Is Fort Bonifacio Global City Sustainable?A Macro Planning Approach

Author: Aristides N. de Paz

Mapua Institute of Technology, Manila, Philippines

teddepaz_dbtc@yahoo.com

Abstract: The concept of sustainable architecture has become ambiguous. In a paper by Christopher

C. Theis of the School of Architecture for the Louisiana State University, he states that seven

papers were submitted to create the parameters of what the term could mean and in this

forum only two actually actually defined the term. One of the authors, Vivian Loftness

states that “it is a creative process whereby the built environment achieves new levels of

ecological balance through new and retrofit construction towards the long term viability and

humanization of architecture. (Loftness, 2006) Further, the detachment of energy efficiency

design does not necessarily fall into the categories of sustainable architecture. Thomas

Fisher suggests that “if we are to achieve more sustainable future, we need to start talking

not just about energy-conserving techniques but about need itself and what that means in

terms of architecture education and practice.(Fisher, 2006) Looking at the works of Ken

Yeang and his conceptual works all over the world, the term biosphere has evolved to how

architects should design which supposes an acclimation of architecture towards the

environment, that the environment must now become an element in creating architecture in

the same manner as color, light, shadow, materials, line and form are. Indeed, although

there are several structures that are considered energy efficient, they could very well

contribute to environmental hazards such as carbon emissions and urban heat island effect

thereby creating a question on how evaluation for sustainability should be prepared.

Looking at Fort Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, this paper shall try to dissect the concept of

sustainability as applied to this urban center's macro-planning and analyse the whether the

term actually applies.

Keywords: Macro-sustainability, biosphere, environmental hazards, environmental acclimation