SM Prime Holdings Inc., which has long been incorporating disaster resilience and sustainability in the building designs of its projects, is pushing this advocacy to the next generation of leaders.
This was expressed by Jessica Sy, vice president and head of Design, Innovation, and Strategy of SM Prime and its residential arm SM Development Corp. (SMDC) in her address to architecture students of the University of Sto. Tomas last Sept. 30, 2024.
Sy emphasized the need to respect the land through the creation of green buildings that protect the community’s well-being long term.
“From an architectural standpoint, we want to make sure that when we develop a building, it’s going to last for a long time,” said Sy. “We’ve seen that what’s good for our communities is actually good for our company because addressing their needs also strengthens our connection with them as our customers.”
Sy noted the role of water in any development, saying it can be both a source of life or unpredictable in nature.
“As architects, this was one of the first few things we were taught,” said Sy.
She added: “Water is life-giving but it can also change everything. Floods in properties could heavily impact and uproot the lives of many families.”
According to Sy, SMDC ensures it meets the highest standards of disaster resilience in its development.
One of SMDC’s projects, Field Residences in Parañaque, is an example of this commitment.
Sy said when the team from SMDC found out water levels in Field Residences had risen over the years due to several factors including climate change, the company reassessed the project even if has been turned over.
SMDC said a new rainwater detention tank was completed in the Parañaque development in September 2024. 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 said it has also equipped a number of its properties with disaster resilience features over the years and in the recent, Typhoon Carina, none of its properties experienced flooding.
SMDC said it not only incorporates green building features but also strengthen community ties, increase environmental consciousness, and promote local identity in its projects. To celebrate local flora in their developments, Sy said her team specifically choose native plants that are more well-suited to the area.
“We try to reduce the types of plants that don’t benefit the local environment nor enliven its biodiversity,” she said. “What we do is to 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 has thus ensured the integrate nurseries of these plants in its developments such as Parkville in Bacolod and select properties in the North and South Luzon and Mindanao.
