Confab pushes sustainable green concept

CEBU, Philippines - “Think green. Go green.”

To uphold a healthier environment, sustainable green design was promoted for retail spaces during the 6th Cebu Regional Retail Conference.

GSN+p Senior Managing Partner Architect Gene Arthur Go said that sustainability is needed for the betterment of human species and for humans to survive living on Earth.

He added that there are certain elements to be considered in applying such concept which includes the circulation, lighting, material, visual branding, ambience and the market.

However, he noted that although clients always want to be sustainable, going green is not primarily conscious with the Return on Investment (ROI).

“You are doing this not for ROI but for your children and your children’s children. We don’t have to have sales to go green but to be sustainable,” he said.

Go further said in his presentation the global green trends and initiatives such as the use of solar air-condition in which one can save as much as 40-50% of the standard AC charges, the use of recycled, locally-sourced and eco-friendly materials, and eco-branding and recycled packaging.

He cited examples from international stores adapting the green design concept such as the Vertical Garden at the Replay Store in Florence, Italy that is built towards sustainable development with an ecological theme and tropical plants inside, the Eco Shoppe Great Hills Station in Austin, Texas in which 87.5 percent of construction waste was diverted from a landfill and the Boxpark Shoreditch in London which is a shopping mall made completely from shipping containers.

Furthermore, he lauded local examples of developers such as SM Supermalls and Ayala Malls in contributing in their own, creative ways to help the environment.

He added that the natural creativity of the Filipinos makes Philippines a third world country but is developing with its current global demands.

Instead of using China-made products, Go also promoted the utilization of locally-sourced materials when embarking in large projects to save cost and help the environment as well.

 “When you import from China, you are not doing any good to the environment since it contributes to the carbon footprint from the jet fuel. It is typical for every entrepreneur to bring down costs. And going green is being a little thriftier since we are recycling and saving money,” he added.

He then advised retailers to conduct community-wide garage sales, minimize the use of paper, optimize motion technology, attend green conferences and utilize used materials from junkyards and hardware stores for their retail stores.

“Be creative and innovative. That’s the challenge. Think green, go green. You have to walk the talk. Within your grounds, you can actively be green and sustainable. To change the world, we need to change our minds,” Go stated.

Established in 1995, GSN+p Architecture Studio is a multi-disciplined firm which is also involved in educating and encouraging its clients on integrating modern green principles in their buildings.  (FREEMAN)