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.