Should we conceptualize buildings differently — and sustainably — in an environmentally challenged world? Yes of course. But can we?
The chief executive officer of an innovative Filipino-Italian real estate firm thinks so — and will show just how — at the 2013 International Conference on Smarter Cities, being held from Nov. 14 to 15 at the Diamond Hotel Philippines along Roxas Boulevard, Manila.
Italian architect Romolo V. Nati, Executive Chairman and CEO of the ITALPINAS Euro Asian Design and Eco-Development Corporation (ITPI), thinks that there are many ways that buildings can be reconceptualized to ensure that they are eco-friendly and sustainable.
“For starters, structures need to be built in a way that allow these to withstand earthquakes, storms and other natural disasters. Then, these structures can source part of their energy requirements from renewables. These can incorporate water recycling, as well as waste disposal systems that are more environmental,” he says.
Finally, they can follow a psychologically healthy design, he adds.
Nati’s presentation, titled “Eco-logic Architecture: Conceptualizing Buildings Differently” is one of five sessions under the theme Smarter Economy and will be held in the morning, from 10:15 to 11:45.
Founded in 2009 by partners Architect Nati and Atty. Jojo Leviste, a Filipino, ITPI envisions a world were cities are smarter and sustainable building is the norm.
ITPI’s first project, Primavera Residences, is the country’s first eco-friendly condominium that boasts of several green building and sustainable features. Among these is a ventilation system that is inspired by a termite mound’s natural ventilation scheme and which cuts air conditional consumption by 32 percent.
“Are we destined to become a planet of slums or can we still act now and build smarter cities? And what about buildings in these smarter cities? Would and should they follow a different logic from today’s buildings?,” Nati asks.
The Smarter Cities Conference, organized by the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning, aims to begin the public discourse on creating smarter cities in a world beset by overpopulation, rapid population growth, dwindling resources, widespread pollution, climate change and unrestrained urbanization.
Recognizing that, in a world poised on the brink of environmental disaster, the difference between widespread ruin and a sustainable future lies largely in how cities are planned and developed, the organizers are bringing together builders, developers, engineers, planners and advocates of smart cities from across the world. At the conference, they will share the ways that smarter technologies can be leveraged to improve the quality of life in cities.
Parallel sessions on six different main themes will be held on the second day of the Conference:
- Smarter Governance
- Smarter Economy
- Smarter Mobility
- Smarter Environment
- Smarter Planning and Design and
- Smarter People and Living
For more information, visit:
http://conference.surp.upd.
Or email regcom.surpconference@gmail.
For more information on ItalPinas and its eco-friendly developments, email pr@italpinas.com.
