Bulletin 9/8/2009

Times call for moves to achieve environmental sustainability, and the real estate industry is making a move to be in the forefront of this thrust by providing improved and sustainable 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, recently shared how the country’s most trusted real estate company saw many years back the vital 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,” he said.

“Tree preservation, waste water treatment, preserving and creating open spaces and bio habitats, designing with nature, developing pedestrian-friendly settings have been characteristic features of ALI projects for many years.”

Today, he said the inroads that impact the company’s commitment in building sustainable master-planned communities are present in new Ayala Land projects.

Victor Ahorro, Ayala Land Businesscapes senior division manager, cited 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 which allows individual control by the building occupants, thereby allowing further reduction of energy costs, and also enhancing indoor environment quality.

“No room should be too cold or too warm for its occupants. And, if a particular area needs to work overtime, there is no need to turn on the air-conditioning for the entire floor or building,” he explained.

“The centerpiece of the campus is a park with lagoons that double up as storm water detention basins, to alleviate the flooding problems in the downstream communities. Pavements are made of pervious concrete blocks that lessen storm water run-off, and allow recharging of the underground aquifers."