Human Settlements dep’t issues challenge to build resilient communities

The Human Settlements department has invited the private sector to collaborate with the government in building communities that are resilient in the face of climate change and natural disasters.

Undersecretary Henry L. Yap of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), in a keynote speech at a forum organized by BusinessWorld, said “all stakeholders” need to work to create resilient communities.

“To achieve our goal, we need a united front. The realization of an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable human settlements entails coordination and support from all stakeholders, as well as significant funding and investment,” Mr. Yap said at the BusinessWorld Insights Forum, “Building Sustainable and Inclusive Communities for the Future” in Makati City.

“We are inviting the private sector partners, business people and leaders, development partners, and our local government units to partner with us in building a better Philippines,” he added.

Urban planner and Palafox Architecture Group, Inc. President Felino A. Palafox, Jr. said the Philippines needs to have 100 new “sustainable, resilient, and smarter” cities by 2050 to house a population projected to grow to over 150 million.

“By 2050, it is forecast that the Philippines will be the 16th largest economy in the world. There will be 150 million Filipinos by 2050, of which 70% will be urban population. We need 100 new cities by 2050. Otherwise, our existing cities will be as bad, if not worse, than Metro Manila today,” he said.

“We need strong political will with visionary leadership, urban design, and excellent management,” he added.

Ramon Rivero, Robinsons Land Corp. head of corporate planning, strategy, and sustainability, said that sustainable real estate development is an imperative rather than an option.

“Our cities are expanding at a fast rate and with this growth comes the need for more housing, commercial space, and infrastructure. However, this growth must not come at the expense of our environment,” Mr. Rivero said.

“We have to make sustainability very easy for our people, be it in the form of incentives or form of education. It has to be an easy option. You have to design it in a way that is easy and accessible for them to implement,” he added.

TruNorth Homes Founder and Chief Executive Officer Earl Forlales said that sustainable infrastructure and solutions should be more accessible to promote broader adoption by consumers.

“There is no use for a well-planned sustainable community if people cannot afford to live in it. If we’re able to infuse sustainable features and still make it affordable, that would make a sustainable community,” he said.

“Sustainable infrastructure has to be affordable to the regular consumer. The more that we can make sustainable solutions more affordable, behavioral change will naturally follow on the consumer level without forcing it,” he added.

Yvonne Flores, Gokongwei Group head of sustainability and corporate social responsibility, said inclusive urban planning should be approached systemically.

“It is looking at the overall system and implementing solutions systemically,” she said.

“Resilience is an existential must for all of us. We must make sure that the vulnerable within our communities are included in the solutions we’re looking at. It’s about looking those who are vulnerable and ensuring that because we are part of the community, even the vulnerable are protected and included in the solutions that we are looking at,” she added.

Aboitiz Infracapital Economic Estates Vice-President Jolan Formalejo said that committing to sustainable urban development should be the guiding principle in planning inclusive communities.

“With this comes making sure that inclusivity is integrated. The solution is to decongest these cities by providing new regional areas,” he said.

“Once we start in the regions, we have the full opportunity to make a difference,” he added.

BusinessWorld Executive-Vice President Lucien C. Dy Tioco said sustainable cities and communities remain a challenge for the Philippines.

“In an era marked by rapid urbanization and unprecedented global challenges, the need to make our cities and communities inclusive, sustainable, and resilient has never been more critical,” he said.

“Even the effects of recent Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon in Metro Manila and Luzon alarm us once again of how crucial it is to make our communities not just ready for disasters but capable of mitigating their impacts to avoid casualties,” he added.

Source: Business World

Bamboo could help solve construction's sustainability problem

Searching for new ways to build sustainable homes, Earl Forlales decided to look not into the future, but to the past.

His grandparents, like generations of Filipinos, lived in a "Bahay Kubo" -- a traditional, boxy, single-story bamboo hut on stilts, indigenous to the Philippines. "Filipinos have been using bamboo (for housing) even before colonial times, for thousands of years," he says.

Strong and flexible, bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world: while soft and hard woods can take between 40 and 150 years to mature, bamboo is ready to harvest in as little as three years. When treated and engineered, it can last for decades. Realizing the Bahay Kubo could be adapted to create a contemporary home, Forlales began designing his own bamboo houses.

After winning the "Cities for our Future" challenge run by the UK's Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in 2018, the materials engineering graduate turned his idea into a company, co-founding Cubo in 2019.

The company launched production of its prefabricated homes in November 2020. The structures can be assembled in just a few days and are predicted to last up to 50 years, says Forlales. He hopes that Cubo's modular designs and use of bamboo can "help accelerate sustainable building" while also providing affordable housing solutions for the Philippines' housing crisis.

A contemporary cube house

Cubo's bamboo homes incorporate many aspects of the traditional "Bahay Kubo" including a raised foundation and louvers, a type of window blind that allows natural ventilation and light.

But Cubo has given the bamboo hut a 21st-century upgrade, including modern light fittings and impact-proof polycarbonate windows. The Philippines is prone to earthquakes and typhoons, so the homes have been designed with natural disasters in mind. Metal "typhoon ties" are used as connectors between the walls, roof and floor panels, and the homes are further reinforced with poured concrete foundations, which replace the traditional stilts. While this gives the structures a solid base, concrete contributes to climate change. Forlales says the company is "exploring alternative foundation systems to further make our offering more sustainable" but this is still in the research stage.

The company's first project was tested very quickly — in December 2020, just days after the first two homes were constructed, the region was hit by a magnitude six earthquake. Cubo's houses survived unscathed.

Cubo offers four different models, sleeping up to six residents. Each house is made to order and can be customized to include elements such as solar panels on the roof, further reducing the running costs and the carbon footprint of its residents.

The company is currently producing six houses per month, but Forlales says demand is much higher and he's hoping to increase supply.

"Filipinos warmly welcomed the product, because it's very familiar," he says. "They realized that it's an intuitive evolution for our local bamboo houses."

Bamboo building boom

The construction industry has been heavily criticized in recent years for its environmental impact. The use of materials like steel and concrete are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, while the extraction of raw resources including stone, rock and gravel degrades landscapes and soils. This has prompted a search for more eco-friendly alternatives.

Cubo isn't the only company to see the potential of bamboo as a strong, sustainable building material. Vietnamese studio Vo Trong Nghia Architects has used bamboo for many of its projects, including the Casamia Community House in the Casamia Resort in Hoi An, while Shenzhen-based Zuo Studio created bamboo pavilions for the Taichung Flora Exposition in Taiwan.

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In Bali, Indonesia, architecture company Ibuku specializes in intricate, large-scale bamboo 'buildings'. Since 2007, Ibuku has built over 60 bamboo structures, including the Green Village, a sustainable community of 12 luxury villas and the Green School, which has a wall-free campus set in nature.

While bamboo has been used to build small structures for thousands of years, "it's only now that we have safe, natural treatment solutions that we can consider building multi-story buildings," says Elora Hardy, founder and creative director of Ibuku. While most of her projects use treated bamboo in its natural form, she adds that with advances in engineered bamboo, there could be "skyscrapers and even whole cities that can be built out of bamboo" in the future.

Engineered bamboo entered mainstream construction in the late 20th century, according to Bhavna Sharma, assistant professor of architecture at the University of Southern California and a member of the task force developing international standards for bamboo construction materials.

"Standards for mechanical testing of engineered bamboo materials are currently being developed; however, areas such as fire performance require extensive study," says Sharma.

As a strong, fast-growing, and renewable material, bamboo could supplement sustainably harvested hardwoods, says Sharma, with the added benefit of bamboo plantations helping to restore degraded soil and land.

Helping out a housing crisis

While sustainability is bamboo's primary advantage, it's not the only reason Cubo is looking to the fast-growing grass as an alternative building material.

The Philippines is currently facing a severe housing shortage, with an estimated 4.5 million people living homeless in 2021, and a deficit of affordable homes.

Cubo's homes cost between 649,800 Philippine pesos ($12,900) to 1.8 million Philippine pesos ($35,738) -- which is roughly comparable to mid-range homes built with conventional materials, says Forlales.

However, he aims to bring prices down by streamlining production and increasing automation in the workshop. The company has also introduced a payment plan, to help reduce upfront costs for buyers.

With bamboo naturally growing throughout Asia, each country has "their own species of bamboo that you can use for construction," says Forlales -- creating potential to build cube houses beyond the Philippines, too.

"Around Asia we have millions of square kilometers that are planted with bamboo. So it's just a matter of tapping into other markets where you can get it," he adds.

source: CNN

Investors are making sustainable housing a reality

As people worldwide adopt increasingly eco-conscious practices, the demand for sustainable goods and services increases. Many of us seek to shrink our carbon footprints using our purchasing power. We can also make lifestyle alterations at home, decreasing atmospheric and surface-level pollution.

In line with this trend investors evaluate sustainable consumer trends and make profitable moves within the real estate sector. Environmental engineers are working with financial professionals, developing green technology and architectural designs to support climate change prevention efforts.

Since President Joe Biden established a national carbon-neutrality goal, the sustainable real estate sector has begun expanding with a growing share for sustainable real estate.

The term “sustainable housing” signifies structures actively working to minimize adverse ecological impacts. Buildings can achieve sustainability by reducing their exploitation of natural resources, which matters because nearly 20% of the U.S.’s carbon emissions derive from the residential sector.

Reducing the carbon footprints of homes is essential for preventing climate change since a significant portion of residential power comes from fossil fuels, which produce greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases emitted during the process trap additional energy in the atmosphere, causing temperatures worldwide to rise over time.

Environmental architects recognize the emission challenges associated with residential and commercial buildings, and they’re creating sustainable solutions. Investors also evaluate sustainability’s importance, exploring its influence on the future of construction and development. There are various technologies and systems financial professionals are supporting, making sustainable real estate a reality.

A realistic and affordable option

Many investment professionals view sustainable real estate as part of the industry’s future because it is affordable and appeals to eco-conscious consumers. As a result, many construction professionals are developing sustainable structures using the net-zero method.

Net-zero buildings are entirely self-sufficient, producing as much emission-free energy as they consume. Construction professionals use solar panels and geothermal systems to create electricity and heat indoors. They also use rainwater-collecting technology to reduce the need for freshwater sources.

Investors are backing technological advancements in both the energy production and rainwater purification sectors. With further research and development, resource conservation devices may support large-scale structures like condo complexes. Financial professionals may effectively promote sustainable advancements by increasing the efficiency of their report processing.

When individuals use optimal monthly reporting practices, they can easily relay important information from businesses to investors. Regularly assessing the data can additionally help people minimize financial losses. Sustainable buildings also improve their savings, reducing their reliance on costly resources.

Structures using solar energy can reduce or eliminate their utility bills over time. Solar power is currently the most affordable electricity source on the market. Buildings are more affordable and have a smaller carbon footprint when using renewable power.

Decreasing our reliance on municipal water supplies also improves the cost efficiency of a structure. Another defining feature of sustainable real estate is its certifications. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a common label signifying the conscious development of a residential or commercial structure.

Energy Star is an additional certification representing the sustainability of a building’s appliances. Devices with the label use less electricity compared to conventional versions. As investors continuously support green building trends, the real estate market’s future will increase in sustainability.

The future of sustainable housing

When the Biden administration announced the national carbon-neutrality goal, it additionally created an emission-free energy distribution plan. The government plans to source 100% of the electric grid’s energy from renewable sources. Decarbonizing the power sector will improve national sustainability levels.

The real estate market can prepare for the shift to clean electricity by swapping fossil-fuel-reliant appliances for electric versions. Society at large can consider transitioning away from gas-powered water heaters to electric systems. We can also expect mass adoption of energy-efficient appliances.

Renewable energy systems have lower efficiency compared to fossil fuel sources. Buildings can maximize the clean power provided by the electric grid when utilizing electricity-conserving technology. Sustainable structures may contain smart energy monitors and thermostats.

Autonomous energy monitors connect to a building’s electricity meter, calculating the efficiency of its power use. It sends the results to the building owner’s smartphone using a Wi-Fi connection, increasing the accessibility and readability of data. Individuals can utilize the technology to upgrade high-energy-consuming appliances and limit their engagement with non-sustainable devices.

Smart thermostats work similarly, connecting to a building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. They connect to the internet, accessing real-time weather reports and adjusting indoor temperatures to reduce unnecessary energy use. Additionally, building owners can remotely control their thermostats through a smartphone connection.

Environmental scientists and engineers are also developing solar windows, increasing a building’s energy production abilities. The transparent material holds solar cells, creating a current of electricity supporting residential and commercial needs. The window technology can also help structures without panel-compatible roofs produce emission-free energy.

As investors finance housing projects, more sustainable homes will enter the market. Many individuals question whether they should purchase an eco-friendly house. While green technology is sometimes expensive, it’s showing promising potential and delivering significant returns in an era of rising environmental consciousness.

Further reading: Decarbonizing the built environment

Source: Sustainability Times and JLL