CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
Green Building is a complex concept incorporating the design,
construction and operation of buildings aimed at minimizing resource-use
and negative environmental impact whilst maximizing the utility of a
building. Recently, green building has become globally vital for commercial
building development, especially in the United States where the United
States Green Building Council (USGBC), a national non-profit membership
organization has developed the Leadership in energy and Environmental
Design (LEED), a system to provide a guideline and rating system for green
buildings.
This study examines measures taken to make projects sustainable
such as those aimed at making a building more energy efficient, reduce
water consumption, utilizing materials with lower environmental impact or
many others. It then goes on to examine the results of implementing such
measures, where possible using a baseline figure for comparison.
Today, buildings are reported to be one of the biggest consumers of
energy around the world. A staggering 48 percent of primary energy
consumption goes into construction of buildings. All of these have
contributed significantly to global warming, with the building industry being
responsible for 40 percent greenhouse gas emissions in the United States
alone.
1

The need for energy-efficient and eco-friendly buildings had given rise
to the green buildings and designs. These led the researchers to determine
the insights on the green building technology, especially as it relates to
Philippine conditions and to assess its cost-and-time impact on the project
management cycle in the construction industry.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This study aims to get insights on the green building technology,
specifically the performance and significance of the green buildings in Metro
Manila. This is for us to qualify if the following performance would lead us to
produce more high quality buildings and establishments that could improve
mans way of living.
Also, to propagate the knowledge about the green technology and help
the community to became aware of the full capabilities of green building and
to know the true potential of its application.
These purposes led the researchers to seek more information and
ideas. But questions are still arising in every finding. Could this research help
the future researchers for their future studies? Will this research be an
advantage of the students for the future use? Did such subject taught in
previous years? If so, then how could it be? How could it help? These
questions all have significant implications for our understanding and
interpretation of purpose of the study.
2

number

of

studies

of

different

evidence

and

methods

of

interpretation attempt to provide answers to these questions. Now the

researchers tried to answer it in different way to add more information.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study aimed to determine the performance of green buildings in
Metro Manila. Specifically, it sought answers to the following problems:
1. How is the performance of green buildings in Metro Manila in terms of:
a. Energy Efficiency
b. Structure Efficiency
c. Water Efficiency
d. Material Efficiency
e. Waste Reduction
2. What are the advantages of constructing green buildings?
3. What factors make a building sustainable?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is significant because it will provide the indispensable fact

about green building and how can its application help. Thus, the result of this
study will benefit the following:
The Environment
For the environment, the study provides an idea about enhancing the
protection of the ecosystems, reducing toxic wastes, and conserving and
restoring natural resources.
The Economy
The study is extremely favorable especially to building owners. These
include lower operating costs, increase in return of investment through
higher occupancy by attracting and retaining quality tenants, increased
employee productivity, and further sales improvement.
The Social Benefits
The study about green buildings heightened aesthetic appeal and
market value as well as improved overall quality of life.
The Community
Designing and making a sustainable building will help alleviate the
negative repercussions that come with using the limited resources available.
Indeed, the economic and environmental performance of buildings can be
maximized well through the successful adoption of green building strategies.
The Future Researchers
4

This study can help the future researchers to acquire basic knowledge
about Green Buildings and its capabilities. They can also relate some
information from our study that may be counted as a significant factor of
their future study. This study could also act as a guide on how to start a
preliminary data for their own study.
The Researchers
The researchers problems will be solved and questions will be
answered.
SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The study is about the Performance of Green Buildings in Metro Manila.
This study focused only on the performance of green buildings in Metro
Manila, as well as the benefits that can be derived from the said program.
The researchers also have limited budget and time allotment given by the
professor.
The investigation was not concerned on how effective the green
building is than any other form of buildings and no attempt was made to
compare green buildings with them.

DEFINITION OF TERMS
For purposes of clarification, important terms used in the study
are hereby defined:
5

Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) Is the

Philippine counterpart of LEED
Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL)

a fluorescent lamp designed to replace

an incandescent lamp that fits into light fixtures formerly used for
incandescent lamps
Green Building is characterized by its efficient use of natural resources,
eco-friendly construction materials, and minimizing negative impact of the
development to nature.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a widely used
international green rating system developed by the US Green Building
Council. (USGBC)
Light Emitting Diode (LED) A two-lead semiconductor light source. It is a
positive-negative junction diode, which emits light when activated.
Philippine Green Building Council (PhilGBC) Is the local counterpart of
USBGC via its (BERDE) rating system.
United States Green Building Council (USGBC)

non-profit

organization that advocates sustainable building design and operation

1.Survey

Performance

Questionnaires
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
2. Books
3. Newspapers
INPUT
4. Studies

Of
Green Buildings
In
PROCESS

Metro Manila
OUTPUT
6

Data gathering
through researches
and observation
Analysis and
interpretation of
data
Drawing of
Findings,
Conclusions and
Recommendations

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
This study used the Input-Process-Output (IPO) Model. This model will
help the proponents to easily identify the inputs of this study, the output and
the processes in which the inputs will transform into outputs. The input
includes all the ideas, information and resources used. The process is the
procedure taken in making the input become output. Therefore, the output is
the outcome of a processed input.
All of the data and information discussed in this study was obtained
through thorough research from different materials such as books, related
studies and online references and from the survey conducted. The survey
7

was conducted among selected residents of Metro Manila to know theirs

opinions and insights about the performance of green building in Metro
Manila. The information and ideas were combined, treated and conclusions were drawn. The
processed input obtained was the performance of green buildings in Metro Manila, hence, the
title THE PERFORMANCE OF GREEN BUILDINGS IN METRO MANILA.

CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

A. FOREIGN RELATED LITERATURE

With the constantly changing environment around us, its important to
be environmentally aware and active. Its even more important when you
consider how much money you can save by building a green home. The
methods and ways you can go about changing your home from an emissionproducing powerhouse into more of a greenhouse are easy and simple
8

concepts. Everything you can think of in order to save energy can be

implemented in creating a green space for you and your family.
Being aware of energy saving benefits, making the switch from waste
producing products to more environmentally friendly products, and much
more. By creating and managing a green home for you and your family to
live in, not only will you be engaging in a positive atmosphere but also
youll

be

passing

on

the

lessons

and

importance

of

surrounding

environmental issues to the rest of your family.

15 Green Home Building Ideas
1. Location: While buying property for yourself, take a note of couple of
things that you must foresee before moving in. Firstly, avoid building west
facing home. This will keep your home cool as it minimizes sun exposure.
Secondly, avoid building home in environmentally sensitive locations such as
earthquake or hurricane or flood prone areas. Thirdly, check if public
transportation is easily available and local grocery shop is not that far away.
This will help you avoid taking your own vehicle every time and will reduce
your travel time.
2. Smaller is Better: A small home built with eco friendly techniques is going
to have smaller environmental impact as against a large home. A house that
is too large is likely to cost more to heat and cool. Try to keep the place
manageable and cost effective. If you are planning to extend your family and

bring in few relatives, you need to put proper resources and accommodation
in place.
3. Energy Efficient Equipment: ENERGY STAR label on a piece of equipment
states that particular product has been deemed as energy efficient by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ENERGY STAR is becoming well
known label and consumers today choose energy star appliances for their
homes. These appliances offer significant cost and energy savings without
compromising performance.
4. Proper Insulation: Insulation is one of the most important things that you
need to consider while building a green home. Heating and cooling account
for 50% of your homes energy consumption; Air leaks such as around
windows, door and duct work is responsible for buildings heat loss. Dont let
heating and cooling of your interior spaces air go waste through improper
insulation. Proper insulation will not only reduce your energy consumption
but will bring down your electricity bills substantially.
5. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Reduce your need for buying new products that
are not environment friendly. Reuse your old material such as wood floors,
doors, windows in your next home. Recycled materials such as recycled
glass, aluminium, recycled tile, reclaimed lumber, recycled plastic can be
used in green home building.
6. Use Sustainable Building Materials: If building a green home is your goal,
then using environmentally or eco-friendly products should be on your list
10

which can reduce the impact of construction on the environment. Each and
every part of your house such as roofing material, building material,
cabinets, counters and insulation to your flooring should be environmentally
friendly. Use products such as reclaimed lumber, recycled plastic, recycled
glass or natural products such as bamboo, cork and linoleum which are made
of natural, renewable materials.
7. Install Solar Panels: Solar energy is clean and renewable source of energy.
Solar panels are an emerging and hot technology for people who want to
utilize the natural power all around us, the sun.

Solar panels may be

expensive at first, but the long-term savings you can put into your pocket is
a stunning example of the benefits of turning your life from black to green.
The location of your house and the way you have constructed solar panels
can determine how much power you can collect. By taking advantage of
solar power you can bring down your energy consumption and supply excess
energy, if any, to your utility company. Also, government grants, incentives
and tax breaks are huge bonus to those who want to use solar power in their
home.
8. Energy Star Windows: Energy efficient windows labeled as ENERGY STAR
windows are new player in window market and are much more energy
efficient than normal windows. The ratings for these windows determine how
energy efficient they will be. The lower the rating, the more energy efficient
is your windows. The energy savings provided by these windows are enough
to cover the added cost per window.
11

9. Rainwater Harvesting Systems and Tankless Water Heaters: Install

rainwater harvesting system while building your green home to collect
rainwater from roofs and then storing it in a tank. The collected water can
then be used for other purposes such as toilets and sprinkler systems. Rain
barrels are one of the most common methods of rainwater harvesting being
used today.
With tankless water heaters, you need not wait for the water to get heated.
Tankless water heaters heat only that much water that is needed as it is
passed through electric coil. This gives you twin benefits. Firstly, it eliminates
excess energy costs as it heats up only that much amount of water that is
needed and secondly, you can get ample storage place by eliminating the
hot water tank.
10. Eco-Friendly Lighting: Both LED and CFL cost more upfront but use less
energy and last longer than traditional incandescent bulbs. Since they offer
significant cost savings in the long run, they can be ideal for your new green
home.
11. Water Conserving Fixtures: Low flow faucets, toilets, showerheads are
few of the ways that you can use while building a green home to conserve
water. They can cut down on your water bills cost and make your home much
more environment friendly. Apart from that, consider buying washing
machines and dishwashers that give you same kind of cleaning and can save
water and energy.

12

12. Programmable Thermostat: We all know that almost 50% of our energy
consumption goes towards heating and cooling of our home. The simplest
way to cut down this cost and reduce electricity bill is to install
programmable thermostat. Your HVAC system will work when the thermostat
reaches the designated temperature. Also, a slight 3-5 % of your energy bill
can be saved if you can set your thermostat 1 degree down in the winter and
up by 1 degree in the summer.
13. HVAC System: Buy a high efficiency, Energy Star rated HVAC system
based on the design and construction of your house that will help you save
energy and money. A HVAC system needs to be properly installed so that it
could perform up to its full potential. Make sure ducts are short, straight and
air tight. The ducts need to be professionally tested with the goal of under
10% leakage.
14. Efficient Landscaping: Shady landscaping can protect your home from
direct sunlight during the summer and allows more sunlight to reach your
home through windows during the winter. Planting trees on southern and
western side of your home can keep your home cooler as they will block
sunlight from falling directly on your home and during the winter, when trees
lose their leaves, they will allow more sunlight to reach your home.
15. Harness Geothermal Energy: Geothermal energy is known as energy from
the earth. Geothermal energy requires more upfront investment but provides
unlimited energy to heat and cool your home. During the winter season,

13

geothermal heat pump uses the earth loop to extract heat from deep
underground to your homes HVAC system; in the summer season, heat is
extracted from the air and moved back into the earth through loop system.
According

to

Gregory

Dick,

the

concept

of

sustainable

building incorporates and integrates a variety of strategies during the

design, construction and operation of building projects. The use of green
building materials and products represents one important strategy in the
design of a building.
Building and construction activities worldwide consume 3 billion tons of
raw materials each year or 40 percent of total global use (Roodman and
Lenssen, 1995). Using green building materials and products promotes
conservation

of

dwindling

nonrenewable

resources

internationally.

In

addition, integrating green building materials into building projects can help
reduce the environmental impacts associated with the extraction, transport,
processing, fabrication, installation, reuse, recycling, and disposal of these
building industry source materials.
What is a green building product or material?
Green

building

materials

are

composed

of

renewable,

rather

than

nonrenewable resources. Green materials are environmentally responsible

because impacts are considered over the life of the product (Spiegel and
Meadows, 1999). Depending upon project-specific goals, an assessment of

14

green materials may involve an evaluation of one or more of the criteria

listed below.
As stated by Gopal Mishra of The Constructor; today many people
that are building or remodeling their houses choose to use eco-friendly
building materials. An eco-friendly building material is one that increases the
efficiency of energy used and reduces impact on human well-being and the
environment. It is a product that has been designed to do the least possible
damage to the environment. There are many different materials that can be
used that are eco-friendly; from foundation, to insulation, to interior and
exterior wall finishes, flooring, and countertop materials.
From Peter Nguyens perspective, buildings are vital facilities that provide
many amenities and assets to a thriving community. However, buildings,
especially commercial buildings, are the largest consumers of energy and
greenhouse gas emitters in the world. This is a problem because the work
culture and practices exercised within the workplaces of these buildings are
unsustainable with regards to protecting the environment. Residential and
recreational buildings also contribute to the environmental impact; however,
the core issue here is not the buildings themselves, but rather how the
community itself can become more involved working with an integrated
green building to establish sustainable practices. An integration of a green
building can work symbiotically within established communities, which can
be used sustainably to preserve community cultural values, but also provide
assets that can spark a change in peoples actions. There needs to be a shift
15

in the global perspective of becoming more sustainable not only within the
community at home, but also at work via integrating a green work culture to
also strengthen that community.
Integrating green buildings and sustainability programs into communities
can be initiated through shifting the current overall attitudes and behaviors
towards thinking more environmentally friendly. There must be a gradual
work towards changing individual behaviors towards a sustainable mindset.
It becomes more effective at changing societys mindset as a whole through
the individuals rather than a more broad approach to changing the publics
opinion. If a change in attitude can be achieved from each individual, or even
from just a community that is motivated to take sustainable actions, then it
becomes easier to integrate green buildings into a working community that
will use the buildings sustainable purposes correctly.
There needs to be a huge movement in society to not only shift their
thinking and daily actions towards becoming sustainable, but also to take
into consideration that becoming more sustainable will also promote
community strengthening and social services. The Involve organization
(2010) explored three different approaches in influencing and shifting public
behavior. Their 3 approaches were Nudge, Think, and Shove. Nudge is a
more relaxed approach to sustainable behavior that focuses on nonconscious thinking that doesnt force people to become sustainable, but
rather highly recommends it. Nudge varies from rewarding people for
recycling to encouraging a neighborhood to reduce their energy consumption
16

and waste discharge. Think is more engaged and is more effective at building
support and motivation to participate in sustainable changes. Think is a good
complementary tool to Nudge in that it uses institutions, such as schools, to
help students become more educated and engaged about climate change
and how they can reduce the impacts through sustainable actions. Shove
provides infrastructure that is driven by compulsion and penalties and is
usually affiliated with the government as being the facilitator. Shove involves
legislative acts such as the Climate Change Act or the Carbon Reduction
Commitment, which encourages people to reduce their emissions and energy
uses because they would be penalized if they disobeyed those rules. Involve
wants organizations and institutions to use these 3 approaches in a way that
reinvigorates public dialogue, which creates a space where collective action
and legislation can work together to promote sustainable values and
attitudes.
There are many good reasons why we should use eco-friendly
construction methods and materials. It can improve the health of our planet,
and the health of our own lives. It also supports local business and helps
strengthen the local economy, which in turn helps to build our communities
into vibrant, prosperous and desirable places to live.
According to Jennifer Gray in her article, Eco Friendly Construction
Methods and Materials; Green building is not only a wise choice for our
future; it is also a necessary choice. The construction industry must adopt
eco-friendly practices and materials that reduce its impacts, before we reach
17

a point of irreversible damage to our life supporting systems. The industry

needs to take its own initiative and find alternative ways to build, using
green, renewable energy resources, and adopt non-polluting practices and
materials that reduce, recycle and reuse, before it is too late.

B. FOREIGN RELATED STUDY

Construction as most of the industry branches is constantly facing new
challenges as consumers expectations and legal obligations are becoming
more and more demanding. Nowadays, buildings are expected to be
consistent with the sustainable development rules, which mean that they
have to excel in the three essential areas: social performance, economic
performance and environmental performance. The first two issues have
existed in the construction industry for a long time ago. Construction experts
are familiar with them and they have at least basic knowledge how to assess
potential solutions in their context, whether using calculations or intuition,
and how to act to achieve the desired results. Environmental performance
however is definitely less understood. This environment sustainability is
based on protecting green fields and creating sustainable sites. Furthermore,
increase the efficiency of water and energy consumption besides using local
materials, and implement recycling programs. Projects that achieved high
rates using sustainable rating system are environmentally friendly.

18

Green, or Going Green, is a term that is becoming very common

today and be defined differently depending on the aspect. Green can be used
to reference how products are made or what make up a product. Green can
be said to be interchangeable with sustainability in that by reducing the
demand on natural resources society will be assured a place in the global
future. Community recycling programs can be considered green. An
industrial facility can go green by recycling waste or not generating any
altogether
Green building is the practice of creating structures and using
processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient
throughout a building's life-cycle from siting to design, construction,
operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction. This practice
expands and complements the classical building design concerns of
economy, utility, durability, and comfort. Green building is also known as a
sustainable or high performance building. Green buildings are designed to
reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the
natural environment by:
Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources
Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation
A green building is one that is designed to reduce or eliminate the
impact on human health and the natural environment. This is accomplished
19

by

incorporating

materials

and

operational

elements

that

are

environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout the life cycle

of the building. How Green, a building can become depends upon the
number of the incorporated elements that are used and their associated
impact to the human health and the environment.
Understanding Green Building and Sustainability
The terms green and sustainable are often used interchangeably but
there are fundamental differences between them. In a clear understanding of
these differences lies the key to understanding the broad range of theories,
agendas, programs, regulations, technologies, and techniques that are
confusingly put together under the mantle of sustainable building.
In its most general sense, green building is a label for the process of
design and construction which aims to produce buildings that are less
damaging to the environmentand the people that use themthan most
buildings currently built today. These buildings must be measurably less
damaging in significant ways of course, and unfortunately there are many
examples of green buildings that purport to be less damaging without
supporting measurements, or that otherwise claim to be have integrated
environmental concerns without addressing the most significant issues.
Sustainable building, however, refers more precisely to the goal of
designing and constructing buildings that have no net impact on the

20

environment, such that a total built environment composed of similar

buildings could co-exist with the worlds ecological balance indefinitely.
Green building, then, focuses on incremental steps to solve known and
measurable problems with our current practice, whereas sustainable building
seeks models for an unidentified future state of society. Each term describes
a distinct approach. Most of the environmentally responsible construction
practiced today falls into the first category we have few if any examples of
sustainable buildings according to the above definition.
There are two important details that explain confusion about the
fundamental difference between green and sustainable. The first is that
environmental action as a whole is made up of many varied and sometimes
competing objectives, which are pursued by different people or groups,
according to different timeframes, and under different conceptions of the
environmental problem itself. The second is that the environmental problem
addressed by green or sustainable design is really an amalgam of issues,
each affecting our society on different levels from the global to the personal,
each therefore considered more or less important by different people, and
each one more or less well understood in its internal complexities and
external interactions.
Common misconceptions about the purpose of sustainable building efforts
in the residential building industry and marketplace can be attributed to this
lack of clarity about objectives. Understanding these competing objectives

21

and concerns is a therefore necessary part of understanding how to do

green and sustainable design. A framework to help unwind these issues is
discussed in the following section.

C. LOCAL RELATED LITERATURE

Among all regions in the world, it is most critical for Asia to shift to
green growth. Asia is probably the fastest growing region in the world. Being
the fastest growing region also probably means considerable increase in
greenhouse

gas

emissions.

Climate

change

is

one

of

the

biggest

environmental challenges in world history. The shift to a low-carbon economy

will change how industries operate, the products people use and their
lifestyles. Business and consumers can benefit from significant savings and
resource efficiency measures that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
make climate safer for all and more conducive to growth. All over the world,
business communities are realizing that to achieve global competitiveness,
they have to embrace the green agenda and reduce their impact to the
environment. Green growth is an economic strategy that focuses on
ecologically sustainable economic progress to foster low carbon activities. A
major part of green growth is a low carbon economy that refers to an
economy with reduced or minimum emission of greenhouse gases. This
requires a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources and more
efficient production processes that will entail less energy per unit of output.
22

Green industries are among the fastest-growing in the global economy. The
top ten in the list are advanced biofuels, retrofitting of buildings, geothermal
energy, green chemistry, green manufacturing, smart grid, solar energy,
sustainable agriculture, sustainable green retailing and wind energy. Making
the shift towards green growth presents opportunities for investment,
growth, savings and a healthy and sustainable future. Perspectives, mind
sets and attitudes must be transformed for the country to make the shift to a
resource-efficient and low-carbon economy.
In line with the rapid depletion of valuable resources vis--vis the
emerging trends in building construction, many corporations worldwide are
now becoming more environmentally aware and responsible putting in vital
consideration the overall impact of their building to people and to the
environment. Thus, the rise of green building is proliferating.
Green buildings are smartly-designed, cost-effective structures that
maximize natural sources to reduce wasteful consumption. It is characterized
mainly by efficient use of energy, water, and other resources; indoor quality
condition; reinforcement of natural systems; use of eco-friendly materials
and construction methods; and reduction of degradation to nature.
History of Green Buildings
The concept of green building began as early as the late nineteenth
century. With the higher fuel consumption and cost due to the creation of
glass-enclosed buildings and invention of modern conveniences such as air
23

conditioning, a group of concerned individuals were encouraged by the

growing environmental movement. However, it was the oil embargo in 1973
that provided a catalyst for paradigm shift. People began questioning their
heavy reliance on cheap and readily available fossil fuels for construction.
The potential of green building was further explored and later on became
globally recognized as a sustainable way of addressing the dilemma of
climate change.
Different sectors banded together to form a group that will provide the
much-needed groundwork for the green movement. The United States Green
Building Council was created to promote buildings that offer more ecological
incentives. Likewise, they are focused on developing ideas for greener
construction and sharing best practices. They developed a methodical and
standard way of identifying factors for a green building on a point-based
system. The metrics help classify how sustainable a particular building is.
This is where the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
certification comes in.
Why Build Green?
Buildings have a huge and crucial impact on humans, the environment,
and the economy. The raw materials and natural resources it uses as well as
the greenhouse gas emissions during the construction and operation stage
highly affects people and nature. Designing and making a sustainable
building will help alleviate the negative repercussions that come with using
24

the limited resources available. Indeed, the economic and environmental

performance of buildings can be maximized well through the successful
adoption of green building strategies.
Initially, the price of creating a green building is more expensive than
other regular buildings. Nonetheless, the risk and cost of not going green is
even higher in the long run. The first risk is that of becoming obsolete. As
more and buildings become LEED-certified, how can a traditional, nonenvironment friendly one compete? Expect a decrease in occupancy rents
and rates because companies will prefer to move in a place where they will
be able to save more and to have employees that will perform better.
Another risk is violation of regulations. Once this movement becomes the
new norm, there will be mandates that will adhere to green construction.
Pollution is also a risk that will be the downfall of any previously established
buildings. Failure to upgrade into a greener structure makes these buildings
continue to become one of the biggest contributors to environmental
pollution.
There are many long-term benefits that come with green buildings.
These can be classified in three categories: environmental, economical, and
social advantages. For the environment, it is about enhancing the protection
of the ecosystems, reducing toxic wastes, and conserving and restoring
natural resources. Meanwhile, the economic benefits are extremely favorable
especially to building owners. These include lower operating costs, increase

25

in return of investment through higher occupancy by attracting and retaining

quality

tenants,

increased

employee

productivity,

and

further

sales

improvement. Lastly, social benefits include heightened aesthetic appeal and

market value as well as improved overall quality of life.
Green Building in the Philippines
Although the concept of building sustainable structures in the
Philippines is still in the early stages of establishing its grounds, it is now
gaining momentum where the demand for green architecture is growing very
fast. Many multinational companies require that their offices be resourceefficient and offer a productive environment. As such, more local business
owners are investing to build high performance structures or to enhance the
efficiency of their existing buildings.
Green Eco-friendly Buildings Becoming a Trend in the Philippines
Due to the adverse effects of deforestation, building contractors and
real estate developers are now embracing environment friendly construction
techniques. Majority of the building contractors and developers here in the
Philippines seem to be more environmentally aware, paying attention to the
total effect of their buildings to the environment. Currently, there is an
exceptional trend and a huge demand for constructing green and ecofriendly buildings in the Philippines and other parts of the world.
What Makes a Building Eco-Friendly?

26

The construction of green building gives important consideration to the

design, cost, and the use of natural sources. The design must be simple but
smart, and the cost of eco-friendly materials must be kept at a minimum. It
should maximize the use of natural sources by efficiently keeping waste at a
minimum or no waste at all. The construction method should also be efficient
by giving emphasis to the use of energy, water, and other natural
sustainable materials.
Sustainable building construction materials are easily recycled, reused,
or replaceable without a big effect on the environment. These sustainable
building materials are low-toxic or non-toxic at all with minimal chemical
emissions, and are included into the entire woodland product line for any
kind of building or residential construction.
In order to qualify for green building design, construction, and operation, the
companys project should be validated by the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED). LEED is a set of rating systems for the design,
construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, and homes.
LEED is internationally recognized as a third party certification program that
validates whether a particular structure meet its qualifications. There are
particular standards that are set to measure different ecological qualities of
buildings according to its purposes.
Green building uses one third less energy than conventional buildings.
It espouses the reduction of operational costs by increasing productivity and

27

using less energy, water and other resources, improvement of public and
occupant health due to improved indoor air quality, and decrease of waste,
pollution and environmental decay - Representative Juan Pablo Bondoc of
Pampanga
Amid the presence of five LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment
Design)-certified buildings in the Philippines and 58 more projects currently
registered

for

LEED

certification,

more

building

tenants

have

been

encouraging their landlords to retrofit their buildings to be environmentally

sustainable. Some multinational tenants have required landlords to retrofit
their buildings for the latter to be able to secure the contract to lease.
Increased demand
Mitchell added that there has been a business demand for more green
buildings, and from the viewpoint of corporate social responsibility, a moral
imperative to build environmentally sustainable structures.
Fortune 500 companies, multinational corporations, and even local
firms now consider green initiatives as prerequisites in their day-to-day
maintenance and operations, said Rick Santos, CBRE Philippines chair and
CEO.

Through

our

global

networks

and

resources,

we

have

been

strengthening the drive toward sustainable development which, as pointed

out in several studies, could also benefit not only developers and the
environment but also end-userstenants, employees and residentsin the
long run.
28

A local rating, a counterpart of the LEED certification, has already been

established by the Philippine Green Building Council. Called Berde, the
certification means Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence.
Another local rating has been formulated by the Philippine Green
Building

Initiative.

This

ratings

body

is

composed

of

professional

organizations such as United Architects of the Philippines, Institute of

Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines, Philippine Institute of
Interior

Designers,

Geological

Society

of

the

Philippines,

Heritage

Conservation Society, International Council of Monuments & Sites, the

Philippine Society of Ventilating Air-conditioning & Refrigerating Engineers.
Rating system
LEED, meanwhile, is a widely used international green rating system
developed by the US Green Building Council. The five LEED certified buildings
are the Asian Development Bank, Nuvali One Evotech, Shell Shared Services
Office, and Texas Instruments in Baguio and Clark.
Among the 58 projects currently registered for LEED certification are
The Zuellig Building in Makati; BTTC Centre in Greenhills (both precertified
Gold under the Core & Shell Program); Megaworld 8 Campus Building in
Bonifacio Global City (which is pursuing Silver Certification under the Core &
Shell Program); and Wells Fargo Headquarters in Bonifacio Global City, which
is seeking Gold Certification under the Commercial Interiors Program.
Country

Registered
29

India

1,283*

China

589

South Korea

126

Hong Kong

55

Taiwan

45

Malaysia

42

Singapore

42

Philippines

38

Japan

36

Thailand

31

Sri Lanka

23

Vietnam

18

Bangladesh 16
Pakistan

Indonesia

Nepal

Cambodia

Macau

30

Bhutan
Total

1
2,371

CBRE Global Sustainability Team chart showing LEED-certified projects

in various countries. To date, the Philippines has 43 LEED certified projects
and 58 under registration. The figures only cover projects under the LEED
rating system.
Topping the city with the most number of green buildings constructed
is Taguig City, Metro Manila. The city remains faithful to its advocacy to
create

green,

sustainable,

and

eco-friendly

building

and

healthy

environment. The Mind Museum and Sun Life Financial Headquarters are two
buildings in Taguig which recently got a Gold LEED-certification. Indeed this is
a living testimony to their advocacy to help build a greener and environmentfriendly community.
Some Green Buildings located at Metro Manila
1. Asian Development Bank

Heat reduction from tree shading of open car parks

Management of storm water

To improve air quality system, air is purged from and replaced

at the ADB headquarter three times a week.

31

ADBs green cleaning program uses environment-friendly

cleaning products

2. ARYA Residences

The tower receives lesser heat, and utilize technology that

provides the residents the opportunity to reduce their reliance
on valuable resources

As much as 40 percent savings in potable water usage

At least 14 percent savings in electricity usage

3. Zuellig Building in Makati City

It is set to enjoy 15 percent energy savings or a minimum of

4.3 million kilowatt hours saved per year.

0 percent use of CFC refrigerant

75 percent of Zuelligs space has good daylight characteristics

4. SunLife Financial Building in Global City

Lower energy costs: Low emissivity glass allows daylight to

come in while blocking outside noise and heat.

The green roof has a rain harvesting system that captures

rainwater for non-potable usage.

32

Sustainable Construction
As urbanization increases, the demand for housing and infrastructures
also grows. However, buildings account for important CO2 emissions and
consume huge amounts of energy across a lifecycle that spans production,
construction, operation and demolition. The challenge is to continue to build
but to do so in a different way.
What is Sustainable Construction?
In practice, Sustainable Construction means:
reducing the negative impact of building sites (noise, dust, repetitive
tasks),
integrating renewable energy sources at the design stage,
using recyclable materials in construction to preserve natural
resources,
improving the thermal inertia of buildings to reduce heating and airconditioning costs and CO2 emissions,
controlling the aging of structures,
recycling materials and structures after demolition,
Designing low-cost housing to improve living conditions for low-income
populations.

The Challenges of Sustainable Construction

33

Sustainable construction addresses two major global challenges: the

significant environmental impact of the construction industry, balanced
against the industry's economic and social benefits. Sustainable construction
addresses both challenges by limiting the environmental and human impact
of construction while guaranteeing the highest quality in aesthetics, strength
and durability. It considers the complete life cycle of a building, from the
selection of materials to demolition and recycling.
Building architects, engineers and designers are becoming more zealous
in discovering sustainable materials and techniques in constructing green
and eco-friendly buildings that encourages healthy living. By standing firm to
their advocacy of building environment friendly structures, these architects
and engineers are committed to provide the green environment everyone
deserves. Green building has now become a trend and the future of building
construction in the Philippines.

D. LOCAL RELATED STUDY

As years progress, the issue of increasing greenhouse gas emissions
has been the centre of attention among environmentalists all over the world.
One of the largest contributors of greenhouse gasses released in the
atmosphere is the residential sector. Studies conducted by the World
Resources Institute (WRI) suggested that 9.9% of the worlds greenhouse

34

gasses were attributed to the residential sector (World Resources Institute,

2005).
There are many chemical compounds identified in the Earths
atmosphere acting as greenhouse gases. These greenhouse gases allow
sunlight to enter the atmosphere freely. As the sun strikes the Earths
surface, some of it is reflected back towards space through infrared
radiation, or in simple terms heat. The not so beneficial acts of these
greenhouse gases then take place as this infrared radiation is absorbed by
them, trapping the heat in the atmosphere. This process is the fundamental
cause of the so-called greenhouse effect where in general terms is a
process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by
atmospheric greenhouse gases and is re-radiated in all directions.
Most of the greenhouse gas emissions released by the residential
sector mainly comes from power consumption. A study on American homes
by the United States Energy Information Administration (USEIA) mentioned
that the residential sector accounts for 1.2 billion metric tons of energyrelated carbon dioxide, 71% of which is produced at power plants providing
homes electricity. It was also estimated that residential sector emissions
have grown steadily at an average annual rate of about 1.0% since 1990
(USEIA, 2012).
To mitigate the ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly
those attributed to the residential sector, the field of engineering contributed

35

what we call green technologies that are integrated to residential

structures. Green technologies in other terminologies may also be called as
environmental technologies or clean technologies (OECD, 2011). With
sustainable development as its core, these technologies may encompass the
aspects of energy conservation, materials recycling, renewable energy
production, sewage treatment, solid waste management, air and water
purification, environmental remediation, etc. that in turn aim to conserve the
natural environment and curb the negative impacts of human involvement.
Green technologies are devices that are integrated either within or
outside the residential structure. Some devices require installment during the
construction phase while others may take the role of add-ons or those that
can be installed even if the structure was built already. Green technologies
are also not limited to devices but also planning and strategies to sustainably
build the structure. With the integration of these green technologies, the
residential structure itself and the household residing in them may already
contribute to the lessening of greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the
residential sector. It is also possible to simultaneously integrate different
green technologies to a structure, though studies must be performed
regarding their compatibility to one another.
With green technologies/strategies comes also the use of green
building rating systems. Green building rating systems are tools constructed
in order to measure and evaluate the environmental performance of a
building, whether it may be a residential, commercial or industrial structure.
36

They are constructed to provide building owners and operators a concise

framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green
building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. The
rating systems cover a broad range of environmental considerations mainly
covering the three stages of a buildings life, namely the construction phase,
maintenance and operation phase, and the abandonment/demolition phase.
Most

common

green

building

rating

systems

that

served

as

foundations of different national green building systems around the world are
LEED and BREEAM green building rating systems (USGBC, 2006). LEED
stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design which is created
by the U.S. Green Building Council and adapted in the United States while
BREEAM stands for British Research Establishment Energy Assessment Matrix
which is adapted to the United Kingdom.
In the Philippines, three green building rating systems were adapted
and commonly used. These are the Building for Ecologically Responsive
Design Excellence (BERDE) rating system, LEED rating system which acts as
a third-party rating system and the Quezon City Green Building Rating
System (QCGBRS). BERDE is constructed under the Philippine Green Building
Council (PhilGBC) having the BREEAM and LEED influence (Mabasa, 2011).
The Quezon City Green Building Rating System is constructed under the
Quezon City government to suit the citys personal environmental concerns.
As of the moment, there are five LEED Certified buildings in the Philippines
and these are the Asian Development Bank, Nuvali One Evotech, Shell
37

Shared Services Office, and Texas Instruments in both Baguio and Clark
(Malaya, 2012).
The green building has been introduced but the features were not
thoroughly familiarized by the people. Reinforced concrete as building
material was introduced to Japan around 1905. The first all RC building was a
warehouse in Kobe, designed by Naoji Shiraishi, a professor of civil
engineering of the University of Tokyo and a member of the Institute of Civil
Engineers of the Great Britain, and constructed in 1906. The RC construction
became popular in the subsequent years, for it was generally accepted as
fire-proof and earthquake-proof construction in contrast to combustible
wooden construction or earthquake-crumbling brick construction. The
traditional RC construction, on the other hand, was limited to buildings
whose height did not exceed 20 m. This limitation was not explicitly
prescribed in the building code, but was enforced by means of the
administrative guidance. Any building taller than, say, seven stories had to
be constructed by steel structure or SRC structure. This administrative
guidance was carried over to post-war period. In 1950, five years after the
end of the World War II, the new Building Standard Law was enforced to
replace the old Urban Building Law, but the situation for RC construction was
basically unchanged. (Aoyama, 2001, pp1-2)
Since buildings are considered to be part of the environment, it
contributes to ones well-being. With this, green buildings provide a better
place for the community. Green buildings have affected communities by the
38

creation of green collar jobs and by the generation of employment in green

construction and trades. Its occupants also gain benefits from all economic
and social levels through lower operating costs and reduced living costs.
Basically, the concept of social sustainability provides a healthy lifestyle for
green building occupants. In contrast to this, the construction can contribute
to the health and lifestyle of the surrounding community in terms of
increasing air pollution and vehicular traffic, and even in terms of decreasing
open spaced areas. But, these things can be avoided through applying the
implication of sustainably designed building projects. Sustainable designs are
highly efficient. It incorporates natural indoor areas and natural building
features such as landscaped roofs and mini gardens. It provides natural day
lighting and views. It uses natural means for heating, cooling and ventilation.
(Montoya, 2011)
Researches were done to further understand the methods of construction
and the implications of green buildings to the environment. According to
Florida (year), U.S General Services Administration has a goal to achieve
Washington based U.S Green Building Councils IEED Silver for all new
buildings. They came up with researches providing data on evaluating 12
federal

buildings.

The

evaluations

included

the

measured

energy

performance of each building which illustrated the better performance of the

buildings up to 40 percent than the average. The buildings have the
complexity concerning water savings, and the buildings were said to be
performing a better rate in their baselines. Furthermore, all of these 12 GSA
39

buildings were rated higher than the national average for U.S. commercial
buildings in terms of overall building and workplace quality. Amado P. De
Jesus Jr., founding chair of Green Architecture Movement, explained how
green buildings can help in reducing bills. In green buildings, there are less
electricity bills and water bills which capture the attention of potential
tenants and customers. De Jesus also mentioned that accreditations are
voluntary although everybody should consider the benefits that come along
with the green building. One example is that, in most buildings, air
conditioners contribute 60% to the electricity bills, but when green principles
are applied, this may be reduced to 10%, or even zero percent. (Salazar,
2011) On the other hand, Kerr (2008) mentioned a few of the environmental
contribution that green buildings provide. He said that green buildings help
in protecting the environment. In one aspect, these buildings reduce the
carbon emissions. This is the work of the eco-friendly materials present.
Because of these materials, there is a decrease in using natural resources.
Also, the effects of the green buildings to humans are seen.

40

CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH
The Descriptive Method basically aims to describe what is present. This
method will aid the proponents to gain a better understanding with the
researchers project. The method involves research methodology used, the
respondents of the study, method of selection, the instrument used and its
validation, data gathering procedure, and statistical treatment applied for
accurate data analysis and interpretation.

41

RESEARCH DESIGN
The researchers chose a particular research design that best fit the
study. Parahoo (1997) defines a research design as a plan that describes
how, when and where data are to be collected and analyzed. Polit et al
(2001) define a research design as the researchers overall for answering
the research question or testing the research hypothesis.
A descriptive research methodology was used for this study. As Travers
(1978) said, it is to describe the nature of situation as it exists at the time of
the study and to explore the causes of particular phenomena. Furthermore,
as Sevilla (2003) concluded, it is designed for the investigator to gather
information about presenting existing conditions.
The researchers chose a descriptive research methodology and
designed a questionnaire survey instrument to assess the perceptions of
selected residents from around the metropolis regarding the performance of
green buildings in Metro Manila.
The questionnaire comprised of 20 statements which provided more
information in determining the performance of green buildings in Metro
Manila. The respondents were given four options to state their opinion about
these statements; strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree.

42

SETTING OF THE STUDY

The setting of this study covers the residents of Metro Manila,
specifically the randomly selected 157 people that we had encountered
during our sampling period.

RESPONDENTS OF THE STUDY

The target population consisted of 157 residents of Metro Manila. There
was sampling used. This target population was quite large. According Easton
and McColl, It is the basic technique where we select a group of subject for
study from a larger group. Each individual is chosen randomly by chance and
each member of the population has an equal chance of being included in the
survey.
To choose the residents, simple random sampling was used. Table I
shows the sampling distribution of the respondents of the study showing the
number of participation from each cities.

Table I
Distribution of Respondents by City

Cities

Number of Respondents
43

Caloocan City

Las Pias City

Mandaluyong City

Manila

10

Makati City

Malabon City

Marikina City

Muntinlupa City

10

Navotas City

Paraaque

Pasay City

Pasig

10

Pateros

Quezon City

San Juan City

Taguig City

10

Valenzuela City

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

44

The researchers gathered information from books and other sources in

order to gain more knowledge and insights about the study. The gathered
information was put together in the form of questionnaire.
The researchers used the survey method in the data gathering
procedure to obtain the pertinent information from the randomly selected
residents of Metro Manila, and this obtained information allowed the
researchers to further examine the performance of green buildings in Metro
Manila, and to arrive at specific conclusion. To make improvements, the
survey questions were tried out first on a group of people not included in the
research.

DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE

The collection of data involved a survey which was administered to a
selected population. The term survey is commonly applied to a research
methodology designed to collect data from a specific population, or a sample
from that population, and typically utilizes a questionnaire or an interview as
the survey instrument (Robson, 1993).
The survey was comprised of questions which were related to the
participants perception of green buildings in Metro Manila. Likert scale was
used to determine if the respondents agreed or disagreed in a statement.
For the distribution of the questionnaires, the researchers arranged
appointments to the residents of Metro Manila. The researchers guided them
45

without influencing their answers while answering the questionnaires. the

researchers gave the respondents the option of being anonymous.
Participants were given the time they need to answer all questions.
After it was answered, questionnaires were retrieved. There were no
incentives offered for participating in the research.
Next, the researchers examined the certain answers and jot down a
score where it should be counted. Data in every variable was tallied
individually and merged for the summary. Now, the data are ready for
analysis and treatment.

STATISTICAL TREATMENT
Individual responses were tallied before they were put into graph for
the statistical treatment.

To know the total amount of the respondents

needed for the survey, the researchers used the formula for getting the
sample size needed respondents.

Where:
n = sample size
N = population size
e = desired margin of error

46

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Developing

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