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A Sustainable Way of Life at Vermosa

A MUCH-TALKED-ABOUT concept nowadays is sustainability, the capacity to endure. In fact, it’s the endurance of systems and processes. Sustainability is also how biological systems remain diverse and productive indefinitely.

Like other estates of real estate giant Ayala Land Inc., Vermosa provides its residents with a sustainable way of life. It is a 700-hectare integrated, mixed-use development in Metro South, offering a healthy and active lifestyle.

Environmental Sustainability

Vermosa’s 165 hectares or 24 percent of the total development is allotted to generous open spaces. There will be interconnected parks and gardens. Green spaces promote physical activity, psychological well-being and general health of resident,“ said Anna Maria M. Gonzales, sustainability manager, urban/regional planning, Ayala Land.

She said people are encouraged to explore the neighborhood by walking, running and biking. That’s why the 17-kilometer-long, 2.5-meter wide pedestrian lane and the 17-km-long, 1.5-m-wide biking lane are intended for these activities. There is also a greenway measuring 14 km long and 10 m wide and a landscaped promenade stretching north to south.

According to her, the masterplan ensures that the neighborhood retail centers are accessible within a 10-minute walk or bike ride from any residential development within the project. This reduces the reliance on private vehicles to move around.

Ayala Land’s highly accessible future city will have diverse living options provided by its top three brands—Ayala Land Premier, Alveo and Avida.

Gonzales said: “Ayala Land’s first masterplanned estate in Cavite has two main natural lakes that serve as water detention areas. The water can be used for landscaping, irrigation and recycling. It also has little depressions that hold rainwater during the rainy season and serves as parks during the dry months. Ayala Land allows the natural contour of the land in the communities it develops.”

She cited permeable walkways as another environmental sustainability feature. These walkways allow rainwater to soak into the ground, contributing to aquifers and replenishing the water table.

According to Gonzales, Ayala Property Management Corp. will prove its expertise not only in waste management system from waste segregation at source to disposal but also in other areas of estate management.

Energy-efficient lighting fixtures, appliances and equipment will be used in Vermosa structures, she added.

Economic Sustainability

Gonzales said Vermosa has a balanced mix of mixed-use components ranging from residential and retail options, offices and institutional developments to entertainment centers. Of the 124-hectare central business district, 46 hectares (under phase one) will have four- to eight-story buildings while 11 hectares will be for open spaces. For phase two, 19- to 15-story buildings will rise on 42 hectares of land while there will 25 hectares of open spaces.

Vermosa, she stressed, offers the opportunity to enjoy high-value appreciation. Land values in Ayala Land estates appreciated from their launch price to their current price. For instance Ayala Hillside, launched in 2002 and priced at P8,000 per sqm, now costs P140,000 while Sonera, which 2005 launch price was P11,000, currently costs P45,000. Like these Ayala Land estates, Vermosa’s land value is expected to increase in the near future.

Open to the public and professionally managed, the complex has an Olympic-size pool, a bike skills trail, a 400-m track and field, and a motocross track. It boasts of a sports science laboratory, the first of its kind in the country, catering to triathlon athletes. Triathlon is a multiple-stage race combining swimming, cycling and running in immediate succession over various distances.

There will also be a gas station, sports shops, community retail, drive-through restaurants and healthy dining options.

Like other ALI estates, Vermosa bears the mark of a truly sustainable community. It further expands the real estate giant’s footprint across the country and brings the benefits of the company’s sustainable estates to more Filipinos.

Ayala Land named Builder of the Year

Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI), the real estate arm of the Ayala Group, was recently named Builder of the Year by Frost & Sullivan at its annual Philippines Excellence Awards which recognize companies demonstrating best practices across various industries in the country.

ALI was presented the award for its highly diversified portfolio, coupled with full vertical integration in the development of its projects. This has allowed the group to greatly increase its flexibility and to cater to a wider market, while reducing dependencies on external sources.

Already exhibiting a consistently high growth rate and rapid expansion even overseas, the company was also cited for its strategic land acquisitions that have ensured a steady pipeline for future projects.

“We are honored to receive this recognition for our efforts in property development,” said ALI president and CEO Bobby Dy. “Our business is anchored on sustainable growth and we always set our sights beyond the present, consciously preparing for the long term, to ensure that we are able to provide quality developments to future generations.”

Frost & Sullivan further commended ALI for the overall excellence and high quality of its products and services, while maintaining a positive social and economic impact on local and national communities. ALI was also successful in incorporating “green technology” and features in all its projects.

“Sustainability is an integral part of our philosophy and we strive to build communities that utilize environmentally sensitive products and designs,” he added.

The 2014 Philippines Excellence Awards recipients were identified based on in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research conducted by Frost & Sullivan’s analysts. Companies are typically studied on their revenue growth, market share in a specific category and growth in market share, leadership in new product introduction and innovation, breadth of products and solutions, major customer acquisitions, as well as business and market strategy in order to identify best practices.

Ayala Land is the leading full line property developer in the Philippines operating prime residential, commercial and leisure spaces throughout the country.

The company had announced plans to launch 78 new projects in 2014 with an estimated value of P142 billion. ALI is setting aside P70 billion for capital expenditures this year, mainly for the completion of ongoing projects and for new launches.

A City in Sync: Ayala Land’s Arca South promises to be a portal to urban connectivity

Living in Metro Manila is a constant challenge for many people. Urban hassles of traffic, blight, un-integrated development, and lack of green space create a disjointed experience and a lifestyle that makes it difficult to keep up with the rest of the modern world.

A new master-planned development by Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) in the metropolis’ south is seeking to create a gateway, an urban enclave that allows residential and lifestyle, as well as a business and commercial environment, that are more in sync with the rest of the metropolis, as well as the rest of the world.

Arca South is being shaped into a 74-hectare central business district (CBD) and mixed-use development. The expansive former FTI complex is being transformed into a wholly-integrated enclave made up of residential communities, retail and office workspaces, a hotel and a hospital in its initial phase. All these will be connected with an efficient transport system and wide open and green spaces.

I had a chat recently with Joel Luna, ALI Vice President and Chief Architect, along with Stephen Comia, ALI Project Development Manager of Arca South to discuss their company’s newest and to me, it’s most exciting new urban enclave development.

The measures, explained the two executives, which ensure Arca South’s success starts with access, its context and connections to its surroundings. Ayala Land is coordinating its newest development with the City of Taguig’s programs for urban improvement. It is also synchronizing with national government’s infrastructure programs for the area, which include plans for a transport terminal and a C5 to C6 connection.

According to Luna, the intent of the government is, in fact, to create what is called an “intermodal transport hub.” This hub will consolidate several modes of transport — vehicular, bus, rail — onto a terminal and mixed-use complex that is interfaced seamlessly with Arca South. Entering from C5, Skyway or SLEX will take traffic to the development’s main boulevard. This will distribute commuters and visitors equally to all corners of Arca South, as well as connect Arca South to the rest of the metropolis.

Comia adds that this balanced flow is matched by the even distribution between residential and commercial zones. He explained that the residential components will be a mix of Ayala’s Premier, Alveo and Avida developments. A retail and lifestyle center, akin to Greenbelt, and BPO offices, will complement the first projects that are due for completion in the first phase of Arca South that will take five years.

Circulation in Arca South is also balanced; in the sense of extensive accessibility by pedestrians. The main spine is actually a linear greenway that traverses Arca South from one end to another, much like High Street in BGC but more free form in shape, with sections as wide as 60 meters. This tree-filled greenway allows pedestrian traffic to both ends of the development. Luna added that the building edges of all clusters and buildings are arcaded and lined with shops and restaurants. Parking for the development is via a huge integrated basement facility. You can park anywhere underground and come up to the park or through the commercial buildings to the arcades.

An internal bus transit system, like the one operating in Bonifacio Global City nearby, will have bus stops every 400 meters. This system will be scheduled and provide quick access to the development from the intermodal terminal complex.

By all these, Arca South will really be a pedestrian paradise, but the people-friendliness of Arca South is also seen in the buildings themselves. Most will be of moderate height to modulate densities for both aesthetics and function.

Ayala Land has also made it a point to enhance streetscapes and open spaces (40 percent of the entire site) with verdant landscaping that include shade trees, green buffers, lawn areas and playgrounds for active recreation. This “green-ness” extends to the whole development through sustainable building practices, rain-water harvesting, building orientation and other measures that have become standard with Ayala Land’s projects.

The development will also continue the high standards of maintenance, security and infrastructure functionality that is the hallmark of ALI’s projects. There will be a 24/7 operations center, CCTV coverage, synchronized traffic lights, drainage and solid waste management, as well as all the necessary support for a fully functioning modern city.

The first phase of Arca South that will take five years is well under way. Included in this are a range of retail including a transit-oriented mall like Market! Market!, a lifestyle mall for the residential enclave, and a regional mall. The first office buildings will be completed by 2017 with seven or so more in the pipeline. There will also be a 250-bed Quartenary Hospital and a 200-room Seda Hotel in this initial phase of development.

Arca South will fill out in a well-controlled manner. To date 19 commercial lots along the main boulevard have been sold and buildings will rise to trace a skyline like the original Makati CBD. This attractiveness indicates that Arca South is blessed not only with great access, compelling scale and design, but also ultimately with a prime location vis-à-vis Metropolitan Manila.

Location, scale and access define Arca South as a gateway to the metropolis, a portal to business opportunities, lifestyle options and a great place to live. This, Arca South promises you, to sync the lives and activities of all those who live in, work out of, or visit with the rest of the world.