Property investors’ preferences have been evolving and developers should proactively cater to emerging trends, property consultancy Colliers said.
Colliers in a report said one trend that was highlighted by the pandemic is the preference for good ventilation and the presence of greener and more open spaces in office and residential units.
In the report, Colliers said based on the findings of its latest briefing surveys conducted in the first quarter of 2025, more than 40 percent of respondents said that sustainability is an important factor when looking for office space, while nearly 30 percent noted that green and sustainable features are critical and must be present when scouting for office space to rent.
Office survey
“Office tenants are now prioritizing green and sustainable features when looking for office space. As Colliers Philippines previously highlighted, providing green, healthy, and sustainable office space is becoming popular, with landlords now taking advantage of demand from multinational companies and large Filipino firms highlighting sustainability,” the report said.
This will likely be the norm moving forward and occupying healthy and sustainable spaces will be pivotal in enticing employees to return to office, according to Colliers.
Colliers estimates that around 1.1 million square meters of new office space is likely to be completed from 2025 to 2027, with about half of these spaces having green and/or sustainable certifications.
“We encourage landlords to cash in on this rising demand, especially from multinational corporations that require their Philippine units to hold offices within sustainable office towers and advance their parent firms’ adoption of sustainable development and Environmental, Social and Governance practices,” Colliers said.
It added: “Majority of our respondents said that they are more productive under a traditional office setup. This presents tremendous opportunities for landlords to redesign and ‘reimagine’ their office space to entice more employees to return to office.”
For residential, the report showed that 92 percent of respondents said good ventilation and large green open spaces are the features they would like to have in their place of residence.
Other features prioritized by homeowners are resilient system (safe failure, redundancy, etc.), 48 percent, and smart home system, 26 percent.
Nearly 50 percent of the respondents chose resilient power systems and internet connection as important considerations especially for those still working from home or working under hybrid arrangements, the report added.
