Live and breathe green at Sycamore Heights

SYCAMORE Heights is seen to top in ‘green design’ from concept to construction and all the way to completion.

Going green, indeed, has no boundaries.

For upscale property developer Belle Corp., the mantra has gone beyond mere practices, as it has instead embraced a more integrated and sustainable lifestyle to “think, love and live green.”

And it is this obsession with nature that fueled the development of Belle Corp.’s Sycamore Heights, the company’s latest exclusive community project that adheres to a philosophy of being “green” from principle to practice.

Sycamore Heights is the latest addition to the 1,300-hectare Tagaytay Highlands, according to Belle Corp.

Green community

The project will be housing an Asian-contemporary themed residential community that will be equipped with the latest green technologies available in the market.

This green community is being developed as a climate-sensitive and weather-adaptive structure, which will allow Belle Corp. to take the “favorable characteristics” of nature—for example, the cool climate in Tagaytay Highlands—and use these to enable healthy indoor-living conditions, with the least artificial intervention.

“Each model unit was designed with energy efficiency and indoor thermal comfort in mind. These are achieved through our integration of passive cooling and heating principles in the houses,” noted architect Orly Mateo, partner-in-charge for Leandro V. Locsin Partners, the architectural firm behind Sycamore Heights.

Large windows, according to Mateo, will be installed to allow natural sunlight in and thus, lessen the need for artificial lighting, while the operable windows will, meanwhile, allow one to enjoy natural ventilation.

Working with nature

“We studied the sun’s paths at various times of the day, which is the key to working with nature in order to optimize its benefits and eliminate its harmful effects,” Mateo added.

Meanwhile, the lush greenery that surrounds Sycamore Heights would allow for effective carbon sequestration, and oxygenation of  every home and its immediate environment.

Aside from this “green design philosophy” that it has long adapted for its already green Tagaytay Highlands, the company also pointed out that there are other measures that can be put in place. These include the use of water-conserving facilities; renewable energy for power consumption; and energy-efficient appliances—all of which can eventually be integrated in the community development program and other green activities of Belle Corp.’s latest project.

Sycamore Heights currently has 331 lots available with sizes ranging from 280 to 600 square meters. It enjoys incomparable views of the fairways and the golf course to the North, the valley to the East, and the calm waters of Taal Lake and the majestic Taal Volcano to the West.