Construction event to feature ‘Green Building’
The biggest Mindanao construction and building expo opened yesterday, featuring the Green Building where largest selection of products and services during the three-day expo from July 1 to 3, at Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas convention center in Davao City.
The expo, dubbed as PHILCONSTRUCT Mindanao, will feature the latest innovation in Green Building, the Philippine News Agency reported.
Philippine Constructors Association Inc. executive officer Manolito Madrasto said the expo will not only showcase products and equipment but there will also be techno forum that will tackle, among others, topics related to environment friendly made available not only to constructors but to consumers.
Among the topics to be discussed are the High Performance of Green Building by Engr. Ramon Aguillos; Salient Points of the PSVARE (Philippine Society of Ventilating, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineers, Inc.) Energy Efficient Standard by Engr. Fernando Guevarra; and Green Building Rating System for the Philippines by Engr. Dennis Alejandro.
Green Building, also known as green construction or sustainable building, as Wikipedia defines is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle: from sifting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction.
This practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability and comfort.
Although new technologies are constantly being developed to complement current practices in creating greener structures, the common objective is that green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by efficiently using energy, water and other resources, protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity, and reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation.
Madrasto said the direction now is towards the green construction and constructors are raising awareness campaign on this concern.
He said consumers might find it more expensive but if they consider its quality and durability it will turn out more cost-efficient because the structure would last longer and at the same time help the environment.
Madrasto said proper education of the products that will be used in the building construction would defray its cost, citing for instance that Davao is blessed because it has in its city the processing plant of Holcim cement.
He said they have products that are suited to the kind of materials needed for the work like in the plastering of the structure.
Holcim has that appropriate cement which is much lower in cost rather than they use the cement for the foundation of the building which is more expensive.
Madrasto said the consumers now have several options and it is just a matter of knowing these products.
He said the expo will be the venue for the public and the construction industry stakeholders to see for themselves the latest in the market be it in products or equipment as some 100 exhibitors mostly Manila-based are participating the event.
