WHEN the ArthaLand Century Pacific Tower (ACPT) was inaugurated on March 22, the boutique developer wanted to show that going green is a worthy and viable undertaking.
“The Century Pacific Tower is a legacy to the country. It is not just creating a landmark, but a sustainable project in the long term. By applying for the US Green Building Council’s LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] and Philippine Green Building Council’s Berde [Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence] certification, we believe that having both standards adhere not only to the local but global standards,” explained Leonardo Arthur Po, executive vice president and treasurer of ArthaLand, in a news briefing held at the Bonifacio Global City.
Furthermore, ArthaLand President Jaime Gonzalez said ArthaLand Century Pacific (ACPT) is on track to achieving a Gold Standard certification from Berde.
Gonzalez said ACPT served as motivator to the company by challenging “ourselves to build the best building in the country.” ArthaLand discarded cookie-cutter developments on ACPT because it wanted to show building a green edifice is a valid proposition for its stakeholders.
He recalled that ArthaLand got a lot of flak when it decided to pursue to build a green building. “We were pursuing green when it was not yet popular.”
ArthaLand is not resting on its laurels. It is currently developing Cebu Exchange Tower, the largest green building in the country. It has a gross floor area of 11 hectares.
Edgar Sabidong, senior assistant vice president for technical services of ArthaLand, said the company has a green influence in the development of ACPT. He said promoting the green agenda goes beyond the perimeters of the building. “We promote the environmental sustainability to the workers,” he said.
At this point, Sabidong said, people walking the floor would notice a kind of theme going on and it is what ArthaLand has been showing since. Attentive eyes would now see that its windows are arranged like serrated edges: a design choice that keeps all the heat out and all the sunlight in, and provide adequate shading without adding structures.
In line with ArthaLand’s commitment to going green, he said the building’s roof garden and surrounding pocket parks allow the entire space to accentuate to the urban landscape with verdant greenery. “The building should marry the environment to achieve sustainability,” he said.
Okan Oncel, head of the technical design of SOM Skidmore in Asean, said they had a great collaboration with the ArthaLand team to produce a design that will satisfy shareholders and architects. “The proof of the pudding is in the eating,” he said.
Nicolas Medrano, architect for SOM Skidmore, said the design concept of ACPT started from the ethos of ArthaLand anchored on the green platform. “It starts with the façade of the building, which gives importance to light,” he said.
Po said the business center is going to be positioned as the central hub of ACPT where guests, tenants and occupants can gather to exchange ideas: occupants such as top international firms and companies that have already leased spaces in the building. He added 95 percent of the units have been leased out, while the remaining 5 percent will be used by the company. “Our anchor tenant has leased five floors.”