Senate tops off new building, aims to construct first green-certified gov't facility
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate held the traditional topping-off ceremony for the P8.9 billion new Senate building located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on Thursday.
The tradition, which places the structural beam, marks the completion of the structural frame of a building.
The project was designed as a four-tower "green" building of 11 floors, three basements and 1,200 parking spaces, covering nearly a two-hectare lot.
It also incorporates "sustainable features" including eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient systems and water conservation measures, according to Sen. Nancy Binay, who is in charge of coordination efforts for the construction as the chair of the Committee on Accounts.
"In the face of climate change, the government should walk the talk in promoting the use of sustainable structures," she said in a release.
The Senate aims to make its new building among the first "green-building" government facilities to be certified by the Philippine Green Building Council under the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) Program.
According to the former chair of the Committee on Accounts, Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, the building should be certified with at least three stars. This is a BERDE rating equivalent to an "exemplar performance" in each stage of the project's construction.
"This requirement provides a clear statement that we mean it when we say that through this facility, we will inspire our nation to be resource-efficient and environmentally responsible. Our goal is to become the first Philippine institutional building to be world-class green-certified. Basically, it is 'go green or go home'," Lacson said.
Lacson first drafted plans for the new Senate building in 2017 due to the "increasing space limitations" and "subpar" facilities in their temporary headquarters at the Government Service Insurance System.
The senator added that the high annual rental fees that they have been paying since 1996, currently amounting to about 3.4 billion, could have paid for the judiciary's own headquarters.
A 2020 report from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority said the project paves the way for the judiciary to have its own headquarters "for the first time."
Binay said they hope to begin partial operations at the new Senate building by July 2024. —Intern, Dominique Nicole Flores
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