Laguna Lake dev’t is first Berde-certified gov’t building

The design and build of Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) Building is a project once envisioned to become the first accredited green government office building located at Diliman, Quezon City. It is also the first government structure to be granted with a Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (Berde) certification.

Berde, a national voluntary green building rating system in the country spearheaded by the Philippine Green Building Council (PhilBGC), awarded the certificate to the LLDA during the Green Building Conference on Sept. 25, at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City.

“The story of the LLDA building is the story of a journey where we could be as fulfilled even as we recognize the very dangers that we face every day as a vulnerable and highly at-risk country to all of these impacts,” said JR Nereus Acosta, presidential adviser for environmental protection and LLDA general manager.

The two-wing, four-story building is situated at the 3,021-square-meter lot of the National Ecology Center. The LLDA building has a gross floor area of 5,600 sqm and accommodates different LLDA departments such as executive offices and laboratories and public spaces including the library, conference rooms and exhibition halls.

Carbon footprint reduction

To reduce carbon footprint, parking space is located at the ground floor level of the headquarters. The building is 69-percent air-conditioned, but with operable windows for natural ventilation and maximizes the use of daylight because of its shallow structure and light shelves. For water used in flushing in water closets and urinals, rainwater catchment is utilized.

Through these, an estimated 20 percent on energy reduction can be achieved by LLDA.

“This will be a legacy not just for the next administration, local governments, communities and businesses, to serve truly as a living testament to what we say, ‘Kung kaya mong isipin, kung kaya mong luntian ang ating kamalayan, ay kaya nating gawin (If we can think about it, if we can turn our consciousness into green, then we can do it),’” Acosta said.

Can be done anywhere

He added: “If it can be done in this little corner of the National Ecology Center, then it can be done anywhere.”

The Berde program, meanwhile, is developed by PhilBGC to respond to the growing need of the Philippine building industry in adapting to the impacts brought by climate change. Through the Berde green building rating system, a building’s performance is monitored and verified if it passes the existing mandatory building and environmental regulations and standards.

There are 26 developments enlisted in the Berde Project Registry as of the moment.