WITH an average of 20 typhoons entering the country annually, incorporating disaster resilience and sustainability in building designs has become essential to SM’s integrated property developer arm, SM Prime Holdings, Inc.
Jessica Sy, vice president and head of design, innovation and strategy of SM Prime and its residential arm, SM Development Corp. (SMDC), draws from her background as an architect and highlights the necessity of building structures that respect the land and the community.
“From an architectural standpoint, we want to make sure that when we develop a building, it’s going to last for a long time,” says Sy. “We’ve seen that what’s good for our communities is good for our company because addressing their needs also strengthens our connection with them as our customers.”
SMDC Field Residences in Parañaque. PHOTO FROM SMDC
Sy notes the role of water in any development: it can be a source of life or unpredictable. “As architects, this was one of the first few things we were taught,” she added. “Water is life-giving, but floods in properties could heavily impact and uproot the lives of many families.”
Launched in 2008, Field Residences in Parañaque is an example of SM’s commitment to meet the highest standards of disaster resilience in its development. When the SMDC team found out water levels in Field Residences had risen over the years due to factors including climate change, they decided to go back to reassess a project that they had already turned over.
A new rainwater detention tank was completed in the Parañaque development in September this year. It is designed to handle extreme rainfall events and can manage volumes similar to those during Typhoon Ondoy, which brought 455 millimeters of rain in 24 hours.
SMDC has equipped a number of its properties with disaster resilience features. During the recent Typhoon Carina, none of its properties experienced flooding.
SMDC properties strengthen community ties, increase environmental consciousness, and promote local identity in its projects. To celebrate local flora in their developments, Sy and her team specifically choose native plants that are more well-suited to the area.
She said, “We identify plants that can prosper here, such as the endemic katmon (Dillenia philippinensis) tree. When fully grown, they’re very hospitable to local insects.”
SMDC initiated to have future nurseries of these plants in developments such as Parkville in Bacolod and selected properties in North and South Luzon and Mindanao to grow and integrate them into other properties across the country.
“The decisions we have today will impact the long-term future,” Sy said. “Sustainability is at the forefront of our conversations nowadays and part of the legacy we need to complete.”
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