Officers of the young and dynamic green property firm that is behind the development of Primavera Residences — the first eco-friendly, mixed-use condominium development in Mindanao — have been recently cited as the country’s “new business leaders” by National Geographic.

In an article published in the February 2014 issue of the legendary magazine, ITPI Corp. (Italpinas Euroasian Design and Eco-Development Corporation) was noted for leading the country’s push into sustainable architecture and property development.

The National Geographic cited ITPI for specializing in property development “with environmentally sound and affordable architectural design.” The official publication of the National Geographic Society, the National Geographic magazine has been published since 1888.

In the article, which featured two other upcoming property developers that are seen as movers in their own sectors, Primavera Residences was also noted for its being an award-winning property that has gained international recognition for its best-in-class passive cooling design and other sustainable architecture features.

“We design eco-friendly lifestyle solutions and incorporate them into energy-smart buildings and residential units for the middle-market,” the National Geographic quoted ITPI Executive Chairman and CEO Italian Architect Romolo V. Nati as saying. Together with his Filipino partner, Atty. Jojo Leviste, the Italian architect was noted by the magazine as someone who is “something of a visionary.”

According to National Geographic: “Primavera Residences’ design combines contemporary aesthetics with natural airflow through inner spaces…(Its) architectural elements (are) designed precisely for the location’s latitude, and the building’s surface (is) shaded from the sun throughout the year.”

“This design has been cited as one of Asia’s top 10 clean energy projects because of its capacity to help residents save as much as 32% on air-conditioning consumption,” the magazine also said.

National Geographic also said: “Leviste is particularly pleased that ITPI’s elegant design solutions have been compared to the architecture of the bahay kubo, the indigenous bamboo-and-thatch huts that predate Spanish colonisation.”

It quoted Leviste as maintaining that: “Eco-friendly buildings do not have to cost a lot and they don’t have to be high-tech.”

“We want to change the perception of green building from being expensive to being something regular people can afford,” National Geographic also quoted Arch. Nati as saying.

So far, Primavera Residences has already won two awards:

•             The Most Promising Clean Energy Investment Opportunities from the Climate Technology Initiative-Private Financing Advisory Networks (CTI-PFAN) in 2010, given at the Asia Forum for Clean Energy Financing held in Makati.

CTI-PFAN is the Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN) initiated by the Climate Technology Initiative (CTI) in cooperation with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Expert Group on Technology Transfer. PFAN operates to bridge the gap between investments and clean energy businesses.

•             One of the Best Condo Developments in the Philippines from the 2011 South East Asia Property Awards at a ceremony held at Singapore.#