Posts Tagged ‘Makati City’

Recently, international design consultant Mihai Craciun has come into the Philippines to grace this year the 8th Green Forum of Green Architecture Advocacy Philippines event to give consultations and advise about constructing a responsible and sustainable building on this current generation.

He emphasizes the Green concept infusion on modern urban dwellings in order to improve and sustain urban living. He says: “Green construction is a long term commitment that owners and every member of a construction team must understand from the inception of a project in order to achieve maximum benefits and improve the daily life of the urban community. This commitment does not end with the completion of a project; in fact, that’s when it becomes operational”
Moreover, he implied that building a building green is not going on the flow of the modern trends of green concept but building a building green should be a necessity coming from the heart and not just riding on the green hype.

He cited the 33 stories Zuellig Building situated in the midst of intersection between Makati Avenue and Paseo De Roxas to be the best example of green building in the Philippines that exemplifies world class design and the usage of green technologies in building construction that has awarded Gold Level by Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design(LEED) or have received a pre-certification at Gold Level for the Zuellig Buildings green standard and policy which every building in the Philippines should imitate or follow. But actually, there are already Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified structures in the Philippines, headed by the Net Lima Tower located at the Fort Bonifacio Central Business District as the very first certified Green Building or Green Mega Structure in the Philippines and the Net Lima Tower is followed by three other towers of Net Metropolis which are also certified Green structures in the Philippines approved by Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design(LEED).

The Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an international green certification system in the world that gave ratings and approval or recognition on regards to green building construction and maintenance of a green constructed building. Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design(LEED) was developed by United States Green Building Council (USGBC).It has five categories, namely : (1) Green Building Design & Construction (2) Green Interior Design & Construction(3) Green Building Operations & Maintenance(4) Green Neighborhood Development, and (5) Green Home Design and Construction. Moreover, it has also four levels of certification in order for someone’s green building to be certified, that is,(1) Certified – 40 – 49 points (2) Silver – 50 – 59 points (3) Gold – 60 – 79 points, and (4) Platinum – 80 points and above.

Aside from the Zuellig Building, Net Lima Tower and the three towers of Net Metropolis, there are so far 27 structures in the Philippines that is waiting certification by Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

According to Mr.Craciun, the Zuellig Building with its mass and size redefines the intersection on the Makati city cityspace which enhances the Makati city itself. For the design of Zuellig Building is really distinct and attracting basically due to Zuellig Building’s bamboo screens on its glass exterior walls that acts as windows also.

On regards to building green building in the Philippines Mr. Mihai Craciun complained that the hot and humid weather conditions in the Philippines makes for every green designer a difficult times to design a comfortable and sustainable rooms or work spaces that really works and last as the green design of it is intended to be. But he quickly clarifies that hot and humid weather in the Philippines is not a major problem but rather a big challenge for a green designer like him. However, that was his own observation and opinion.

Makati city Philippines is known in the world as one of the cities in the Philippines that thrives on commerce and banking and innovative business technology; recently, the Makati city have tried another new advanced technology to boost more its economic standing within the Metro. However, the Makati city government said that this technology is still “free of charge” until it is proven effective on the field test, only then the Makati city will enter a financial agreement of its usage within the city.

The technology is about capturing traffic violators accurately or a traffic control system called QPAX Traffic System that will capture traffic violators within the city.

Makati city Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay and his fellow government officials in Makati city have recently entered an agreement with the said traffic technology with an Australian based company who owns the QPAX Traffic System technology to be field test on the road realm of Makati city free of charge for feasibility study purposes until it is proven effective only then the Makati city government will bring out funds to fund the usage of the technology within the city.

As it is said on their agreement, once the traffic device (the QPAX Traffic System) have collected enough datas to certify the feasibility of the traffic device system, to caught correct and accurate traffic violators as well as establishing a strong traffic control management, then this traffic control technology will permanently installed and use on Makati city traffic lights wherein the Makati city government will shouldered the finance of it through getting taxes from its people to generate funds for its usage within the city.

The QPAX Traffic System device will capture traffic violators and even jaywalkers within the Makati roads which will be mounted next to a traffic light for about three months free of charge.

The traffic device is using a red light camera that will capture image of a driver or people that violate traffic laws which will ensure filing of cases or imputing punishment on correct and accurate traffic violators compare to human traffic enforcers that is ineffective and even corrupt. An IT specialist even boast that QPAX Traffic System technology is incorruptible compare to human traffic enforcers, but the IT specialist overlook that QPAX is just a machine that is susceptible of making errors if it malfunctions. Thus, it is also corruptible.

By the way, Makati city is the first city in the Philippines to use such traffic control technology.

Earthquake Preparedness Of Makati City

Earthquake is like a thief in the night, you do not know when it will attack unless one have an accurate predicting machine that predicts incoming earthquakes on a specific area, accurately. What is more terrifying about earthquake attack is when one lives in advanced cities where high-rise buildings abound around. For if a strong earthquake will strike such city, surely high-rise building will fall right in everyone’s face.

Thus, the city of Makati in the Philippines have come up a city directive that will safeguard their populace from a strong possible earthquake that will strike the city, for the city of Makati is home to many high-rise buildings in the Philippines. For it is the center of commerce in the Philippine Luzon region.

This directive is the implementation of installing accelerometers or widely known as seismograms on high-rise buildings by building owners and developers within the city beginning from already existing ones and future to be erected ones. Failure to install seismograms will revocate the existing occupancy permits of the already existing high-rise ones and denial of occupancy permits for future high-rise building that will be erected or build within the city.
This directive is on a current strict implementation within the city because earthquakes strike anytime without prior notice as logical reason for the strict implementation.

Actually, this is already stated on the memorandum of National Structural Code of the Philippines on Department of Public Ways and Highways(DPWH) Memorandum Circular No.03 section 105 dated March 31,2011 which states that the installation of seismograms in structures over 50 meters high (equivalent to 50 story building) is a must requirement.

By the way, an occupancy permit is required by the National Building Code in order for a specific new building to be occupied or use publicly, aside from meeting standards specifications on building aspects like mechanical, electrical, fire safety, sanitary and plumbing which the builder owner and developers are required to have.; Without the occupancy permits, et.al. a new building can be use or will not be active on business.

However, though a high-rise building or any building have seismogram, there is a growing knowledge that this earthquake predicting machine are ineffective in predicting accurate incoming earthquakes or they are just installed to measure earthquake waves while there is an ongoing earthquake. Thus, though the Makati city have strict rules regarding earthquake safety and earthquake preparedness, installing a mere sometimes ineffective earthquake predicting machine will not do in combating the forthcoming of a strong earthquake.

Dressing Up Like a Model?

Can overhauling the physical looks and image of Filipino policemen bring back their dignity and trust of the public against the recent mar and stain brought by Police brutality scandals and abuse-of-authority controversy? Or does changing one’s uniforms and hairdo and enhancing one’s physical appearance could erase the controversies surrounding and affecting the Philippine police and bring back again the public trust that was lost?

Dressing up like a fashion model is the idea of Makati city Philippines for its Law enforcers or policemen in order retrieved the lost good image the Philippine police have lost due to recent police scandals and controversies, according to a report. The Makati city Philippines is buying the idea that if “…they look good and presentable, they easily earn the respect of the motorists [public]…” to boost the morale of its police forces against the bad image being cast recently on the Philippine policemen (and women). Starting this month of April, the Makati city government has been sending its police forces batch by batch on a one day course about personality enhancement hosted by John Robert Powers ( a prestigious training center in the Philippines) to improve the image of their policemen and gave them a public charm.

There is nothing wrong if Makati city wants to improve the physical image of its police forces, but changing wardrobe and hairdo will not hide the fact and reality that Philippine police officers has been doing a nasty police acts such as abuse of authority and brutal handling of their captives; and will not cleanse the police forces from the scandals and controversies it is involved with. Actually, what is needed to change and improve is not the physical image rather the police system and trainings of police officers regarding their true duty – that is to protect the people and not to harm or not to be cause of dread and fear and woes in the public.

Looks can be deceitful for it could hide the true colors.

Makati Central Pleasure

One of the busy cities in the Philippines has taken a leap to breath fresh air on the coming years and transform a typical city format into a fresh paradise-like city with lots of trees and relaxing areas, like more open parks, plazas, walkways and sideways where people could gather for relaxation and recreation to counter-balance the hectic, head-banging, stress-elevating busy works and jobs in the city. The city have to counter-balance really the elevating stress within the city now that it is included on the top ten most favored BPO or Business Process Outsourcing cities in the world, lest its workers will explode from too much repressed pressures every day.

The green and fresh sides of the city will become the outlet to discharge the repressed pressure or the loaded stress gain daily from every day work. This wonderful plan of Ayala Land Inc. for Makati city is expected to give birth by the year 2012 as a payback for their workers who made Makati city a very successful city in the Philippines.

The Ayala Land have invested a real deal serious money to make this future innovations on Makati city be successful; a future plan that will make the outdoor ambience of Makati Central Business District, really a very refreshing experience. The plan is to make the Makati Central Business District a “walkable” city, plus an experimental inclusion of the Bus Rapid Transit system or BRT that will go around within the Central Business District of Makati to improve air quality, traffic and commuting experience of Makati dwellers. The inclusion of Bus Rapid Transit system within the major cities in the world has been proven effective, thus, it will be experimentally included on the new Central Business district of Makati to add improvement within the city.

Makati City and Metro Manila in the Philippines

Makati City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, which is the greater metropolitan area of the National Capital Region of the Philippines.

Makati City is also the major financial, economical and commercial hub in the Philippines. It is often referred to as the financial capital of the Philippines.

Makati City is the home to the influential Makati Business Club and the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Ayala Avenue in Makati City, which is running through the heart of downtown Makati Central Business which is often called the Wall Street of the Philippines. Because of it’s close resemblance to the Wall Street of New York City.

Makati City is noted for its highly cosmopolitan culture. That’s why many expatriates live and work in the city. The barangays (villages or districts) in Makati City are way different than the other cities in Metro Manila. Because they offer ample free services and health assistance to its residents. The public parks are full of trees and are decently clean.

Makati is also home to many first-class and high-end shopping malls. Targeting the city’s expatriates and the business working class.

Makati City also has the tallest buildings in the Philippines. Almost like skyscrapers, like the PBCom Tower and G.T. International Tower. The city also has many of the country’s 5-Star hotels which are The Peninsula Hotel Manila, The Shangri-La Hotel Makati and Hotel Intercontinental Manila.

Makati City is the home for some embassies too. Like the Australian Embassy, Canadian Embassy and the German Embassy, all are located at the RCBC Tower.
So if you want to experience the clean, hustle and bustle of a city, Makati is worth giving a visit.