by Lovely A. Carillo
The sophistication of construction and design in the Philippines used to be equated with the wide span of concrete used in prime locations, even housing subdivisions. Not anymore.
Davao City can learn a lot from the real estate development in Makati, Ayala and Paseo de Roxas, which were characterized by endless kilometers of paved roads in the 1980s. The paved roads reflected heat so much that people always preferred to take the taxi even when their destinations were accessible by foot.
“We would take the taxi even if we were only headed to a location nearby to take lunch in order to avoid the heat,” Engr. Robert Quinto, president of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and industry, Inc. said. At the time, he was still working at San Miguel Corporation in Manila.
Quinto said Manila’s road and construction designers realized the flaw in such an unfriendly road design and they started planting trees along the roads, put up escalators and built covered walks to connect destinations. The change in construction design changed the people’s way of life, and many of them now walk, reducing traffic in the area.
“Davao designers can learn from the construction trends in these areas and apply the same green principles here,” he said. Quinto added that those who design the city’s roads, parking lots and other establishments should minimize pavements.
Paving Blocks
Soil should be allowed to breathe and absorb water, which is impossible when the sidewalks and the parking lots are paved. Quinto said designers should take advantage of the invention of paving blocks as they allow water to breathe and produce a healthier, cooler and greener environment for Dabawenyos. These paving blocks come in assorted shapes and designs and can even add attraction to any road.
Majority of Davao City’s sidewalks are paved, so, heat is generated all over the city, he said. While he admits that it is impossible to use paving blocks for most pavements, the designers should at least plant lots of trees and construct covered walks to encourage Dabawenyos to walk.
“We should not disturb the natural terrain of nature but keep it as natural as much as possible,” he said. Architects should be the agents of change because they are the ones consulted by engineers and project managers.
Quinto said one ideal development in the city which made full use of nature’s beauty and natural attributes is Eden’s Nature Park. “It used to be barren pero di ginulo ng developer ang nature kung hindi dinagdagan pa ng mga pine trees,” he added. He also cited SM which, although characterized by wide spans of pavement, interspersed some trees in the parking lot.
Recycled Pipes
Jhaymarts, a leading manufacturer and distributor of pipes in Davao City and areas nearby, decided to go green by introducing recycled polyethylene pipes in the market. The company’s storm drain pipes are primarily recommended for drainage use and not for use as water pipes.
“These recycled pipes are hard but are tougher and more flexible compared to PVCs,” he said. Builders traditionally use PVC or polyvinylchloride pipes as well as galvanized iron even for water passages, but these are not good grade pipes at hindi dapat daanan ng tubig” he added.
Quinto said that for water purposes, they use virgin materials for their pipes and not the recycled ones. Tupperware products use good grade plastics and these should be the same materials used for our water pipes.
While Jhaymarts produces the recycled drainage pipes from plastic, they buy the recycled plastic in pellet form from recycling processors. “We use recycled plastic pipes as big as 36 inches in diameter for drainage canals,” he said.
Damosa Gateway in Lanang this city is among the first development projects to use recycled plastic pipes for their drainage canal.
Pre-paid water and electricity meters
To pave the way for smart buildings, Jhaymarts has also introduced the pre-paid water and electricity meters in the market. The pre-paid meters work just like the cellphone cards which you reload at certain periods.
The pre-paid water meter, which is being sold at P4,000, is more expensive than the normal meter priced at P1,700. However, Quinto said, this allows you to budget your water consumption for the month or for a certain period. It also makes it easier for households and commercial establishments to detect water leakage.
And since the prepaid water and electricity meters are more expensive since they require the use of software priced at P5,000, it is recommended for use for condominiums or apartments, so the co-owners can share the cost of the software.
“These devices are made in China, but use European technology,” he said, Quinto discovered the products during one of his business trips to China. As far as he knows, he said, Jhaymarts is the only company selling this product in the Philippines.
The pre-paid water meter is digital, but there is a flap which contains the meter which can be read manually. They are in the process of negotiating with Filinvest so that its subdivisions and condominiums can make use of the prepaid water meters.
The recycled pipes, paving blocks and pre-paid water and electricity meters are only among the latest innovations that can help Dabawenyos, even the rest of the world, go green. However, willingness to try these new products and to help keep the environment a greener place to live in, is still a big factor in their widespread use.
