Another green building has been added to Makati skyline when the Nova group recently inaugurated the NEX Tower on Ayala Avenue.
Architect Ricardo Cuerva, managing director of the Nova group, said the design of the building combines the features of home and office as clients demand a more casual and more relaxing atmosphere to make the staff settled in doing their tasks. “The integration of home and office designs is the current trend in the new corporate setup,” Cuerva said.
With the daily traffic jams becoming a normal burden to workers, Cuerva said more and more people prefer to stay in the office beyond their working hours to lessen their stress on daily commuting. Moreover, he said the company made it sure people would like to have something to admire from every angles both inside and outside the building.
“People spend about one-third of their lives at work. Being in a well-designed and healthy work environment helps motivate employees to do their best work. Much like how homes define one’s identity, the workspaces you occupy are also seen as places that define you, the company you are working for, and the values it upholds, he added.
Cuerva said the Nova group developed the NEX Tower not only to be an architectural landmark but to be a standard for wellness and sustainability.
Moreover, the Nova group commissioned the prominent Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the Chicago-based architectural firm that designed Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, and the iconic One World Trade Center in New York City.
He said the Nova group wants to position NEX Tower as a game changer in terms of introducing innovative and sustainable architecture practices in the streetscape of Makati.
Cuerva said NEX Tower has been designed to be appreciated from the external and internal. From a distance, he said people would marvel at the futuristic design that promotes wellness for its occupants and promote sustainability of the environment.
Upon entering NEX Tower’s lobby, a massive 11-meter living green wall proudly greets one. The green wall provides fresh air, natural elements and grand scale to a city that has become detached from nature.
He said NEX Tower practices energy efficiency by using the highest efficiency air-conditioning equipment available in the market, and a low-emissivity, double-pane curtain wall throughout the building.
He said NEX Tower is targeting to save at least 50 percent in water consumption through rainwater collection and low-flow water fixtures. The building is pre certified at Gold level LEED certification by the US Green Building Council.
Beyond LEED certification, the building offers multiple landscaped areas for occupants to commune with nature. In addition to the living green wall, there are three other landscaped outdoor spaces within the tower, where building tenants can be around plants, including the top floor roof garden.
NEX Tower will cater to multinational corporations, financial institutions and leading local firms to serve its occupants, their businesses and the community around it.