impacts on the environment.”

Environmental sustainability

Thomas F. Mirasol, head of marketing and sales of Ayala Land Premier, says: “I can say with confidence that Ayala Land is the leader as far as environmental sustainability is concerned.

“We were the first (and might still be the only one) to set up sewage treatment plants decades ago. Decades ago, too, we emphasized open and green spaces. We respected areas that should never be developed either because of the impact on the land or the flora and fauna that lived there. We harvest rainwater. We reuse treated wastewater for irrigation. We recycle building materials and contain the effects of development. I think Nuvali in Laguna is the leading example of all of these best practices being put to good use today,” Mirasol says.

Benjamarie Therese N. Serrano, director, president and chief operating officer, and Ricardo B. Tan Jr., senior vice president-finance and chief information officer, of Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., says their team believes it has a “very good record” in terms of giving something back to the environment.

Vista Land, which counts among its projects Brittany, Crown Asia, Camella and a host of various condominium developments in the country, says it maintains a major tree nursery and had planted over one million trees since the establishment of its “pioneering” company three decades ago.

“Where possible, we refrain from cutting down trees in our developments, for example, in our Georgia Club subdivision in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, we designed the layout taking into account the existence of many hardwood trees, and we declared the area a bird sanctuary,” Serrano says.

Close ties

Vista Land claims it has maintained close ties with the Villar Foundation which was established by its principals. Serrano says the Foundation has made significant progress in cleaning up the river in Las Piñas, while at the same time creating livelihood and employment for the community. She cites another project to convert kitchen waste to organic fertilizer, which promotes garbage segregation and will hopefully lessen the use of landfills.

Both Vista Land executives say that in general, developers in 2010 will be more conscious of how their actions affect the environment.

“Mitigating adverse impact to the environment,” Serrano continues, “is one way the company is taking a hard look at its carbon footprint. We should never look at it as a choice between preserving nature and giving people their dwelling spaces. It can be, it should be, a healthy balance.”

Nerissa N. Josef, vice president for project development of Alveo Land, says the company has been conscientious in taking a long-term view on property, adding, “We know that when we build, we build not only for the present but also for the future. Thus, concern for the environment and economic and social sustainability has always been considered from the time we plan up to execution and operation of facilities. Even before ‘green’ had become a trend, Alveo had been ‘greening’ its developments.”

She cites Verdana Homes Bacoor, which segregates its garbage, and maintains a tree nursery; TCAA which has natural ventilation; Two Serendra which maintains a 65-percent “green space” with the largest “green roof” in the area, adding that the gardens on the ground floor of the low-rise sections is the “green roof” for the basement, covering about 2.5 hectares of open space for Two Serendra, and its breezeways.

Josef also cites Celadon Park and Senta, which also have green roofs; Treveia, as part of Nuvali, has sustainable features further enhanced. She cites bioswales, a retention pond which serves both as a feature and sustainability element, trees, provision for double piping, and “gray” water. It also supports the social sustainability efforts of Nuvali by hiring skilled labor in the area.