BGC remains a green haven with new projects

NET Lima is located at the burgeoning 5th Avenue of Bonifacio Global City. Photo: Anna Manlapaz

The path to a greener city is right in our midst—the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. The planned city is already one of the most vibrant in Metro Manila and continues to expand day to day.

Despite the amazing growth, the Global City remains a green haven, flush with landscaping and greenery. Among the new and green projects is Net Lima Building, a pilot project under the Philippine Green Building Council’s Berde program (Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence).

Net Lima is a development of The Net Group, one of the pioneer builders around The Fort. The company is headed by entrepreneurs Charlie Rufino and Jacques Dupasquier.

NET Lima is bold and striking with its diagonal sunshades. Anna Manlapas

The Net Group is the most invested company in office buildings in Bonifacio Global City, also known as BGC or to the historically inclined, The Fort. From the initial privatization of the 240-hectare Fort Bonifacio in 1995, Charlie and Jacques were pioneer builders with their first project, the Net One Center. Net Square, Net Cube, Net Quad and other buildings followed in short order.

Latest effort

Net Lima, their latest effort, is also the most startlingly unique, and is centrally located at the junction of 5th Avenue and 26th Street. The building is already one of the most recognizable in Global City, thanks to the diagonal glass frits that provide shade and also make its façade a truly iconic addition to the area.

NET Lima’s high ceilinged lobby means better ambient lighting and air circulation.

Among the offices that have encamped at Net Lima is NavarroAmper & Co., the local partner of international accounting powerhouse Deloitte. Greg Navarro, managing partner, aside from providing financial and consulting services, is an advocate of the green movement. Greg has partnered with Philippine Business for Social Progress in furthering his green cause and sustainability message, so Net Lima was a natural choice for his firm.

SAY goodbye to lack of air circulation at Net Lima’s parking lot which needs no carbon emission extraction machine.

Green building

Greg also noted that a green building also addresses the health and welfare of his employees, and the Global City address means healthy and clean air for them. Being eco-friendly not only benefits the environment, it also provides numerous advantages for the company, such as the stark decrease in power and water consumption.

Accounting firms are famous for overtime work, especially during this tax season, but NavarroAmper’s electricity rates are the same as in their previous location. He finds that Net Lima’s aesthetic sunshades supplement its glass walls, which permit maximum utilization of sunlight, and the building’s VRF air-conditioning system is far more efficient than outdated centralized air conditioning.

Net Lima also has a water condenser feature, which is connected to the VRF air-conditioning system. The feature has decreased water usage to just a tenth of previous consumption. BGC further complements these systems with its own water recovery system, furthering the green aspect of the entire city.

NET LIMA’S drop-off point allows you easy access to the low-rise and high-rise lobbies.

NAVARRO

All in all, Net Lima makes life for tenants like Greg and NavarroAmper much more pleasant. The city is home to vibrant clubs and restaurants, and the Boni High Street and Serendra shopping districts add to the multitude of activities possible. Everything is within walking distance of each other, as the city design promotes less use of cars.

With advocates like the Net Group and NavarroAmper cooperating to build a greener city in Metro Manila, we can only hope that other developers and city officials pursue similar visions. Only then can we have a truly greener and more sustainable Philippines.

Follow @tessavaldes on Twitter or email her at [email protected].