First LEED-certified green campus to rise in QC

MANILA, Philippines - Multiple Intelligence International School (MIIS), the first educational institution in the Philippines that has based its approach on the multiple intelligence framework implemented in the United States and other countries, is set to build the country’s pioneering green school in Quezon City.

Once completed, the MIIS Green School will become the country’s first-ever LEED-certified educational institution. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is one of the world’s leading accreditation organizations that transforms institutions into responsible and efficient environmental stewards. LEED-certified is equivalent to the MIIS Green School being designed to meet the sustainability standards set by the aforementioned entity in terms of materials to be used, the structural design, and the systems and policies that will govern the school.

In a country like the Philippines which is most prone to the harsh impact of climate change, the proposed MIIS Green School aims to instill a culture of environmental sensitivity among today’s youth. This works best by making children learn the effects of their everyday actions and allowing them to play an active role in environmental conservation. In the same breath, the school will double as a laboratory for environmental technology which will hopefully inspire other schools and buildings in the country to tread the same path.

The forthcoming MIIS Green School, being the country’s first LEED-certified school, will be a source of pride for Quezon City and its residents as it marks another milestone in the city’s advocacy for a green and sustainable Philippines.

But being LEED-certified goes beyond the kind of materials used in constructing the campus and its structural design. As such, the MIIS Green School has foreseen the need to address relevant issues such as pollution prevention, natural resource conservation, and better indoor atmosphere, among others, ahead of time.

The MIIS Green School employs an innovative wastewater technology and water management facility that reduces the amount of potable water needed for sewage conveyance, as well as the total amount of water withdrawn from natural bodies of water. This system uses a network of water collection facilities, such as roof gardens, underground storm water storage, and permeable walkways, among others. This helps lessen the volume of sewage that leaves the site, while at the same time reducing infrastructure works, chemical inputs, energy use, and emissions at municipal water treatment works.

The MIIS Green School also acts as a barrier to noise and air pollution through a network of mechanical ventilation systems (wind catchers, air filters, etc.) and cooling technologies that filter polluted air from Katipunan Avenue and surrounding areas. These facilities, together with other related policies that will be imposed within the MIIS Green School’s vicinity increase breathing air ventilation rates by 30 percent above the industry standard. With dense vegetation, the school also seeks to significantly reduce noise levels.

The MIIS Green School aims to serve the nearby communities as a center for disaster preparedness as it will be able to withstand an 8.0 magnitude earthquake. It will be one of the over-engineered buildings in the area to ensure safety of students and members of the nearby community during a disaster.