Std Today 2/11/2010
Sustainable creative innovation is what companies today must pay close attention to- something that is quite apparent in the real estate industry, where they must provide clients with residences that improve and sustain the use of the environment for home and work-life settings.
Joselito Luna, chief architect and group head of Ayala Land's Innovation and Design Group, reveals how the country's most trusted real estate company saw many years back the need to plan and put in new features for sustainability.
"Ayala Land has a long history of responsible development. Care for the land has been in the company's DNA long before sustainability became a buzzword," Luna said.
"During the period leading to global awakening for the need to address climate change and advance green living, Ayala Land was already doing its homework in mapping out creative design solutions for its residential, mall, office buildings, and mixed-use developments."
Victor Ahorro, Ayala Land Businesscapes' senior division manager, cites the UP-Ayala Land TechnoHub, where business locators benefit from a highly-efficient district cooling facility to reduce their air-conditioning costs.
The centralized air-conditioning system is fitted with automated technology that allows individual control by the building occupants, thereby permitting a further reduction of energy costs and enhancing the indoor environment.
"No room should be too cold or too warm for its occupants. And if people in a particular area need to work overtime, there is no need to turn on the air-conditioning for the entire floor or building," Ahorro said.
The entire campus runs on a dual piping system that reduces the consumption of clean potable water. A second piping network supplies recycled water taken from the nearby sewage treatment facility. This recycled water is used for toilet flushing, irrigation, and as make-up water for the district cooling plant.
"Storm water management was not overlooked. The centerpiece of the campus is a park with lagoons that double as storm water detention basins to alleviate the flooding problems in the downstream communities," Ahorro said.
In a scale considered as one of the largest in Asia, Ayala Land employs this system of appropriate use of recycled water in Nuvali, its 1,700-hectare master-planned development in Laguna and the country's first eco-community tagged as a community for "evoliving."
While these examples in Nuvali are not readily visible, other evoliving features present interesting visual details and other benefits. A four-hectare lake, an aesthetic reminder of oneness with nature, not only provides habitat for a variety of migratory bird species but more importantly serves multiple sustainability functions such as rainwater harvesting.
Picturesque tree-lined walkways are incorporated for better environmental air quality, reduction of soil erosion, and water retention. For office buildings, eye-catching bicycle ramps encourage the use of bikes instead of cars, while insulated walls and the rational positioning of windows and ventilation not only save energy but also provide meditation Bonifacio High Street, top, recycled baskets, and the Nuvali and relaxation-inducing areas that promote health of mind and body.
These sustainable innovations, among so many others, are passionately executed at Nuvali, and can only come from the same company that also meticulously integrated pedestrian-friendliness with the greening of Ayala Center in the heart of the Makati Central Business District.
Patterned after world-class hubs that tackled congestion with designs that allowed enjoyment of city centers on foot, the company constructed walkway systems that provided pedestrians safe, comfortable, and efficient access to office enclaves, and to Ayala Center, with its well-conceived parks, greenery, and water features.
Meanwhile, Bonifacio Global City took on another dimension when Ayala Land generously allotted landscapes and aesthetically-accented and interactive open spaces in its residential offerings and commercial developments, such as Shops at Serendra and Bonifacio High Street.
"Choice empowers, and it is surely not out of whim that our markets are choosing more in favor of features that open up new lifestyle options anchored on green and healthful living," Luna said.
"Beyond understanding the technical descriptions of these green features, we take great pride in seeing our residents, shoppers, office-goers, and commuters enjoy the chain of advantages we provide."