This is an update on what I announced about the survey I and my friends did in New Sta. Rosa last Thursday, October 1, 2009.
Only days before, CALABARZON and Metro Manila, were hit hard by a massive storm- Ondoy (international code name Ketsana), the worst tropical depression to hit the Philippines.
On the day of our survey, said areas were still reeling from the devastations wrought by Ondoy and preparing for another, super typhoon Pepeng (international code name Parma)
But lo and behold! New Sta. Rosa was spared by Ondoy; not even a hint of it was apparent.
We took so many pictures and below are just some of them. The following are images of Nuvali.
Upon taking Sta. Rosa exit, turn right to Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road. A few kilometers away is Nuvali Boulevard on your left. It is 60 meters wide and will have two lanes in the middle for mass transit, 3-car lanes and a bicycle and pedestrian lane in each direction.
Nuvali will have a total of 51 kilometers of bike lanes along main roads and trails and will cut through and lead to different developments including workplaces like One Evotech.
Bike lanes appear to be around three meters wide, enough for a car to fit.
Evoliving
Evoliving currently serves as the sales office for Nuvali. It’s a fine example of an office campus, the current buzz word in the world of office building architecture. It’s a trend that was started by IT companies in Silicon Valley, California. Microsoft has one in its Redmond, Washington HQ, and so does Google in its Mountain View, California HQ.
The current benchmark in building design and construction is the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Standards. Ayala Land envisions the buildings it will construct itself in Nuvali to be LEED-compliant.
Evoliving features cutting-edge amenities that require non-renewable energy, but they are balanced with those that do not and promote a lifestyle that is healthy, efficient and environment-friendly.
Notice the bike ramp leading to the roof of Evoliving? You can get to its rooftop by simply biking.
What I failed to take pictures of is my second favorite part of Evoliving, the green roof. Parts of the roof are covered with soil and vegetation thereby minimizing rainwater runoff to the drainage.
One Evotech
One Evotech is another example of a mixed-use building that was built according to the LEED Standards. By incorporating bicycle ramps inside the building, employees who bike to work need not leave their bikes outside the building.
To the right is a picture that was taken at a much later date. Where in the Philippines have you seen a building whereby, from your home, say in Avida Settings, you can bike not just going to the building but “into” the building up to, say, the 4th floor where your office is?
Convergys, a business process outsourcing company, is a current locator in One Evotech. Others are Bank of the Philippine Islands, 7-11, Reyes Barbeque, BoNa Coffee Company, Kanin Get It, Indulgence Day Spa among others.
Solenad
Solenad is the retail component of Nuvali and has become a popular destination in Sta. Rosa. It is home to some of the most familiar dining places like Yellow Cab Pizza, Conti’s, Italiani’s, Starbucks, Domo Tomo, Pig Out among others. National Bookstore also has a branch at Solenad. The images above were taken at around 12:00 noon when it was still raining hard in Metro Manila.
The man-made lake
This 4-hectare lake is an integral part of Nuvali’s water conservation, recycling and sustainability effort. It not only beautifies the development but also serves as rainwater harvesting system and reservoir for “grey” water for non-human use.
It is complemented with a double-piping system in every household whereby water pipes for human use like drinking and bathing are separate from those used for flushing the toilet, watering the plants and general cleaning.
To recharge the ground, lake and the aquifers, only high vehicular traffic roads are paved with concrete. Water permeable paving blocks are used whenever possible like on bike and pedestrian lanes and on parking areas.
Below are more random pictures of Solenad and the lake.
We did the tour with me mostly riding my folding bike that I fondly call Bumblebee. While my very dear friends, Atty Noel and Mrs. Liza Jocson rode in their car and took most of the pictures. This day-long tour would not have been made possible without their kindness and generosity. Thank you so much, Noel and Liza : )
I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour as much as we did.
Thank you so much.
Note: This post was revised on March 17, 2010. I noticed that my website was taking too long to load due to so many pictures that were taking too much space in my host/server. Some pictures from the original post were either removed or resized and fused with other pictures. Some of my other posts have already been similarly revised.
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excursiones en bicicleta…
[...]Sta. Rosa, Laguna: best real estate in the Philippines, part 3 | Philippine Real Estate and Construction[...]…
[...] After studying its location and topography, it’s now clear to me why Nuvali was not in any way affected by typhoon Ondoy when my friends and I visited it last October 1, just 5 days after Ondoy hit. [...]
The photos are wonderful! I wish I could visit that place and take a ride on my bike to.
La Residencia is a great project also. I envy your friends for being locals of Sta. Rosa.
Coz you see, I live in this, how shoud I put it?; Beautiful but uglified and stinking City of Malabon whose political leaders seem to have forgotten that there’s more to being elected than sitting their butt off in their airconditioned room. I wish we have leaders like the mayor of Sta Rosa, Las Pinas and my idol mayor of all, the Hon. Jesse Robredo of Naga City (this guy should run for president).
So, when my friends, Atty. Noel and Mrs. Liza Jocson gave me a tour of the New Sta. Rosa last October 1, I felt like a child who had never eaten a candy and was then let loose in a candy store! It’s not an exaggeration; that’s the only way I can describe how I felt then. For me, who live in a depressed area of Malabon, being in Sta. Rosa was like being in a different country. I’m glad they didn’t require any passport : ) : ) lol
Congratulations on your investment in Avida Settings. Buti pa kayo, you’ll be living there soon, while all I can do is write about it. What I love about the houses in Avida Settings are the corner windows. Those are very very difficult and expensive to make. That’s why many developers refuse to have corner windows in their projects, especially condominium developers.
Thanks a lot for dropping by and my best regards.
P.S. about the restaurants; my favorite is the Kanin Club in Paseo de Sta. Rosa with their Crispy Dinuguan. It’s crispy coz the meat are actually chicharong bulaklak. I also love their Sigarilyas; it has tinges of sisig if you chew very slowly. And prices at Kanin Club are very reasonable. Only problem is, if you keep eating at Kanin Club, you’ll never grow old; you’ll die young coz most of their fares are “sinful” food : ) : ) But that’s the way I want to go, with my stomach filled to bursting capacity! lol
It’s nice to hear the good news about Sta. Rosa from your articles and pictures. It’s like being there myself. We have friends who live there (La Residencia) and they cannot stop talking about their city and what it has to offer. I always enjoyed visiting them and going around partaking of the excellent restaurants and shops. Even the wet market is the cleanest I’ve ever seen. Sta. Rosa for me is a better quality of life than Sucat, Paranaque where I lived. We recently bought a small lot in Settings, Nuvali and I am looking forward to my future retirement there.
hey jun, nice bike. 2,500pesos? where did u buy it? super mura, Sir, a!
Hello John,
Mountain bikes are great and I would love to have one.
I bike mainly for cardio purposes and for fun; I’m not into it competitively. And just like you and your Dad, to take pictures not just of houses but anything that fancies me.
Mine is a surplus folding bike from Japan with a full Shimano group set, it’s made of alloy and very light. Would you believe that my bike cost me only 2,500 pesos (US$53)? Comparable bikes cost at least US$500 in the US, but of course, they’re brand new. I don’t mind having a second-hand bike as long as it serves its purpose and at US$53, it’s the biggest bang for my buck.
I have an American friend, Brad, who is a train enthusiast. We’re both closely watching the development of PNR’s rehabilitation of the railways. When completed, the railways system will extend all the way from San Fernando, Pampanga (I think) all the way down to Matnog, Sorsogon, which is the jump off point to the Visayas.
When the system is finished, we will travel by train from Pampanga to Matnog and we’ll bring along our folding bikes and see all the beautiful places along the way. We’ll do lots of stopovers and bike. I’m really looking forward to that.
Who knows, we might even travel all the way to Cebu and meet you and your Dad personally?
Thanks a lot John, nice website you have there.
me and my brother also like biking around our place, we went to subdivision and take photos of the houses just using our mountain bike. do you also use mountain bike ? how much is your bike ?