4-star BERDE rating for Mandani Bay Suites: The first green building in the Visayas

Mandani Bay Suites, the first phase of the landmark Mandani Bay community in Mandaue City, was recently awarded a four-star accreditation under the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) system implemented by the non-stock, non-profit Philippine Green Building Council (PHILGBC).

Mandani Bay Suites’s four-star rating covers Towers 1 and 2. PHILGBC Chairman Engr. Edgar Sabidong underscored the achievement being the only accreditation ever granted to a building in Cebu and the entire Visayas region.
At ceremonies where Mandani Bay executives presented the certificate to Mandaue City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing, he said the city is “proud” to host the only building with the highest BERDE accreditation rating in the region.

Its final score on the five-star system highlights Mandani Bay’s outstanding design principles and guarantees that Mandani Bay Suites is built to world-class standards. Mandaue City itself requires a 3-star BERDE for new buildings in accordance with the Mandaue City Green Building Ordinance for locators within the North Reclamation area.

The BERDE rating tool makes it easier for the public to identify green buildings. The BERDE rating is awarded after a rigorous assessment process. The system is the Philippines’ own yardstick of industry practices. It examines how a building excels above and beyond local environmental regulations and standards.

Mandani Bay Suites scored high in many of the areas assessed. It had a perfect score in the assessment of materials and emissions. Perfect scores in these areas indicate the use of materials contributing to energy conservation in architectural finishes and electrical works and the presence of sufficient ozone protection and emission control systems.

Mandani Bay Suites’s glare control and good indoor air quality have also been affirmed by the BERDE accreditation as it scored high in indoor environment quality. High scores were also attained in water and energy efficiency and conservation, transportation and land use and ecology management.

Jeffrey Lun, Project Advisor of HTLand, Inc., expressed the company’s commitment to excellence in building the project saying, “We will continue to pursue Level 4 or even a perfect score in succeeding phases of Mandani Bay.”

PHILGBC, now counting over two hundred and fifty corporations and organizations as members in the Philippines, is allied with the World Green Building Council – Asia Pacific Network. The Council, whose opinions on policy and business development and environmental expertise are highly valued, is also part of the International Initiative for a Sustainable Built Environment (iiSBE) and a global partner of the GLOBE Alliance.

The Mandani Bay Suites topped last November 2018 and is on track for its turnover in the first quarter of 2020. It features a commercial strip, recreational and community support facilities and car parks.

By integrating global standards of design and construction with elements of the rich Cebuano heritage, Mandani Bay is steadily transforming Cebu into an international lifestyle destination.