In late October last year, the Philippines was struck by six consecutive typhoons in a span of just 30 days.
While the nation is frequently battered by eight to nine typhoons each year, half of those seen in 2024 were super typhoons, with wind speeds exceeding 185 kilometres per hour (km/h). Super Typhoon Pepito (Man-Yi) – the last of the six cyclones to hit the Philippines that year – was also the strongest hurricane globally.
The unprecedented chain of events damaged more than 255,000 homes, displaced 600,000 people, and caused nearly 200 deaths.
The widespread devastation to infrastructure and resultant economic losses again underlined the vulnerabilities facing the Philippines due to extreme weather scenarios, which in recent years have been supercharged by climate change.
The Department of Public Works and Highways estimated that the damage to housing and infrastructure reached P21 billion (US$367 million) for that month alone. The World Bank’s Country Climate and Development Report warns that such extreme weather events could erode as much as 4.6 per cent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) annually.
Without early investments in adaptation, these losses could rise to 7.6 per cent by 2040, and up to 13.6 per cent under a business-as-usual scenario.
Climate-resilient infrastructure
With 60 per cent of the archipelago’s land area exposed to natural hazards, the need for climate-resilient infrastructure is evident.
One potential approach is through green building, notes Rowena Ramos, principal architect for sustainability at Ecotektonika, a design and consultancy firm specialising in sustainable design and infrastructure.
“For infrastructure [in the Philippines] to be genuinely sustainable, it must be responsive to the [nation’s] unique environment, the changing climate, as well as our culture, people and the economy,” said Ramos, who is also vice chair of the Philippine Green Building Council’s board of trustees.
Green building, which refers to designing and constructing buildings that are both sustainable and resource-efficient, can also lead to infrastructure that is more resilient against climate-induced extreme weather, such as typhoons.
This can, for example, include wind-resistant roofs or steel-reinforced concrete walls that can withstand strong winds and flying debris. Such walls can also help with insulation, keep indoor temperatures stable, and lower the need for air conditioning, resulting in energy savings.
Green buildings also aim to ensure that buildings emit fewer greenhouse gases and use less energy in the long term, Ramos added. “The goal is to cut electricity demand [and reduce] water [usage], without [compromising] functionality,” she explained.
An example of resilient and adaptive infrastructure that was used before modern times is the bahay kubo, or nipa huts, Ramos noted. The houses were elevated on bamboo stilts to withstand floods, with thatched roofs that kept the sun out and cool air in. The use of bamboo – a strong yet flexible material – allowed the structure to bend rather than break under strong winds, with large windows and bamboo slat walls providing natural ventilation during normal times.
Indigenous T’boli women stand outside a bahay kubo in the Philippines’ Southern Cotabato province in Mindanao. Image: International Labour Organization ILO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Flickr.
Traditional building operations in use today are significant contributors of greenhouse gas emissions, added Ramos, noting that the green building approach also provides a means to decarbonise. This is especially relevant as buildings are central to the Philippines’ climate agenda.
For example, the country’s construction sector – covering both residential and commercial use – accounts for 54 per cent of national power consumption and is expected to drive 80 per cent of the growth in energy demand by 2040. Rising ambient temperatures are expected to further increase demand for cooling.
“As the Philippines’ summers grow hotter and the wet season welcomes more super typhoons, our built environments need to change and adapt. We need project owners and developers – together with building and construction professionals – to shift from business-as-usual and embrace green building practices,” Ramos urged.
Despite the benefits, green building practices remain underutilised. As of 2019, green building rating systems covered only 3 per cent of newly constructed floor space in the Philippines.
However, this may quickly change as Metro Manila is set to see some 722,000 square metres in new green-certified office space by 2027.
While upfront costs for green building practices may be higher, investments generally pay off through reduced emissions, long-term savings, and as much as 10 per cent in increased asset value.
Green building certification, however, is still largely voluntary for developers in the country, Ramos noted, but local governments like Manduae City in the central Philippines’ Cebu province show promise by rolling out local legislation to encourage the development of more sustainable built environments.
Adopting the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) rating system of the Philippine Green Building Council, Mandaue City offers real property tax rebates of up to 25 per cent to developers that choose to build green. The city has seen a windfall of infrastructure investments since the announcement of the incentives, with a number of national developers eyeing the building of mixed-use townships in the new industrial hub.
“Although green building is still a relatively novel concept, more project owners are now seeing the value of sustainable development,” said Ramos, noting that builders who adopt green certification for a new project are likely to adopt it for their succeeding developments as well.
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We rely on infrastructure that is easily disrupted by typhoons and natural disasters. If our built environments are difficult to restore after disruptions, [then] this is a detriment to our country’s economic growth.
Joshua Santos, asset management advisor, GHD Advisory
Regenerative asset management
Complementing green building is regenerative asset management (RAM), another strategy that uses data and technology to assess infrastructure vulnerabilities and climate risks.
RAM essentially evaluates how built environment assets perform under future climate scenarios, enabling a shift from reactive maintenance to proactive resilience planning.
“Conventional asset management is about maximising the value of an asset. Regenerative asset management shares that goal but goes further – it is inherently sustainable and proactive,” explained Joshua Santos, asset management advisor at global professional services firm GHD Advisory.
This is because RAM integrates principles of disaster mitigation, resilience, and outage management, Santos said, adding that while asset management practice in the Philippines is still relatively young, the untapped market sees room for growth.
“We acknowledge that the primary goal of every organisation is to generate value for their company, but external factors like climate and utilisation can affect the value of [built environments] in the long term. At the end of the day, the value [one] generates [relies] on environmental factors and is also susceptible to losses,” he added.
By identifying high-risk zones, designing infrastructure that adapts to – rather than merely resists – climate shocks and applying lifecycle modelling concepts, RAM ensures vital infrastructure remains functional even under extreme stress. This approach can be applied across different scales – from individual buildings to entire urban developments and critical utility networks like water distribution and power transmission systems, explained Santos.
“We [currently] rely on infrastructure that is easily disrupted by typhoons and natural disasters. If our built environments are difficult to restore after disruptions, this is a detriment to our country’s economic growth,” said Santos.
A landmark shift in infrastructure planning is needed, Santos added, one that goes beyond regulatory compliance and skewed toward a “levels of service” approach.
“This means planning infrastructure that can maintain performance and an expected ‘level of service’ despite external factors like climate change or overuse. We want to steer investment toward more sustainable, long-term outcomes,” he explained.
Santos noted that RAM also involves streamlining processes and optimising resource allocation. In working with a water utility company affected by the El Niño weather phenomenon last year, he explained that eliminating organisational silos proved pivotal in improving efficiency when both human and water resources were thin.
“We wanted to develop a structure wherein all of the working parts of the organisation strived to attain one goal and objective: to maintain and even maximise levels of service despite unprecedented challenges,” said Santos.
He explained that the integrated, top-down approach helped different departments work together and use resources more efficiently. This allowed the distributor to create smoother, more innovative and sustainable systems. By streamlining processes, they were also able to make important decisions quickly, without having to go through multiple layers of approval, ensuring water was delivered to clients with minimal delays and downtime.
Santos underscored that developers and homeowners alike need to take proactive steps in protecting their properties and communities against climate risks. The first and most critical step, he said, is understanding the specific natural hazards in their area.
“Mitigation measures should be tailored to the threats identified,” he explained, noting that homeowners should exercise a culture of safety and preparedness by staying informed and participating in community disaster drills, for example.
Homeowners should also reinforce roofs and windows to protect their homes from strong winds and flying debris during typhoons, while homes should be elevated using water-resistant materials to minimise damage in flood-prone areas.
“For extreme heat, improving ventilation, using reflective roofing, and planting trees can help cool the home naturally,” Santos added.
To prepare for earthquakes, he urged residents to follow building codes, secure heavy furniture and plan emergency exits.
“The reality of our climate situation highlights our need to invest in resilient and sustainable approaches and technologies. Not doing so urgently limits our nation-building. We have to reconsider [the construction industry and infrastructure management] now with a sustainability lens, and not just prioritise immediate profit,” said Santos.
