When I was very young, I was lucky to have spent a lot of time in the countryside. Today, whenever I have the chance, I still try to get close to nature. To me the sea and the mountains are perfect because all the elements are present–the water, earth, sun, and wind.
Sadly, this connection to nature is slowly disappearing now. Many children spend too much time indoors. Sometimes, even if they do have access to plenty of “stuff”, they don’t really understand where these things come from. It would be great to expose our children more to natural elements to preserve or revive this important connection.
Years before green design became mainstream, when I was still a student, I had already thought about how I would design my own ideal living space. I wanted it to be efficient, elegant, and in harmony with the elements. Now as an architect, my work is to build and design in such a way that impact to the environment is minimized while maintaining balance and delivering a beautiful and unique end result.
This is the philosophy that I bring to Italpinas as we work, together with Filipino architects and engineers, to embed green features into the design of the structures that we build. Passive green design strategies are all about enhancing natural ventilation by having inner courtyards, for example, or decreasing temperature inside the units through the use of shading, or rain water harvesting and water recycling, and optimizing the use of natural lighting.
For Italpinas, sustainability is less about complex technologies and more about pure and simple design. Through elegant design solutions, we are able to save energy and water, reducing household expenses. This way, sustainability becomes inclusive.
Our projects are certified by EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies), which is the green building rating system developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. There are several rating systems but we chose EDGE because its standards are more aligned with our philosophy in Italpinas. By being EDGE-certified, we are part of the global ambition to “mainstream green buildings and help fight climate change”.
From my experience growing up amid nature, to my present work as an architect building green structures — the journey has come full circle.
About Architect Romolo Nati
Romolo Valentino Benedetto Nati known as Romolo Nati or RVN, is a multi-awarded Italian architect and businessman with interest in sustainable development (energy and real estate). He is the current Executive Chairman and CEO of Italpinas Development Corporation (IDC), an Italian-Filipino real estate development firm that specializes in the design and development of sustainable buildings. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Philippine renewable energy company Constellation Energy Corporation (CEC) that focuses in acquiring, financing and developing small to medium-scale renewable energy projects across the Philippines. Follow Architect Nati on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.