MANILA, Philippines?Building an eco-friendly house on a tight budget?

This is no longer an impossible dream as a small but dedicated crop of Filipino architects are currently trying to rethink the concept of the eco-home to meet the needs of low- and middle-income homebuyers.

?As the environmental crisis continues to grab the headlines, the need for eco-friendly house designs is becoming increasingly urgent. Sadly, this issue had to take a back seat here in the Philippines where a lot of Filipinos are still homeless or living in substandard housing. There should be a way to solve this,? said architect James Jao who conceived and co-founded ModernA, an organization composed of budding architects (all members of United Architects of the Philippines) from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

His group?s solution: LuzViMinda Eco-House Initiative, a blueprint of a Filipino house that is 25 percent more energy-efficient than a regular house, cheaper to build, and is constructed in accordance to the strict and world-renowned building regulation standards of the United Kingdom.

Heightened awareness

?There?s no question that there?s a heightened awareness about the environment in the United Kingdom, with majority of its people placing eco-friendliness in the forefront and in every aspect of their daily lives. What we are doing is applying some of these concepts in our LuzViMinda Eco-House Initiative project,? explained Jao who obtained his Master?s degree in City Design and Social Science degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The houses that will be built under this project aims to achieve a rating of five (six being the highest) for code compliance as set by the UK Code for Sustainable Homes (The UK code measures the sustainability of a home against key design categories namely: energy, water, materials, surface water run-off, waste, pollution, health and well-being as well as management and ecology).

?The project?s short-term goal is to build one model house each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Eventually, the LuzViMinda Eco-House Initiative is aimed at helping the government and the housing industry achieve a zero carbon standards for new homes within 10 years

A zero carbon house is defined as a property with ?zero net emissions of carbon dioxide from all energy use in the home, including energy consumed by appliances such as TVs and cookers, and not just other uses that are currently part of building regulations, including cooling system and ventilation.

Mockup house

To further demonstrate what a LuzViMinda Eco-House Initiative will look like, a mockup house is already under construction at the open parking area just across the SMX Convention Center located at the SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

It will be open for public viewing from Sept. 4 to 7 as part of ManilaCon ?08 (Manila Construction Show 2008) event that will be held at the SMX Convention Center.

?The event will mutually benefit our respective group. ModernA wanted to gain more exposure for its LuzViMinda Eco-House Initiative while LA Ducut Co., which organized the ManilaCon ?08, wanted partners that bring forward viable ideas for the Philippine market.

Provide access

But aside from the mockup unit that will be displayed during the ManilaCon ?08, Jao informed that they are already in the process of building actual units for their first few clients.

?One of our requirements is for the owner to agree to an ?open house program? arrangement that would allow people to view the house and even experience how to live in one. Our objective here is to convince the public about its applicability here in the Philippines,? Jao explained.

In fact, one of ModernA?s first client, Melbourne-based Edith Gapas-Dome, has agreed to the arrangement.

Her eco-house, which will be built in her hometown in Sorsogon, is the basis of the mockup house that will be displayed during the ManilaCon ?08.

?I love the idea of this eco-house that makes use of natural sunlight and solar energy. After all we are in the tropics where sunshine is all year round and even on rainy days still we could see the sun and the average temperature is at 30 degrees,? said the Dome who will be gracing the opening of the eco-house display at the ManilaCon ?08.

How it?s done

So, how will the LuzViMinda Eco-House Initiative be constructed?

?It starts with the building envelop which will be composed of a prefab modular panels made of concrete combined with polystyrene material. These panels are excellent insulators that minimize heat absorption. The exterior walls will be protected by ?Wallguard? while the interiors sealed by an anti-bacterial paint. The roof will feature 2 mm PVC materials that is locally manufactured in Pasig City,? he said.

He added that window frames will also be made from PVC.

To make the eco-house utilize water more efficiently, Jao said they have selected toilet with dual flush?showers that give out 6-7 liters of water per minute?and there will be a tank that will collect rain water. To heat water, solar energy will be utilized.

For the lighting requirements, Jao said they will use Megaman energy-saving light bulbs, which is the latest in bulb technology and which at the same time, could be powered by solar energy.

For the appliances ?low-e? white line products?washing machine and refrigerator?have been selected to provide less carbon footprint to the household.

?There will also be a ?green wall,? which is a vertical garden that will work well in urban setting where space is tight. Herbs and vegetables could be planted here. Even wood products will be sourced from farmed forests and will be treated with eco-friendly solutions for less environmental impact,? Jao described.

The architect added that the LuzViMinda Eco-House Initiative is an excellent example of a house where sustainability is designed in and should set a precedent for future houses here in the Philippines.