Primavera Residences: A prime mover in green designs

MANILA, Philippines - When someone is fueled by passion, there are no limits and boundaries.

Just ask Italian architect Romolo Nati and his business partner, Jose Leviste III, the men behind Italpinas Euroasian Design and Eco-development Corp. (ITPI).

Even before Nati moved to the Philippines to work, he has always been passionate and involved in projects that employ ecologically sound and renewable energy technologies.

ITPI is a specialized eco-friendly real estate company that employs ecologically sound and state-of-the-art design paired with the use of renewable energy technologies.

The company is an affiliate of renewable energy firm Constellation Energy Corp. and although a relatively young company, the two companies already started their first venture in 2009, a two-tower residential building in Cagayan de Oro City.

In a recent interview with The STAR, Nati said Primavera Residences has already been recognized for the building’s unique design architecture.

“We use renewable energy elements as architectural features,” Nati said.

Composed of two 10-story towers, the Italian-designed Primavera Residences is composed of two 10-story towers located in Pueblo de Oro Business Park in uptown Cagayan de Oro City.

Nati, an Italian architect, said the company chose uptown Cagayan de Oro – located 110 meters above sea level – for its project because of its good urban planning, better air quality and higher land area.

He also highlighted the energy-saving features of the project. “Unit owners appreciate the natural airflow and light that comes into the building through the inner courtyard. Also, the shaded façades prevent the sunlight from hitting the windows directly, reducing internal unit temperature. All these contribute to the lessening of their electricity use, specifically, the use of air conditioners,” he said.

Furthermore, the project is also equipped with shaded façades that minimize direct solar illumination on the windows and moderate the temperature inside each unit. As a result, residents are able to lessen more than 20 percent of their total energy consumption.

Primavera’s second tower is set to finish construction in 2014 and will have a capacity of 166 residential and commercial units.

The first tower has a capacity of 162 residential and commercial units.