(The Philippine Star) | Updated November 17,
2014 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines - Aside from
pioneering the innovative mixed-use development called Townships, Megaworld,
the country’s leading real estate developer, is spearheading another first in
the country. Through the company’s commitment in providing environmental
sustainability, its new 8 Campus Place Building A in McKinley Hill has been
recognized as the country’s first LEED Gold-certified building for business
process outsourcing (BPOs) companies.
LEED, which stands for Leadership in
Energy and Environment Design, is a green building ratings program developed by
the US Green Building Council or USGBC. LEED is the most widely accepted and
recognized green building rating system worldwide.
“Megaworld remains committed to
underpin the company’s vision of creating communities that promote
sustainability for the environment and maximizing the use of land. We develop a
masterplan where residential, commercial, and office towers will be in one
secured location while we are building environment-friendly structures. Expect
more green office towers in the years to come in the company,” says Jericho P.
Go, senior vice president, Megaworld.
The 8 Campus Place Building A, which
is now occupied by the American bank, Wells Fargo, for their global business
services is the first LEED gold certified project under the LEED for Core &
Shell category in McKinley Hill. 8
Campus Place is comprised of three 5-story buildings with a total leasable
floor area of 30,000 sq. meters.
Megaworld and their LEED consultant,
Barone International, are proud of several noteworthy sustainable features in
the building, such as, reduced number of parking spaces to encourage the
building occupants to use public transportation instead of private vehicles;
accommodations for bicycle storage and shower facilities for individuals that
prefer to take a more sustainable commute to their work.
The building uses 45% less water than
standard buildings by providing water efficient plumbing fixtures. Additionally, the exterior landscape was
designed to use no potable water for irrigating plants and vegetation. The use of wide-glass architecture was
carefully planned to infiltrate natural light into the building by installing
double glazed gas-filled insulated (Low-E) glass to reflect the sun’s heat away
from the building to reduce the air conditioning need inside the building.
The construction materials contained
more than 30 percent recycled content and the project earned a bonus point by
using over 30 percent of locally available materials produced within the
Philippines. The building implemented
many innovative indoor air quality features, including the provision of CO2
sensors to ensure fresh air delivery to the building occupants and use of low
emitting paints and materials throughout the interior spaces.
To assure the energy systems installed
in the building were functioning properly after they were installed, an
independent third party commissioning agent — Facilities Analysis &
Controls, Ltd (FAC), coordinated with Megaworld’s Property Management office
and the company’s Facility Manager, to ensure that the sophisticated green
building will function properly and efficiently for many years.
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