In 2022, the Philippines accomplished a feat in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) registration as it landed on the 10th spot.
Padmanabhan Gopalakrishnan, managing director of Asia Pacific and Middle East markets, Green Building Council Inc (GBCI) told the BusinessMirror in a recent interview the country has now become a major LEED center in the region.
“The Philippines became the 10th country in terms of LEED Certified projects in 2022. This is an important achievement as it is the first time we have a country from South East Asia breaking into this elite group. It is also a testimony to the commitment to LEED from Philippines’s leadership organizations,” Gopalakrishnan said in an interview on the sidelines of the LEED in Southeast Asia Series-In dialogue with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and GBC held in Makati City.
He said the Philippines can still go further in promoting LEED certification. Beyond the commercial buildings, Gopalakrishnan said LEED should be adopted by other industry segments like retail malls and brands, data centers, warehouses, hotels, hospitals, airports, schools and colleges. Apart from being adopted for new construction projects, he pointed out that LEED certification should also be used by existing buildings. The large mixed-use developments can also use LEED for cities and communities. “Matured organizations should also strategize adoption of LEED Zero.”
To harness its potential in LEED, Gopalakrishnan urged the Philippines to pursue the following measures:
n Add to the capacity by ensuring that LEED Education is used by Students and Working professionals. The LEED professionals can then not only serve the demand in the Philippines, but also take up projects outside the country; and
n Prioritize investments into Green material manufacturing in Philippines so that embodied carbon led LEED buildings can be fostered and also position Philippines as a Green material exporter.
Gopalakrishnan said GBCI plans to do advocacy and knowledge building to build awareness on the efficiency and utility of LEED buildings, communities and Cities. He added GBCI will also ensure that the LEED Consultants eco system is strengthened so that they support the clients.
“We will also be engaged with architects, engineers, heating, ventilation and air conditioning [HVAC], facility professionals so that they are up to speed with LEED. We will also engage with the local municipalities and ensure that the Green and Net Zero vision of the country is realized,” he said.
In the panel discussion which followed after the presentation of Gopalakrishnan, several resource persons coming from different organizations highlighted the importance of pursuing sustainable practices to achieve Net Zero.
Dr. Dodjie Maestrecampo, President and CEO, Mapua Malayan Colleges Laguna and Mapua Malayan Colleges Mindanao said the Yuchengco-owned educational institution will promote the importance of green standards by exposing their students to both theory and practice in green building ratings. “We will introduce in the next school year courses green technologies to our civil engineering and architecture students.”
Kristina Samantha Pobre, sustainability manager, ArthaLand Corporation told the participants that the boutique developer has been consistent in pursuing the green building agenda. The Arthaland Century Pacific Tower is the first LEED certified building in the country. Located at the Bonifacio Global City, the 32-story Arthaland Century Pacific Tower has 21 floors of office space, including two tall executive floors, a large public lobby, a public cafeteria, and a multilevel parking facility that extends above and below ground.
The Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Green Business Certification Institute (GBCI) are currently implementing the LEED Green Building certification globally in more than 180 countries and connecting with their esteemed stakeholders from across the globe to discuss their sustainability framework for the built environment locally.
The Philippines has delivered 24 landmark projects totaling 11 million square feet of LEED certified space. It will help the Philippines in furthering its commitment towards 75 percent carbon emission reduction by 2030.
Among those cited were the selected LEED projects by Carmelito Tatlonghari and Milagrosa Tatlonghari. These include the Mega Tower, Podium Complex, MPT South Hub and MPT South Hive.
