Works to be Done - To Raise the Appreciation of Green Building in Philippines

GREEN buildings" in the Philippines still have a long way to go.

If we are to go by the experience of Zuellig, whose pre-certified green building development is fast rising at the intersection of Makati avenue and Paseo de Roxas, it would not be difficult to conclude that the market has yet to fully appreciate the benefits of living in a green building.

Chickie Locsin, marketing and communications manager for developer Bridgebury Realty Corp. which is developing the building owned by the Zuellig Group, said takeup of the Zuellig development is relatively slow with interested locators surprised by the premium rates compared to the typical asking rates of prime office spaces in the Makati central business district.

The Zuellig building is the first building to have been pre-certified under the GOLD standard by certifying organization Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED), the green building standard that was developed and approved by property market players that are part of the US Green Building Council. It is one of the two most adopted standards globally, together with the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREAM) of the UK Green Building Council, based on the study of property consultant CB Richard Ellis.

.../

Source: Malaya, 2011-04-07, Link