Italpinas to put up green bldgs in M’danao

MANILA, Philippines - Property developer Italpinas Euroasian Design and Eco-Development Corp. (ITPI) is putting up green buildings in Mindanao to help residents save on power costs.

ITPI chairman and CEO Romolo Nati said ITPI is putting up green buildings in Cagayan de Oro City to help residents save as much as 32 percent on air-con energy consumption cost.

“People in Mindanao either suffer from the full force and effect of the tropical heat due to blackouts, or the high energy cost of running air-conditioning units,” said Nati, an Italian who designed and built his green Primavera Residences condominium in Mindanao.

The initial plan would comprise of two towers of mixed-used 10-story green buildings each. It would have an inner courtyard and a cross-ventilation layout to increase the natural airflow and light.

Nati said the structure would also have shaded facades to reduce direct sun illumination on the windows and to reduce the internal temperature of each unit.

“Through our inner courtyard design, the hot air goes up and creates a depression that sucks the cold air outside the building, making the internal temperature cooler,” he said.

With the design, unit owners are expected to save on aircon consumption by 32 percent.

“In the Philippines, 60 percent of energy consumption is for aircon, so through this we can reduce 32 out of 60, which is about 20 to 32 percent less energy,” Nati said.

Jose D. Leviste III, president of ITPI, said the recent blackouts in Mindanao underscores the importance of conserving energy.

Leviste teamed up with Nati as they both share the same vision and passion in promoting sustainable development projects in the Philippines.

Mindanao is currently suffering from power outages which range from eight to 10 hours last summer depending on the area. The situation is expected to continue until 2105 when new power plants come in.

ITPI also offers services such as concept development, architectural design, engineering solutions and business planning for new projects, building restoration and town planning.

Additionally, ITPI has ventures in renewable energy such as hydro, geothermal, and wind through its affiliate company, Constellation Energy Corp. (CEC), according to its profile.