A Sustainable Way of Life at Vermosa
A MUCH-TALKED-ABOUT concept nowadays is sustainability, the capacity to endure. In fact, it’s the endurance of systems and processes. Sustainability is also how biological systems remain diverse and productive indefinitely.
Like other estates of real estate giant Ayala Land Inc., Vermosa provides its residents with a sustainable way of life. It is a 700-hectare integrated, mixeduse development in Metro South, offering a healthy and active lifestyle.
Environmental Sustainability
“Vermosa’s 165 hectares or 24 percent of the total development is allotted to generous open spaces. There will be interconnected parks and gardens. Green spaces promote physical activity, psychological well-being and general health of resident,“said Anna Maria M. Gonzales, sustainability manager, urban/regional planning, Ayala Land.
She said people are encouraged to explore the neighborhood by walking, running and biking. That’s why the 17-kilometer-long, 2.5-meter wide pedestrian lane and the 17-km-long, 1.5-m-wide biking lane are intended for these activities. There is also a greenway measuring 14 km long and 10 m wide and a landscaped promenade stretching north to south.
According to her, the masterplan ensures that the neighborhood retail centers are accessible within a 10-minute walk or bike ride from any residential development within the project. This reduces the reliance on private vehicles to move around.
Ayala Land’s highly accessible future city will have diverse living options provided by its top three brands—Ayala Land Premier, Alveo and Avida.
Gonzales said: “Ayala Land’s first masterplanned estate in Cavite has two main natural lakes that serve as water detention areas. The water can be used for landscaping, irrigation and recycling. It also has little depressions that hold rainwater during the rainy season and serves as parks during the dry months. Ayala Land allows the natural contour of the land in the communities it develops.”
She cited permeable walkways as another environmental sustainability feature. These walkways allow rainwater to soak into the ground, contributing to aquifers and replenishing the water table.
According to Gonzales, Ayala Property Management Corp. will prove its expertise not only in waste management system from waste segregation at source to disposal but also in other areas of estate management.
Energy-efficient lighting fixtures, appliances and equipment will be used in Vermosa structures, she added.
Economic Sustainability
Gonzales said Vermosa has a balanced mix of mixed-use components ranging from residential and retail options, offices and institutional developments to entertainment centers. Of the 124hectare central business district, 46 hectares (under phase one) will have four- to eight-story buildings while 11 hectares will be for open spaces. For phase two, 19- to 15-story buildings will rise on 42 hectares of land while there will 25 hectares of open spaces.
Vermosa, she stressed, offers the opportunity to enjoy high-value appreciation. Land values in Ayala Land estates appreciated from their launch price to their current price. For instance Ayala Hillside, launched in 2002 and priced at P8,000 per sqm, now costs P140,000 while Sonera, which 2005 launch price was P11,000, currently costs P45,000. Like these Ayala Land estates, Vermosa’s land value is expected to increase in the near future.
Located 7 km away from the newly opened Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX), Vermosa benefits from the new tollway, which is owned and operated by the Ayala conglomerate. MCX cuts travel time by 30 percent from Makati and links Daang Hari Road to the South Luzon Expressway. Vermosa is 5 km away from the second exit from Cavite, the upcoming Cavite-Laguna Expressway (Calax), soon making travel time to Manila within a few minutes.
Ayala Land plans to establish a mass transit terminal, welcoming the entry of public transport into the estate.
Social Sustainability
The Vermosa masterplan, together with its design, encourages community interaction in open spaces and recreational areas.
Through its property and estate management services, Ayala Property Management Corp. (APMC) provides support to residents by helping them organize themselves into associations and Vermosa to encourage sustainable practices through its programs.
Residents of surrounding communities are hired for property management positions.
Nongovernment organizations engage in community organizing and training. They train neighboring communities on values, skills, leadership and community structures.
Healthy & Active Lifestyle
Gonzales said Vermosa is integrating a healthy and active lifestyle with everyday living. In fact, the centerpiece of the project is the Vermosa Sports and Lifestyle Complex, the best destination for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
Open to the public and professionally managed, the complex has an Olympicsize pool, a bike skills trail, a 400-m track and field, and a motocross track. It boasts of a sports science laboratory, the first of its kind in the country, catering to triathlon athletes. Triathlon is a multiplestage race combining swimming, cycling and running in immediate succession over various distances.
There will also be a gas station, sports shops, community retail, drive-through restaurants and healthy dining options.
Like other ALI estates, Vermosa bears the mark of a truly sustainable community. It further expands the real estate giant’s footprint across the country and brings the benefits of the company’s sustainable estates to more Filipinos.