Our country is visited yearly by about 20 to 24 tropical cyclones. Many Filipinos are aware of this and yet every year we witness roofs that are blown away during typhoons due to poor design and substandard construction methods and materials.
Rarely does a corporation get the chance to build its own home. Too often, offices are rented spaces and the easy answer to the need for more space as the corporation grows is simply to rent more space.
I was walking across one of the exhibition halls when I stumbled upon the final deliberation of the student charrette. Up on stage was the team of five architecture students from the University of San Carlos in Cebu, coming unto friendly scrutiny from the competition judges as they delivered their final presentation for the Student Division of this architectural design competition. This was early October in Singapore, Day 3 of the World Architecture Festival.
The cool breeze gently reminds us that the Christmas season has started. Many families, companies and organizations are foregoing their Christmas parties in light of the dire situation in Tacloban and other typhoon-ravaged areas in the country. The saved funds are instead to be donated to help in the relief operations in these places.
Q: We don’t understand how you can say in the closing paragraph of your column last Friday (Nov. 22, 2013) that an entrepreneur and a manager are one and the same person. This is contradicted by our own experience as a 2-generation family corporation.
Q: I want to have P1 million in five years. What sort of investments may I get into that will help beat inflation and will be appropriate for a newbie like me? Also, do you know of investments that offer a return of 20 percent a year? – posted on PFA’s “ask a friend, ask Efren” service at www.personalfinance.ph
I appreciate all those who e-mailed, texted or phoned me to give a feedback or reaction to my piece last week on minimizing casualties from storm surges and other natural calamities.
Property development is an ever-evolving industry. Technology is one reason, as innovative construction materials allow designers to improve their ideas and build faster, with more sustainable and cost-efficient results.
As I write, Supertyphoon “Yolanda” is barreling into Philippine waters. She’s an extremely dangerous Category 5 supertyphoon, the fourth one this year in the Western Pacific. Earth has averaged 4.4 of these mightiest of the mighty tropical cyclones per year.
With all the extreme weather patterns we have experienced, many due to climate change, it has become more important to give a higher focus on carbon emissions. As we all know, carbon emissions negatively impact the environment. What I only learned recently is that buildings account for a big percentage of carbon emissions.
The real estate market seems to be continually expanding and the demand for condo living is at its highest. Condominiums just seem to be the most practical solution, given the high cost of land and our worsening traffic problems.
According to the World Health Organization, about 100,000 workers die annually from asbestos-related diseases out of 125 million people who are exposed to asbestos in the workplace.
