Exquadra Inc., the property firm of the Unioil group, has bagged a LEED platinum certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC) for the Exquadra Tower.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and a recognized international symbol of excellence in green buildings.
The Exquadra Tower, located in the heart of Ortigas Central Business District, is the first building in Pasig and the sixth building in the county to earn the highest level in the LEED – Building Design & Construction – Core & Shell (LEED BD+C: CS) rating system.
With the recognition, the 38-story Ortigas prime office tower on Exchange Road joins the ranks of some of the most renowned state-of-the-art LEED Platinum certified buildings in the world such as the Crystal in London, Taipei 101 in Taiwan, and the Bank of America Tower in New York.
“Achieving LEED certification is more than just implementing sustainable practices. It represents a commitment to making the world a better place and influencing others to do better,” USGBC president and CEO Mahesh Ramanujam said. “Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection and the central role buildings play in that effort, Exquadra is creating a path forward through their LEED certification.”
Designed after an oil drop—Unioil’s main business, the Exquadra Tower is a testament to the group’s leadership in today’s world-class “green” architecture while the LEED Platinum certification signifies its legacy that is future-proof, iconic, and longevity.
“On its 50th anniversary five years ago, the company decided that despite its significant efforts in protecting the environment, it needs to do more… much more. That is why Unioil formed its first property development company, Exquadra. Today, this is just beyond dreaming. Exquadra Tower is now a LEED Platinum certified building in the heart of the Ortigas CBD. The most exciting part about all this is that we are just getting started,” Exquadra director Janice Co said.
For the tower, Unioil gathered a team of architects and design consultants behind the Exquadra Tower, including Barone International, its sustainability consultant, to monitor the construction process to ensure that Exquadra adheres to LEED requirements.
“The developers of Exquadra opted for LEED certification by the US Green Building Council because it is the most ‘holistic’ measure of sustainability…not just considering environmental impact but more on tenant wellbeing,” Exquadra project manager Kelly Cada said.
The resource-efficient systems and green technologies behind Exquadra Tower are designed using an integrated, whole-building approach.
The building was designed to provide significant energy savings from the latest, efficient water-cooled chiller system with Magnetic Levitation Technology. It is the same technology that cools the Changi Airport in Singapore and the Louvre in Paris. This is the first installation of this technology in the Philippines.
The Exquadra Team emphasizes the importance of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) within the building to prevent sick building syndrome by providing dual-stage (MERV 8 & MERV 13) filtration system which was designed to introduce pre-cooled, fresh, clean air exchange to every office unit in the building – a feature that has proven to be vital during this pandemic and compliant with the new DOLE Guideline for Ventilation in the Workplace.
The tower is also installed with double-glazed curtain glass that efficiently reflects heat to reduce internal building temperature. It also boasts LED lighting throughout the building, and provisions for energy-efficient destination control elevators.
The building’s parking lot is also equipped with (scalable) electric vehicle charging stations, and high-speed under-chassis camera for better security.
The Exquadra Tower is also the first 5G-ready building in the Philippines with Pico cells in every office unit to optimize coverage.