Building green structures is not a mere advocacy.
Nor should it be just a lip service or a marketing campaign that can gloss over the true value of being green, which, at the end of the day, can only be measured by a developer’s ability to leave a legacy of a sustainable lifestyle that future generations can enjoy.
And world-class boutique developer ArthaLand Corp. certainly agrees.
Nina Sayson-Cordero, vice president for project and business development of ArthaLand, points out that being green in property development is certainly not just about open spaces and green landscaping nor is it just being flood-free. It is also not a mere reaction to the onslaught of calamities and definitely, it is not just a feature in a development.
“The true essence of green in property development and in the other disciplines is a way of life which translates into the preservation of resources with the goal of providing a better if not the best quality of life, quantifiable efficiencies and savings in the use of resources, energy and water, improved air quality and waste reduction. Green is therefore synonymous to sustainable,” Cordero explains.
Real benchmark
Thus, the real benchmark for green developments should be the ability to create a better quality of life made possible by responsible development practices, she adds.
And such a mindset is something ingrained in ArthaLand—from its employees’ working ways in the office and in the construction site to the offsite green educational programs to local government units and villages (barangay).
“We in ArthaLand took the challenge for sustainability from the company’s inception and so our core value on sustainability is deeply rooted,” Cordero says.
And true enough, its flagship project Arya Residences, proves nothing but that the core value of sustainability is deeply ingrained in ArthaLand.
Arya Residences, which is currently regarded as the benchmark of green structures in the Philippines by the Philippine Green Building Council (PhilGBC), is the first and only top-end development to be registered under the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. This particular project is being built to achive the Gold certification.
Arya Residences is also the pilot project for the development of BERDE, the Philippines’ own rating system for sustainable residential buildings, making ArthaLand the first developer to go for these dual certifications of excellence.
Cordero thus believes that ArthaLand, through Arya Residences, was able to establish the real bar of sustainability and raise development standards in general.
“No less than our peers in the industry take notice of the clean lines of Arya Residences Tower 1 and the neatness and orderliness of its construction. This is not for show as we are regularly monitored and rated by LEED. Our residents can be assured that the same quality and sustainable standard are inside the structure as well,” Cordero explained.
“The other standard that we are very proud of concerns our consultants, suppliers and construction workers. We were pleasantly surprised when our partners in development embraced our sustainability efforts as well,” she noted.
Cordero pointed out that being a new player with a maiden project is not easy. But when you come forward with a noble cause, all parties rise to the occasion.
“Now we are happy to note the heightened awareness on best practices in sustainability of our partners– to be able to operate in a sustainable manner and source responsibly grown natural materials which will pass the test of time,” she said.
Like any other project, of course, Arya Residences boasts of top quality, right-sized amenities that will not only be responsibly and efficiently managed, but will also allow its residents to “Live Well. Live Right.”
“Amenities should provide the leisure requirement of residents and should be sufficient to a point that they are not unnecessarily using valuable resources and translating into high condominium dues,” she noted.
Some of these amenities include double glazed low-E glass from ground floor to penthouse to provide insulation from heat and noise pollution; fiber optic backbone to provide triple play connectivity; exclusive community of only 500 residents and six to eight units per floor; rainwater harvesting system; dual water piping system to enable the use of recycled water and harvested rainwater; certified responsibly-sourced wood materials; and LED lighting fixtures, among others.
Luxurious experience
“Having said all of these, to the residents it simply means an enjoyable and luxurious experience of cool breeze, abundant natural light, freedom of space, cost savings, clean water, healthy environment with the knowledge and ownership that they are doing their share in the protection of the environment,” Cordero said.
In a nutshell, Cordero said they want their residents to live an “Enlightened Luxury” lifestyle at Arya Residences as this embodies the development’s philosophy of enabling the residents to live a refined lifestyle while doing good to the environment.
“Come calamity or not, it is vital to be present perfect, future proof. In ArthaLand, it’s our way of life,” she concluded.