The government of Quezon City recently hosted the first Green Building Symposium in the Philippines to educate contractors, developers, professionals, building owners, and government engineers on Green Building principles.
Dubbed “Green Building Ordinance and Implementing Rules and Regulations,” the symposium held at the UP-Ayala Land Technohub tackled Green Building standards and the requirements needed when applying for permits for the construction, renovation, or retrofitting of buildings and other structures in the city.
In April 2011, the city is poised to implement the Green Building infrastructure ordinance, the first of its kind in the country.
‘Green Building’ refers to sustainable architecture using construction processes that are environment-friendly. It calls for efficient use of resources such as water, energy, and raw materials, and reducing the impact on human health.
With the ordinance, land users will be required to maintain building standards promoting renewable energy, energy-efficient technology, and environment-friendly materials.
According to a statement from Ayala Land, which built the UP-Ayala Land TechnoHub following Green Building concepts, the city government “aims to demonstrate how global architectural designs can be used without compromising the integrity of ecological systems, while at the same time supporting efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and other hazardous emissions from buildings and other structures.”
The Green Building initiative will also send the message to other local government units that there is a “need to promote and protect the interrelation of the natural ecosystem and development as these affect sustainable development, empowerment of people, and urban development,” said Mayor Herbert Bautista.
Land users, developers, and planners who will fulfill the requirements for green buildings will have tax credits, according to Isagani R. Versoza Jr., head of the Quezon City Department of Building Official (DBO).
The Quezon City government revealed it has published the guidelines, procedures, forms, and other information on Green Building certification on its website, www.quezoncity.gov.ph.
