Despite the economic downturn in the Philippines due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, independent real estate player ISOC Land (I-Land) remains optimistic of the real estate market and pushes with its scheduled launches this year of new residential communities geared toward sustainable living.
I-Land is the property arm of ISOC Holdings, a fast-growing Filipino conglomerate founded and chaired by construction leader and innovator, Michael Cosiquien. The company’s maiden residential condominium development, I-Land Residences Sucat in Parañaque City, was launched in February 2020 and reported a strong uptake despite the pandemic, selling out all of its Tower 1 single-bedroom units.
According to Jesus Chua Jr., president of ISOC Holdings, the consequences of COVID-19 as a public health crisis have only but highlighted the benefits of sustainable living that are able to directly address the emerging needs of homebuyers in this “new normal.”
“Homeseekers and investors alike are now recognizing value in the long-term solutions that sustainable developments bring—such as more efficient use and management of natural resources, building design that takes into consideration harmony with the environment, and a home that is adaptive to a changing lifestyle of work and study in place,” he explains.
I-Land Residences Sucat is a LEED-certified development composed of six mid-rise buildings across two hectares of prime property south of Metro Manila. In line with its promise of “Home of the Future,” as much as 65 percent of its land area is devoted to open spaces as part of its orientation toward sustainability. Other principal features include ventilated open corridors with natural lighting, adaptive reuse of rainwater for landscaping and the use of energy-efficient light fixtures.
On the back of rosy prospects from I-Land Residences Sucat’s launch, the company is set to follow through with a similar master-planned residential condominium development in the prime district of Cloverleaf in Quezon City. The project is slated for launch before the end of the year.
“Sustainability is a key value of ISOC Holdings. And with what has happened this 2020, it has evolved from being a vision to giving us a true sense of purpose,” says Cosiquien. “The reality of COVID-19 has only emphasized the necessary shift to sustainable living, to allow Filipinos to thrive in an increasingly evolving world and to live in the best possible way—benefiting themselves and their families, as well as the environment.”
I-Land’s sustainable development portfolio includes office and commercial projects such as I-Land Bay Plaza, a 12-story mixed-use building along Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City with approximately 20,000 square meters of commercial office and retail space. It is LEED-certified with intelligent building management system (BMS) and 24-7 back-up power supply to meet the demands of business process outsourcing (BPO) locators. The building is scheduled for completion in 2021.
I-Land has also bagged an agreement to develop a seven-hectare property at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, which it will transform into a P6-billion integrated township that will be LEED-certified and that will house sustainable and energy-efficient resort and entertainment features with hotels, offices, serviced condominiums and retail.
