Philippines’ largest green office building to rise in Cebu

CEBU CITY — Green developer ArthaLand Corp. is bringing a new brand of sustainable development in Cebu, as the company builds the country’s largest "green" office building, the Cebu Exchange.

Top executives unveiled the company's newest marketing campaign dubbed as “Business in Harmony.” It showcases the Cebu Exchange as a masterpiece of sustainable development, a well-balanced ecosystem of green office technologies, plush amenities and a diverse retail mix where businesses and individuals can thrive in harmony.

“In constructing a building, there are a lot of moving parts—the developer, architect, contractor, interior designer," said Leo Po, executive vice president and treasurer for Arthaland, during a recent press briefing in Cebu City. 

"In building this massive and innovative project, we’re working together not just to build a beautiful building but also a sustainable one that will help save energy and water,” said Po. 

Chris Narciso, executive vice president for ArthaLand, presenting the country’s first-ever “Consolidated Leasing Solutions by ArthaLand,” before a full-house of guests at the Seda Hotel, Cebu Business Park, Cebu City. Released

ArthaLand noted that Cebu Exchange is a holistic, sustainable and highly connected work environment where harmony is not just a way of life, but a way of doing business.

The company is on track to complete the office project at the gateway of the Cebu IT Park.

The Cebu Exchange, which will have a gross floor area of 108,500 square meters and a net sellable area of 88,300 square meters, is equivalent to three office buildings combined. 

“Once completed, it will have more than 12,000 people working in it, which is a massive number of people. That’s why we’re calling it our biggest and our best project to date,” Po noted.

The 39-storey building will be divided in three zones. The low zone, from the 9th floor to the 15th floor, is designed for business process outsourcing (BPO) locators. The mid zone, composed of the 16th to 29th floor, is expected to house large companies and more BPOs. While the high zone, comprising of the 30th to 39th floor, will serve as headquarters of companies as well as small corporate offices.

Chris Narciso, executive vice president for Business Development and Leo Po, executive vice president and treasurer, posing before a model of Arthaland's Cebu Exchange, the country's largest "green" office building. Released

The building's basement floors until the 8th floor will also serve as retail spaces and will feature a fitness center, health maintenance organization (HMO) clinics, dental clinics, banks, co-working spaces, groceries and restaurants, among others.

ArthaLand’s innovation isn’t only confined to building designs, but to client services as well. The country’s first-ever “Consolidated Leasing Solutions by ArthaLand” guarantees hassle-free leasing services to both buyers and tenants, making everything from negotiation to documentation and property management seamless and hassle-free.

The Cebu Exchange is registered with both the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and pre-certified for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

The project is also registered with the Philippine Green Building Council (PhilGBC) and is expected to earn the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) certification.

The 39-storey building will be divided in three zones. The low zone, designed for business process outsourcing (BPO) locators. The mid zone, to house large companies and more BPOs. While the high zone, will serve as headquarters of companies as well as small corporate offices. Released

“This building is a testament to sustainability. We are the only developer embarking on dual certification with the USGBC and PhilGBC. This shows that we think global but act local. We are bringing a world-class building to this wonderful city,” Po pointed out.

The Cebu Exchange will have several environmentally sustainable and resource-efficient design features.

These include low-voltage lighting, water-saving plumbing systems, water recycling system, a materials recovery facility, energy saving airconditioning system, its own septage treatment plant, optimized building envelope, and a terrace garden and sky park, among others.

The Cebu Exchange had previously earned several awards, namely becoming one of the Best Office Developments in Asia. The office project was also honored as the Best Green Feature Development during the first Japan International Property Awards 2018 in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, ArthaLand was awarded as one of the Best Boutique Developers in Asia and the Best Boutique Developer in the Philippines during the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Finals 2018.