The Happy Home: Expert Tips On Ensuring The Health And Safety Of Our Spaces
Architect Ae Geli-Pastrana talks about how the Menarco Tower was designed with health and safety in mind, as well as how to create places that you love and love you back
In Bonifacio Global City, the Menarco Tower stands 32 stories high, and is the second in the world to have received the WELL™ Health and Safety Rating from the International WELL Building Institute. The building is also LEED Gold® Certified and WELL Gold™ Certified—the first building to be awarded so in Southeast Asia. This means that the Menarco Tower has met international health and safety standards, prioritizing the well-being of the people who enter its doors every day.
Health and safety are not just for towering buildings in cities—as homeowners, it's also important to guarantee that the house that shelters us each day, and looks after us the same way that we care for it. That said, we spoke to Architect Ae Geli-Pastrana, the design coordinator involved in the construction of Menarco, and asked her for practical suggestions, tips, and advice on how to apply safety and health guidelines and standards to their own properties and spaces.
The ins and outs of the Menarco Tower
The ins and outs of the Menarco Tower
The Menarco Tower
Designed as a testament to Filipino talent and values, Menarco is, according to Arch. Ae, is restrained and elegant with a quiet strength, and possesses understated refinement. "These are shown in 'the juxtaposition of complementing materials, textures, and rhythms' as described by Arch. Anna Sy," she says.
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Ae Geli-Pastrana
The Menraco Tower
In designing the building, the architects made sure to include the "usual non-negotiables of a building envelope": structural soundness, water-tightness, proper air circulation, sufficient lighting, and safe water supply. But Menarco, as Arch. Ae emphasizes, is not only safe—it is healthy.
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Ae Geli-Pastrana
The Menarco Tower
Ninety percent of our time is spent indoors—and these days, that percentage has gone up because we are in quarantine. "It's important that we make sure that our work spaces, our homes, become some sort of sanctuary where we can do our best work and live our best lives," says Arch. Ae.
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Ae Geli-Pastrana
The Menarco Tower
"Because there's more available evidence now about the relationship of the physical environment and human health, we turn to making our buildings as healthy as we can. Lifting from the WELL Standard, a healthy building should adhere to these concepts: air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound materials, mind, community, and innovation."
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Ae Geli-Pastrana
The Menarco Tower
"I think more of us in the design and construction industry should really inform ourselves and act towards providing safer, healthier, equitable spaces for our users," says Arch. Ae.
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Ae Geli-Pastrana
The Menarco Tower
And that's exactly what the architects behind Menarco set out to do: in the Tower, the water quality is good enough that one can drink from the tap; the double-glazed curtain wall alows 97% of sunshine to enter without heat; the outdoor garden with edible plants allows employees to do a bit of gardening, too; and there are showers on each floor—perfect for employees who ride their bikes to the office and take the stairs to go up.
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Ae Geli-Pastrana
The Menarco Tower
Moreover, Arch. Ae emphasizes health beyond the physical: "Putting art (we have a Vertical Museum inside the building!) and music in the building also make it healthy—for your mind. Often, we only think of physical health, but the mental and social aspects are just as important.
Photo Credit: Photo from the Menarco website
The Menarco Tower
For her, it is important to prioritize maximizing a structure's access to fresh air, natural sunlight, a space to move or be mobile, and a space to be with nature. "Building materials should be thoughtfully chosen not only for aesthetics but for specifications as well (no to VOCs, PFCs, HFRs, overall, toxic chemicals)," Arch. Ae adds.
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Ae Geli-Pastrana
The Menarco Tower
"Avoid use of synthetic materials like paints, coatings, adhesives that might contain these harmful chemicals that leak in to your indoors and affect your air quality (some furniture can emit toxic chemicals too, she explains.) Avoid creating dark, dank spaces that allow harmful bacteria and molds to flourish."
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Ae Geli-Pastrana
"Simple mindful actions can already improve the air and water quality in your home or establishment," adds Arch. Ae. "Opening windows periodically can introduce fresh air and sunlight to your interior spaces. Putting in plants inside can also greatly improve your air quality, aside from visually giving your space a small part of the outdoors. Let your faucets flow out from time to time to flush out potential bacteria buildup in the pipes." Below, she gives five more practical tips for home and business owners.
Tips for home and business owners
Tips for home and business owners
The first important step: a good and honest survey of your site.
"The design professional (i.e. your Architect) should be able to assess your site to make sure you maximize what it has to offer in terms of its natural resources (sunlight, air, vegetation, views)," says Arch. Ae. "Knowing what you have (and what you don't have) will help them design your space to play up to its strengths and compensate for what it lacks. Remember good design presents creative and effective solutions."
Photo Credit: Photo by Scott Blake on Unsplash
If you can afford a project manager, hire one!
"This will save you from a lot of headaches and unexpected costs," she explains. "If not, prepare and read up on the subject—it is a very important aspect in the success of your project."
Photo Credit: Photo by Guilherme Cunha on Unsplash
That said, don’t scrimp on professional services.
According to Arch. Ae, "they offer valuable expertise and can help you in getting better deals than going at it on your own. Often, these services aren't very expensive to begin with and are usually spread throughout the project time span. It's better to spend a little extra on fees every month than getting a wrong order of material that you cannot return or resell."
Photo Credit: Photo by Daniel McCullough on Unsplash
Try to be as open-minded and proactive as you can allow yourself.
"Design and construction is a fast-evolving industry—there are always new innovations and technologies and the best part is, you can research about them readily so you can make informed decisions," she adds.
Photo Credit: Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash
Talk to your designer about your values and priorities.
"Most design preferences stem from these unconsciously and there are many ways to apply them, instead of just asking your Architect to do a direct copy or peg," Arch. Ae ends. "An open communication between you and your designer should result to a space that you love and loves you back."
Photo Credit: Photo by John Mark Arnold on Unsplash
Photos courtesy of Ae Geli-Pastrana
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