Metro Manila at a glance reveals an intricate web of problems—frequent traffic jams, flooding, pollution and mass transport mishaps—where immediate solutions are demanded but currently improbable.
For architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) expert Gianluca Lange, a shift to more sustainable design and technology practices might just be the key.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), which he discussed during last week’s 11th Green Forum in Taguig, are new approaches that can address the infrastructure development issues in the country.
BIM is a process that uses a comprehensive 3D model to inform and communicate project decisions. This technological solution will enable multiple stakeholders to work in a collaborative environment throughout the entire project lifecycle.
In traditional design processes, Lange noted huge amount of disconnect on project design and realization, causing schedule overruns. Delays in government projects lead to wasting public funds and incurring high social costs that may negatively impact the delivery of services to the public.
But in IPD mode, stakeholders work together in an incentive-based contractual framework that puts project goals in front of self-interests, a condition which according to Lange should be included in contract requirements.
Government initiatives
Autodesk Philippines country manager Teddy Tiu said the Department of Public Works and Highways already adopted the BIM to produce the right quality and standard of social services that will last for life.
Full adoption of new processes, however, does not happen overnight. “First, we need to get rid of graft and corruption,” Tiu said.
Realizing this goal also calls for good governance and better fiscal management.
At the local level, Tiu and Lange lauded Valenzuela City’s recent accountability and transparency initiative using technology. Its city hall now uses a fully automated building and construction system to speed up the issuance of building permits to one or two days.
Lange explained that while design technology helps speed up delivery of social services and plan disaster-resilient communities, it ultimately depends on how society is going to use it.
He said: “There has to be a cultural shift in the mindset of organizations. They have to understand that ultimately, if it’s good for the environment, it’s likely to be good for them in the long run as well.”
Sustainable transport
Sustainable mass transport is needed as Lange noted the Metro has grown with urbanization pressure “beyond what it was originally planned for.”
Rail system has the lowest carbon emission per user and is ideally more sustainable. Recent setbacks involving the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) line 3, however, raise questions on the efficiency of our rail system and stakeholders in-charge of maintenance and operation.
At least 38 passengers were injured when an MRT train overshot the tracks at Taft Avenue station last Aug. 13. Following the incident, a Senate probe was conducted to begin the inquiry into the current state of the country’s public and mass transport system.
Because access to public transport increases the value of nearby settlements and establishments, Lange said: “We have to ensure that there is a fair process on how the MRT lines are being built, and not favoring other groups or landowners.”
“Ultimately it’s almost about putting the benefit of the entire metropolitan area in front of private benefits,” he added.
The segmentation of the region to different cities also factors in the accessibility of transport. Lange said that while each city is trying to do what’s best for it, it may be generating problems for other cities.
Safe communities
Last July, Supertyphoon “Glenda” struck eastern and southern Luzon and shut down the capital for days, a dismal but typical occurrence whenever strong typhoons hit the country.
Lange identified the problem: It is not the lack of data but mistranslation in the planning process.
“The point is how to aggregate the big amount of data and put it in a way that somebody who is not very technical can understand it to make the right planning decision,” he told Inquirer Property.
Communicating data in a simple platform can help the government evaluate multiple scenarios for efficient plans, especially during emergencies.
But technology, he said, is only an enabler—how to use it is ultimately a political decision.
“If we’re talking about how the local and central governments are using the technology, the political will should be to make lives easier for the population,” he said.