ArthaLand raises sustainability bar with ‘Sevina Park’

Keeping its focus on sustainability and innovation, ArthaLand is raising the bar anew with the groundbreaking of Sevina Park, the first horizontal development in the Philippines to aim for the LEED Neighborhood Development and LEED Home Certifications.

Nestled in the city of Biñan in Laguna, Sevina Park is ArthaLand’s first township project, masterplanned by Boston-based global design firm Sasaki Associates Inc. The 8.1-hectare development is envisioned to be a sustainable, closely-knit neighborhood that is conveniently located a few minutes from the soon-to-open Laguna Boulevard interchange of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway.

“Sevina Park is consistent with the commitment of ArthaLand that all its developments will be green and sustainable,” said ArthaLand vice chairman, president and CEO Jaime C. Gonzalez. “For me, it’s one of the more exciting projects that we have and we are so proud of this project.”

The groundbreaking ceremony held earlier this week was followed by the inauguration and blessing of Sevina Park’s tree nursery and composting facility. A tree-planting activity held in partnership with the WWF shortly followed, during which bitaog saplings were planted along what will be one of Sevina Park’s main streets.

“We’re planting new life, which is consistent with the meaning of ‘Sevina,’” said ArthaLand executive vice president and treasurer Leonardo Arthur Po. The name “Sevina” is a coined word that means “planting new life to create new beginnings.”

Po continued: “The trees in our nursery today are the future trees of this development. These trees that we’re planting, for as long as the development is here, they will always be here.  We would like to inspire others to do the same. This is part of our advocacy and our partnership with WWF, to be able to educate the other members of the industry and the other people in the country, to plant more trees.  Not just any trees but endangered and endemic trees to help in the survival of their species.”

The soon-to-rise Sevina Park is a mixed-use community that will feature shared gardens, enveloping courtyards, scenic streetscapes and an abundance of lush greenery.

Aside from the bitaog trees, Sevina Park will also be home to kamagong, supa, yakal and molave, among others.

“We are excited to launch our highly anticipated first horizontal project that will serve as a testament that neighborhood developments designed to protect and preserve the natural environment, while simultaneously enhancing quality of life can be done in the country,” Gonzalez said. “And as with all next generation ArthaLand projects, Sevina Park reinforces our commitment to world-class sustainable development.”

The mixed-use community will feature shared gardens, enveloping courtyards, scenic streetscapes and an abundance of lush greenery.  Sixty percent of Sevina Park will be dedicated to green and open spaces.

The property’s residential component will be comprised of a dormitory for students, townhouse villas designed by Leandro V. Locsin and Partners, and low-rise condominiums.

The Sevina Park Villas comprise of masterfully crafted two-, three- and four-bedroom villas that open up to expansive courtyard gardens within each block. All 108 villas will be equipped with efficient lighting, energy and water fixtures. The villas will also be wifi and home automation ready.

The exclusive four-bedroom Villa 170 unit type, however, will have additional sustainable features such as a provision for solar power systems, enhanced indoor air quality by mechanical exhaust, and the use of FSC-certified wood, which qualifies it to become the first LEED Certified Home in the country.

“We are a boutique developer not in relation to size, but because of our attention to detail and desire to push the envelope in green development. We are proud to say that Sevina Park is a carefully and thoughtfully curated sustainable community that will be the first of its kind in the country,” Po concluded.