BELIEVE it or not, the typical low-tech “bahay kubo” built by the Filipinos’ ancestors centuries ago can be considered the first “green building,” which is fast-becoming the trend in the so-called built environment, according to experts.
Gio Carino, a licensed and experienced Design+Build Architect advocating Building Information Modelling/Management (BIM) from Design and Engineering to Project Delivery, said the concept of “green building” is deeply rooted among Filipinos, based on its definition.
Carino said the construction industry should revisit the “bahay kubo” if it wants to go green.
“A long time ago, Filipinos adapted to their environment and wisely built houses that work with their surrounding environment,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English.
“Before, we were colonized, we were doing that. The western mindset was fueled by feudalism. The reason we are doing this (green building design) is that it is getting too hot. People go back to history for inspiration. This is biomimicry,” he said.
Biomimicry is defined as the design and production of materials, structures and systems that are modeled on biological entities and processes.
“It is how nature reacts. It just happened that our ancestors were doing that. We chopped up the Banaue, just to be able to plant rice. It is in our history,” he said.
Eduardo A. Manahan, chairman of the Building Owners and Managers of the Philippines (BOMAP), agrees.
He said property developers have already started to adapt the green building designs, for energy-efficiency and water-efficiency, because of its long-term benefits, perhaps not to the developers, but to the users or buyers of the property.
For existing buildings, he said there are many ways to adapt to make the building “green” citing, for instance, the use of proper lighting and water-efficient technology.
“Malls now have faucets that turn off after use. There are also light bulbs that are energy-efficient. Water harvested from rain can now be used for flushing toilets,” he added.
Giovanni Gusella, senior advisor of Italpinas Development Corp., said most property developers have adopted the green building design because of the need for efficiency.
The concept, he said, has something to do with working with the environment to save on energy and water.
“All our building designs in the Philippines are designed to maximize available sunlight and wind for proper ventilation,” he said.
Carino will be speaking on utilizing BIM system to improve construction productivity while Gusella will talk about designing low-cost sustainable buildings in urban cities during an international conference in celebration of the International Built Environment Week (IBEW) Conference and Exhibition happening at the Sand Expo & Convention Center in Singapore from September 3 to 6.
Green building, which refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life cycle, is just one of the items of focus of built-environment tradeshows to welcome Asia’s largest gathering of industry professionals and innovators in the Asia Pacific.