‘WELL’ built Menarco

Getting things right the first time may be a rare feat. At times, it happens out of sheer luck; on other occasions, as in the case of Menarco Tower, it results from a conscious, studied philosophy.

The eponymous office project of Menarco Development Corp., snagged an award that aptly proves its claim as the “healthiest building in the Philippines”: the WELL Gold plaque.

The 32-storey Menarco Tower in Bonifacio Global City is now officially one of the few Southeast Asian office buildings boasting of a WELL Gold certification. This meant that the company hurdled a standard developed by the International Well Building Institute (IWBI) that focuses solely on the state of the people in the building.

The official certificate was handed by IWBI Asia director of business development Samantha Allen to Menarco founder and CEO Carmen Jimenez-Ong.

Scorecard

But clearing the WELL Building Standard is no easy feat.

The global tool is the first of its kind, zeroing in on the health and well-being of building occupants through 100 performance metrics, design strategies and policies. More specifically, a WELL score card is based on seven concepts, namely: optimal indoor air quality; safe and clean water for various uses; availability of fresh wholesome foods for better nourishment; specialized lighting and illumination systems; availability of fitness features and components; comfortable indoor environment; and optimum features that nurture health for the mind.

Of course, if your core values align with the spirit of the citation, getting the WELL stamp of approval shouldn’t be too difficult to do. And such was the case for Menarco Tower.

“It makes good business sense to invest on the welfare of occupants in an office building. The reality is that we spend more hours in our offices on a five- or six-day work week,” said Jimenez-Ong. “This should make us think: How can we make those precious hours more productive and mentally and physically sound for everyone?”

Features

Menarco Tower has 22 floors designated for office spaces and 10 floors for parking. It has airconditioners that provide pre-filtered air, double-glazed windows that let in maximum sunlight with minimum heat, 2.8-meter floor-to-ceiling height, healthy options in the food halls, landscaped terracing, a wellness center, clinic, and 24/7 access to lifeline ambulances. Other features include ambient music and drinkable tap water.

Aside from the WELL recognition, Menarco Tower already has a LEED Gold certification and garnered the Best Green Development citation at the Philippine Property Awards in 2016.

These are only incidental to the cause of promoting workspaces looking after its workers, said Jimenez-Ong.

“One of the things I realized is that a lot of people might try to get LEED or WELL for the sake of having a plaque. It’s not about that. It’s about a recognition of a commitment that is already there. And I think Menarco is a fantastic example of that,” she further added.