Italian firm set to complete eco-friendly housing proj in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines - Green energy real estate firm Italpinas EuroAsian Design and Eco Development Corp., said it is on track to completing its eco-friendly residential building project in Mindanao, which is seen to help address urban congestion problems in the country.

The Primavera Residences in Cagayan de Oro is a joint venture project with renewable energy firm Constellation Energy Corp. The project consists of two towers, with the 161-unit Primavera Residences Tower A is a 10-storey building completed last year.

The building’s Tower B is set to finish construction in 2014 and will have a capacity of 166 residential and commercial units and 54 parking slots, said Jojo Leviste, president of both ITPI and CEC.

“Creating sustainable power plants and real estate developments in the regions will provide economic activity and improve the quality of life of the people in other centers across the country so they will not need to migrate to major cities in search of opportunities and better living conditions,” Leviste said.

Italian architect Romolo Nati, executive chairman and CEO of ITPI said that their partnership with CEC aims to give people more reasons to stay and contribute to exciting growth in the provinces rather than to go to metropolises like Metro Manila.

“One way to decongest Metro Manila is to develop the provinces. People live in the crowded city because developers usually build properties in the metro, but if you put your developments in the provinces, people will also invest and live there,” Nati said.

Citing data from Forbes magazine, Itapinas said urban migration in Metro Manila is at its worst that in 2011, making Manila the world’s most congested city, with 41,014 persons packed like sardines per square kilometer.

ITPI’s passive designs include an inner courtyard that, together with the cross-ventilation layout of the units, increases the natural ventilation and illumination of the building, the company said.

Furthermore, it is also equipped with shaded façades that minimize direct solar illumination on the windows and moderate the temperature inside each unit.