by Mary Ann Ll. Reyes (The Philippine Star) Updated April 21, 2010 12:00 AM
Being relatively new in the property development business is not easy, considering the intensity of competition and the financial muscle many of the players wield. Buyers are literally wined and dined by real estate companies, offering the best
possible deals, the choicest locations, and a host of project features and amenities. It has become a buyers’ market and every possible niche and market segment seems to be already adequately addressed.
But publicly listed ArthaLand Corporation is unfazed.
Incorporated as a propertie holding company in 1994, the company took on its new
name in early 2009 as it assumed its role in the property development industry.
Company beginnings
Armed with several valuable property, including three lots inside the Bonifacio Global
City, and others located in Tagaytay, Batangas, and Davao, ArthaLand needed somebody with vast experience in the real estate sector.
Angela de Villa-Lacson was the perfect choice to head the company. Her many years of working with premier real estate developer Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) gave her valuable insights into how a relatively small newcomer can create waves and establish its name and reputation in an industry dominated by giants.
Lacson, who concurrently headed ALI’s residential business group (Ayala Land
Premier and Community Innovations Inc., now Alveo Land and Avida) and Ayala Land Premier and is credited for growing ALI’s residential business, admits that there are pros and cons with working
with a smaller outfit.
“There are more challenges. With a smaller company, you can’t have the same organizational services. At ArthaLand where we have 30 staff members (which is about the size of
one sales division), we are all multi-tasking. There are advantages though to being smaller. We can make strategic decisions fast and the discussions that go into these decisions are done very quickly. When you are big, you tend to be less flexible. And of course, you need more approvals before you can arrive at a decision,” she said.
Another reason why Lacson, who has always worked with multinationals and big conglomerates since she started her professional life, decided to join ArthaLand is the openness of management to challenges and risks.
ArthaLand’s vision
ArthaLand derives its name from the Sanskrit word Artha which means purpose, knowledge, wealth. It is one of man’s ultimate goals in life along with love (Kama), righteousness (Dharma) and freedom (Moksha)
The company is a boutique developer focused in creating superior environments worthy of its stakeholders’ investment, esteem, and trust. It is dedicated to creating worldclass workspaces, homes and landscapes to deliver an enduring treasure to its customers: a better way of living, beginning today.
“By being a boutique developer, we are focused on creating thoughtfully designed developments. Each one is unique in its environment, architecture and positioning. We strive to be future proof by design to ensure the development remains relevant in the face of shifting market trends and demands long after the project has been delivered.” Lacson explained.
First salvo
ArthaLand’s tagline, Future Proof by Design, is best seen in its plans for its first project, Arya Residences.
To be built at one of the best locations inside the Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Arya
Residences is a top-end, mixed use, two-tower condominium development, that is set to change the rules of the game – being the first and only residential high-rise in the Philippines to be registered with the US Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design) program with a certification goal of gold.
ArthaLand’s decision to go green and sustainable for its project is largely a result of the
company’s overall vision to deliver sustainable developments. It is ArthaLand’s response to a shifting global trend towards healthier environments that enable people to live well, and live right.
Being green and sustainable has become a much used and abused battlecry and marketing pitch for many developers.
“A lot of developments are claiming to be green. This is probably brought about largely by landscaping. Of course, the more greens you have, the more carbon dioxide will be absorbed. It helps to have a lot of trees and plants. But that alone will not give you a LEED certification,” she pointed out.
ArthaLand opted to register with the LEED program and work towards a gold certification largely to ensure that its plans for Arya Residences are in line with world standards for sustainability and green buildings.
“We want to be validated. One of the most difficult certifications to secure is in residential development because, unlike office buildings, the measures are made when the project is fully operational with residents actually living in it ,” she said.
She pointed out that from a philosophical and business point of view, only a few know of ArthaLand. “We are a new company and we want to compete. We have to be different to be able to compete. If this means being truly green and sustainable, then we believe that is the way to go,” she said.
Lacson emphasized that they have always felt that they can always do things better. “We owe it to our buyers. After all, 80 to 90 percent of those who buy residential properties buy only once
during their lifetime. All their lifetime savings goes into buying these units. If choosing a home will affect their lives and we do it the wrong way, isn’t that cheating?” she said.
Arya Residences features
Arya’s two buildings will consist of 301 units and will have one, two and three-bedroom types. Construction is scheduled for this quarter (Q2 2010) while handover to clients will begin in the fourth quarter of 2013.
ArthaLand’s first project has green and sustainable features starting from the building’s design to the units’ features. Arya Residences will have a dual water piping system to recycle rain and grey water. Its units will have dual-flush toilet fixtures to save on water. The faucets have aerators, which make it seem like water is overflowing without being wasteful.
The project is the first residential development to opt in to the centralized water treatment facility of Bonifacio Global City. By putting in a dual-piping system within the building, it allows residents more efficient water usage with separate supply systems for potable and non-potable uses (i.e. garden irrigation, toilet flushing, etc.).
Meanwhile, the balconies have been designed to be just the right size to accommodate alfresco dining. But the balconies also provide shade for the unit below, reducing heat and giving protection from the rains. The units are also designed to accommodate generous light but at the same time shielding them from too much heat. Operable windows are customsized and allow for natural ventilation. The whole complex itself was designed to capture breezes and channel them to common and private spaces.
The two towers of Arya Residences are designed to foster a greener way of life without sacrificing aesthetics or comfort. To start, the buildings will take up only one-third of the 6,357-sq.m. property.
Arya’s towers are not identical. Tower One is a rectangular balconied structure, while Tower Two is elliptical. Both towers are designed to accommodate balconies and for the first tower, about 95 percent of the units will
have balconies.
The architects have positioned the buildings in such a way that east-west sun exposure is minimized, so the two buildings have most of their units facing north and south in order to reduce heat absorption. This leads to lower air-con usage and power consumption. With that orientation, the units will be awash in natural light and will allow the breeze from outside and the wind channeled between the two towers to cool the units.
Air-conditioning systems are also built into the units, to be chosen by ArthaLand, to ensure that the systems are environmentally sustainable and in line with the energy-saving conditions set by LEED.
To attain gold certification, Arya Residences must be able to achieve at least 40 percent savings in terms of water and 14 percent in energy. “At present, we are conducting energy modellings to be able to offer proof that the features that we have adopted indeed are going to meet the gold standards,” Lacson said.
Green can be affordable
Lacson explained that while Arya Residences is premium-priced, it is competitive within the category even with its LEED design features. “True, being green and sustainable has its costs and there is a cost premium to it, but we are absorbing these and not passing them on to our buyers. We are setting the standard for green condominium living in the country and hopefully, others will follow. Choosing to build a green and sustainable building will not only be good for our buyers but will also redound to the benefit of the country,” she said.
But not everything that is green and sustainable is practical. “Yes you can use solar panels as walls but it is not practical and the technology is too expensive to adopt. But even if it means more costs to us, we will do it, provided it is practical. In fact we are considering using a certain kind of glass that will reduce the a
bsorption of heat and noise. It has to always be the right balance between cost and benefit because after all, we want to provide what is practical to our residents. she added.
Looking back and into the future
Lacson, who has been with the real estate development business for 12 years now, says a lot has changed.
“Before, condominium living wasn’t even accepted. Buying a house and lot was still preferred and townhouses were even preferred over condominiums,” she said.
But because people want to be closer to their workplace and to avoid traffic, city living, particularly in condominiums, became much sought after.
Lacson, with her extensive experience selling affordable to high-end living spaces, says ArthaLand is open to the idea of going into other segments of the market. “Aside from the properties that we own, we are also open to joint developments with landowners,” she revealed.
By opting to work towards LEED gold certification for its maiden project, Lacson said they hope that when the time comes that the Philippines adopts its own green standards, they would have more than complied and are prepared to connect with the programs.
She admits that it will take some time before the Philippines joins other countries like the United States, Australia and Singapore which have adopted their own green ratings systems, though there are efforts by some groups in the industry to come up with the country’s own set of standards and certification mechanism.
“It all depends on how serious the country will be in terms of sustainability.The support of government is needed for us to be truly green. But since we are still very far behind other countries, we at ArthaLand are just anticipating that in the future, we will have our own standards. At least, we have already done our part and we are ready. True, we can always retrofit our buildings, but the architecture will change completely and there will be too much disturbance for our residents, not to mention the additional cost that will be entailed from retrofitting. As our tagline says, we are future proof by design. We are ready for whatever future green standards we will adopt. In case we end up now having our own standards, at least our residents will immediately benefit from our green and sustainable buildings. Being green and sustainable will no longer be an effort for our residents, they simply have to live in our buildings,” Lacson stressed.
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