Last updated: January 2023
One of the first public institutions to rise to the climate change challenge in the Philippines is the LLDA, which unveiled a two-wing, four-story green building in Quezon City to mark its 48th anniversary in 2014. Reflecting the critical mandate of the LLDA to protect the country’s largest freshwater lake, the LLDA building features its own water treatment facility, material recovery facility, and a rain collection system that can hold 60,000 gallons of water. In order to be certified by the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence, several greened areas have been installed in the building: two “pocket gardens” on intermediate levels and a green roof (Bio Roof) which covers an area of 208 m2. The Bio Roof is integrated within the building’s structure. Its vegetative layer protects the waterproofing membrane from climatic extremes, which allows for the reduction in maintenance and the reduction in the size of stormwater handling facilities. [1]
LLDA building greenroof
https://ceowatermandate.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/BAFWAC_-_Lafarge_Holcim_Phillipines_11.10.pdf
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Green areas for water management
- Sustainable urban drainage systems
- Nature on buildings (external)
- Green roofs
- Parks and urban forests
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Environmental quality
- Air quality improvement
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
Focus
Creation of new green areas
Project objectives
1. To protect the waterproofing membrane from climatic extremes, which allows for a reduction in maintenance and a decline in the size of stormwater handling facilities.
2. To capture rainwater (which can be used for non-potable needs), thus reducing the volume of water needed to be handled by the drainage systems.
3. To increase the energy performance of the building by improving insulating properties.
4. To create a building with Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence. [1, 2]
Implementation activities
LafargeHolcim partnered with SIKA—a manufacturer of speciality chemicals for construction and industry—to develop the innovative green roof solution used for the LLDA’s new building. The three main components of the system were:
1. The growing medium BioMix, a special lightweight medium composed of different ingredients, enables stable anchorage of plants’ roots and provides appropriate water holding capacity.
2. The underlying layer of natural lightweight aggregates BioLite, for drainage. This natural material promotes healthy plant growth by retaining and draining water in a natural way. In addition, this material conforms to any shape and depth of the drainage course, does not require any maintenance, can be easily recycled, is durable, does not contain clay or organic material, and can support a thick layer of soil and live load.
3. The waterproofing and root barrier membrane Sarnafil, is a fibre-reinforced, multi-layer, synthetic membrane.
The herbaceous plants and grasses are carefully chosen to regenerate themselves and stand up to extreme variations in heat and water availability. In addition to the green roof, the project also included other ecological features such as a wetland area for natural treatment of stormwater on-site and creating a cooling effect in the areas surrounding the building. Thanks to this wetland, the building won’t have an additional impact on municipal drainage systems. This wetland area also acts as a small-scale representation of the ecological processes that occur in Laguna Lake and will be used for educational purposes for visitors. [1, 2, 3]
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Implement solutions to capture/store water to increase its availability and prevent shortages from droughts
- Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature
- Implement green walls or roofs to lower indoor temperature and provide insulation
- Increase the use of climate-resilient plant species (resistant to drought, fire, and pests)
Main beneficiaries
- National-level government
- Local government/Municipality
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- National government
- Private sector/corporate actor/company
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Unknown
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The two main stakeholders in the project were LafargeHolcim Philippines and Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA). LLDA’s mission is to ensure the development and balanced growth of the Laguna Lake area while providing environmental management, control, and preservation of the quality of human life and ecological systems, whereas LafargeHolcim helps customers differentiate themselves from competitors by receiving environmental credits for their projects.
LafargeHolcim partnered with SIKA—a manufacturer of speciality chemicals for construction and industry—to develop the innovative green roof solution that was used for the LLDA’s new building. [2, 3]
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
("This Green Building is LLDA's share in the protection of our environment and defines the very purpose of our work and mission, "Ibalik ang Luntiang Yaman at Diwa ng Lawa". [2])
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public national budget
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
No
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved stormwater management
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Other
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No
References
1. World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) (n.d.) Green Roof and Water Management in Philippines Government Office Building. URL: Source link. Accessed on 20th March, 2022.
2. Department of Environment and Natural Resources News, Republic of the Philippines. URL: Source link. Accessed on 20th March, 2022.
3. A LafargeHolcim Philippines case study. (2017) Green roof and water management in Philippines government office building. URL: Source link. Accessed on 20th March, 2022.
2. Department of Environment and Natural Resources News, Republic of the Philippines. URL: Source link. Accessed on 20th March, 2022.
3. A LafargeHolcim Philippines case study. (2017) Green roof and water management in Philippines government office building. URL: Source link. Accessed on 20th March, 2022.
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the UNA global extension project funded by the British Academy.