Net Lima: Berde's pioneer project unveiled

MANILA, Philippines - The group that pioneered the “boutique IT office building” in the Philippines has taken on a much bigger and more ambitious task – putting up the Philippine Green Building Council’s (PhilGBC) Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) certification pilot project for new construction in the country.

BERDE was initiated by the PhilGBC to facilitate greener building and is designed to measure how much “above and beyond” existing environmental regulations and standards a building is performing.

“As the rating from other countries (i.e. LEED) did not apply to our tropical weather, laws, best practice, or realities, local industry clamored for our own green building rating system. The PhilGBC responded by facilitating a consultative and consensus-driven process to create BERDE. This was the best way to transform the market,” PhiGBC chairman Christopher dela Cruz explained.

The Net Group (TNG) and PhilGBC formed a partnership to make Net Lima the BERDE pilot project for new construction in the Philippines.

Leading international “green” architect Chad Oppenheim was selected by top boutique IT office developer TNG to design the nation’s first project under BERDE. Net Lima at The Net Metropolis, 5th Ave. was conceived as a landmark to represent the developers’ next generation of iconic and ecologically responsive buildings.

The sleek, earthy design of Net Lima has a clear environmental (and economical) purpose. As Oppenheim seeks to marry beauty and sustainability, his overall design is derived from a study of solar conditions and outward views.

“As the Philippines is answering the call to go ‘green’ in Southeast Asia, we needed a visionary who could solidify our spot at the front of the movement. Oppenheim is just that,” TNG chairman Jacques Dupasquier said.

For his part, TNG president Charlie Rufino noted that Net Lima is driven by their core social responsibility toward sustainable building practices. “We have combined Chad Oppenheim’s visionary design with key learning on sustainability from the roll-out of our Portfolio’s first tranche of building developments,” he added.

“The powerful role that Net Lima plays is proof of concept for Green Building and BERDE in the Philippines. We set very high standards in the design and specification for this green office tower,” says Raymond Rufino, EVP for The Net Group.

The Net Metropolis, 5th Ave. is a mixed-use development spanning a 1.2-hectare block at the prime center of the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig and is within the E-Square PEZA IT Zone. Net Lima is the first tower to rise in the development. It will feature premium grade workplaces with a large and efficient floorplate of 2,800 sqm. The Net Metropolis will also feature a second office tower called Net Park, as well as serviced apartment project Ascott Bonifacio Global City Manila. Together, the three towers will have over 144,000 sqm of gross floor area.

Net Lima is expected to be completed by next year and Net Park, by 2014.

The Net Group of TNG includes in its inventory of boutique IT office buildings Net One Center, Net Square, Net Cube, Net Quad, and Net Plaza, all inside the BGC. Their tenants include Fortune 500 companies and prominent corporations like JP Morgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, GE, Intel, Oracle, Ericsson, and Quisumbing Torres (Baker and McKenzie).

BERDE’s pilot project

Because it is a pilot project, Net Lima will showcase several green “firsts’ in the Philippines.

First, the building envelope consisting of sun shading and a full glass curtain wall featuring double glazed low-emissivity glass will reduce costs and energy use associated with airconditioning, which according to the PhilGBC, is the largest and costliest energy consumer for a commercial building in the country.

Second, the project will use fiberglass fuel storage tanks with built-in leak detection for generators used during power outages. Compared to industry standard steel tanks, these tanks reduce the risk of leaks and contamination. They also have a lifespan twice as long and can easily be repaired and serviced.

Third, instead of wasting condensate water from airconditioning, this will be harvested or collected into a separate tank to be used for landscaping, cleaning, and other needs of the building.

Fourth, a portion of cool exhaust air is recycled and ducted to provide comfort cooling to the arcade area in front of the lobby.

And fifth but not the last, TNG required all members of the Net Lima project team to be members of the PhilGBC.

TNG officials emphasize that tenants in “green” office buildings benefit from lower operating costs, less staff tardiness, and absenteeism, lower turn-over, and higher productivity. “Net Lima will not only help preserve the environment and maximize its natural interaction with its surroundings, but also bring about better living and working conditions for its tenants, thereby improving their quality of life and their work efficiency,” they said.

They added that besides its “green” benefits, Net Lima will offer world-class services and facilities unique to The Net Group brand. “The building’s polite and efficient concierge and staff, dressed in designer uniforms, will serve visitors and tenants. Commissioned elevator music will help make the workplace a refreshing experience. The development will also offer flexible options from exclusive lobbies to telecommunications providers. Tenants will be happy to note that they will benefit from excellent tax breaks as the development is within the jurisdiction of the PEZA IT Zone of the BGC,” they noted.

The Net Group

TNG president Carlos Rufino, who owns 50 percent of the company (the rest by Dupasquier), has literally put all eggs in one basket when they decided to construct all their projects at the BGC.

But why the Bonifacio Global City?

Having been part of the Metro Pacific group and the Fort Bonifacio Development Corp., the older Rufino knows that so much money has been spent by BGC’s developers below ground, in terms of infrastructure.

“BGC is well-planned and the first new central business district after Makati. It is like a campus-style development and has a nice, relaxed atmosphere. And since we are located at the E-Square Zone, we enjoy a number of incentives. I recently attended a forum abroad and you can hear how they say such nice things about BGC,” he said.

So why concentrate on IT office buildings?

Rufino explained that putting up IT office buildings offers more incentives for developers, especially if one is located in designated IT zones. “The residential market requires more marketing effort and the office market is where our strength is.

But even before Net Lima is completed, EVP Raymond Rufino, who was responsible for patching up the group with the PhilGBC, revealed that there are already plans to make Net Park even more “greener.”

“We can even retrofit our existing buildings to make them BERDE-certified. But we have to wait for Ayala to finish their pioneer project for BERDE existing buildings,” the younger Rufino, an incorporator of PhilGBC, said.

As planned, TNG will pioneer for new constructions, Ayala for existing buildings, Megaworld for communities, and La Salle for institutions. But aside from the four categories, there are plans to include other BERDE certification categories in the future, such as one for resorts.

The younger Rufino explained that BERDE does not intend to compete with other existing international green building tools such as LEED of the US Green Building Council.

The problem with being LEED-certified however, he said, is that a developer is not assured of being compliant with local laws. “This is because compliance with local laws and rules is not a requirement by LEED. And LEED is very US-centric. While BERDE gives water savings a bigger rating because of its importance here, this is not the case for LEED,” he pointed out.

The PhilGBC is the country’s sole authority for the World Green Building Council. Meanwhile, the BERDE rating adapts international “green building” certifications such as LEED and Australia’s GBCA Green Star rating into standards appropriate for the local environment.

But PhilGBC does not certify. Instead, it outsources the BERDE assessment and certification activities to an established third-party certification body already accredited to the ISO/IEC 7021 standard as a benchmark, such as TUV Rheinland Philippines.

The younger Rufino is confident that BERDE will soon gain wider acceptance, especially with some of the country’s biggest property developers already endeavoring to get their BERDE certification. “The success of BERDE also lies with PhilGBC’s partnership with local government units and industry associations, all working towards a common goal, that of a greener future,” he said.