Circle of Green

Green is the buzzword for real estate developments today. Many new residential complexes strive and achieve ‘greeness’ in their architecture and planning. Few, however, provide this ‘green’ along with the convenience of city amenities—access to retail and leisure options, proximity to schools, shopping and work—as well as the comfort of space—honest to goodness, safe, expansive and evergreen open space.

Open green space and the convenience of city living are what Ortigas & Company sets out to provide residents in Circulo Verde, one of their premier projects rising in Quezon City located conveniently just off C-5. The Ortigas brand is well known for its landmark projects that include the Greenhills commercial and residential districts, all the Valle Verdes and the Green Meadows premium residential enclaves. The Ortigas Central Business district is also their creation, an urban planning success that is evolving as we speak.

I grew up as a kid and teenager in a subdivision nearby. I have fond memories of shopping and watching movies at Greenhills, attending mass at Sanctuario, watching formula car races in the then newly concreted road network of Ortigas. I also remember the driving range and mini-golf links where the ADB now stands. Much later I was involved in the San Miguel Headquarters design under IP Santos (who provided the landscape architecture for the Manosa masterpiece). Much has changed and improved in the last forty years, which brings us back full circle to Circulo Verde.

Circulo Verde’s expansive Central Park is safe for kids and residents as it sits elevated on a podium and away from traffic.

I spoke recently to the company’s general manager for real estate Joey Santos, who explained the key aspects of the project. “Circulo Verde is a result of effective green urban planning that ensures 70% open space as well as all the conveniences of modern city living,” says Santos. He explained that the 12-hectare development will eventually include several residential towers (with an average of only 10 units per floor) set within a network of green open spaces, in the middle of which is the largest green space, a 1.4 hectare ‘central park.’ The park is exclusively for the use of the complex’s residents.

“This is probably the largest open green space provided in this type of integrated residential development,” Santos explains. It is one that is distinctive in the fact that it is elevated on a podium above and away from the complex’s perimeter road system. This elevation also ensures safety and clear view of the surrounding cityscape and countryside.

Circulo Verde is notable in that it prioritizes open space by providing it in the very middle, instead of cutting its development up by internal roads. The project’s circulation system is tucked away around and under its open space, providing uncompromised access. This access is going to be more enhanced, announced Santos, with a new bridge, a 137-meter, P200-million modern structure, that will link the development to the surrounding districts. Few developers will go to this length to ensure convenience to residents of its developments.

Circulo Verde is already a popular venue for kids football weekends.

Santos adds that the comfort of space, along with the convenience of access, is not all that Circulo Verde is providing. Also to rise within the complex is a 10,000-sqm retail ‘village.’ This village, which offers a mix of supermarkets, convenience stores, cafes, restaurant and lifestyle shops, will be directly accessible by residents from their towers but also open to the public. The P300-millionretail ‘village’ is also accessible from the perimeter road and connected too, to the main entry, as well as the planned new bridge. All of this is enhanced with the added security of being within the exclusive enclave.

I scrutinized the scale model (I love scale models) as GM Joey Santos gave his running commentary. Obvious is that the distribution of open space against the complex’s towers (of different heights) is balanced. The scale of the retail ‘village’ as well of the ‘central park’ humanizes the scale of the development, making these spaces warm and friendly and mitigating the heights of the towers surrounding them. This scale, expanse, and friendliness of the open spaces make it ideal for family and community activities including picnics, jogging and active lawn games in the main areas, while allowing for more passive and quiet pursuits in garden corners featuring endemic plants with foliage and colorful blooms.

Notable too is the fact that the green spaces are not only provided in the ‘central park’ and the ‘village’ but also at various levels and Sky Gardens in the individual towers.  From the plans and the model, it is obvious that the development ensures no resident is far from a garden, park or open space.  The ‘efficient’ layout of the development also makes sure that residents have good views of the green surrounding them, as well as city and countryside views, which are lacking in other more-densely developed (or over developed) districts of the metropolis.

The planned retail village will provide residents of Circulo Verde with liefestyle options of cafes, shops and amenities.

Stepping back and taking Santos’ tour of the project comprehensively, it is clear that the development’s main aim is the establishment of a sense of place and community, one that provides delight in its spaces and amenities, and functionality in the layouts of its buildings and access.

Circulo Verde also promises to recover the lost charm of country living with the vibrancy of urban life. It completes the circle of convenience, comfort and green. Circulo Verde brings together all this, backed by a track record of urban planning and real estate development success that Ortigas & Company’s 81 years of operation has shown. This proven experience, coupled with exemplary design quality, ensures that green is not just a buzzword but the very essence of its developments.

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For information, call 638-1641 or visit www.circuloverde.com.ph.

Ortigas developments have a proven track record for quality and open space.