When Typhoon Odette hit Cebu City in December 2021, Don Vicente Rama Memorial Elementary School (DVRMES) in Barangay San Nicolas in Pardo, Cebu was one of the many infrastructures that was badly hit. The wind during Typhoon Odette was so strong it left young students with roofless classrooms. DVRMES needed more than to be repaired, it needed to be rebuilt. Thanks to Arthaland, it didn’t take long for DVRMES to not only restore their building but also invest in their future by developing it into the first certified Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) Advanced School Building in the Philippines.
The EDGE Advanced certification stands as tangible proof of our resolute commitment to reducing energy consumption, conserving water, and minimizing embodied energy in materials
OLIVER CHAN
Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer
Arthaland
We are not just investing in physical infrastructure but in the future of students and the entire Cebu community,” said Arthaland’s Vice Chairman and President Jaime González during the turnover ceremony in DVRMES last October 26. Together with their partners, Datem Inc., Econlite Corp., Lixil Philippines and Weltanchaung Corp., Arthaland rebuilt and equipped a building in DVRMES with new ceiling fans, fresh paint, energy-efficient light fixtures and water-saving bathroom fixtures. While these may be mundane, new ceiling fans and fresh paint could mean a more comfortable and conducive learning environment for the young minds being molded at DVRMES.
Zero Carbon Future for DVRMES
As an innovation of the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group, EDGE is an innovative program that scales up resource-efficient buildings by identifying the most cost-effective strategies to reduce energy use, water use and embodied carbon in materials.
“The EDGE Advanced certification stands as tangible proof of our resolute commitment to reducing energy consumption, conserving water, and minimizing embodied energy in materials,” explained Mr. Oliver Chan, Arthaland’s Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer.
Sustainability doesn’t stop here
EDGE certification is not a new concept for Arthaland. Arthaland is an EDGE Champion in the Philippines, and one of the early adopters of EDGE certification. They are even the first in the world to achieve EDGE Zero Carbon certification for its flagship office building, ArthaLand Century Pacific Tower (ACPT) in BGC, Taguig City. DVRMES joins the other four EDGE certified buildings in Cebu City – Faustina Center, Cebu Exchange, 38 Park Avenue and Mactan Beach Resort and Condo.
Just last month, Arthaland topped off Lucima, their first residential venture in Cebu Business Park. It is envisioned as the Southern Philippines’ first quadrupled-certified high-rise residential project. Lucima by Arthaland hopes to acquire the EDGE Certification once completed. Arthaland said that they are actively exploring opportunities for future initiatives that will continue to promote environmental responsibility, resource efficiency and community well-being. They are open to collaborating with organizations and individuals interested in supporting similar sustainable initiatives like the EDGE Advanced Certification of DVRMES.
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