Menarco Tower is 1st in Asia to receive Immune Resilient certification from HDBI

Menarco Tower on 32nd Street in BGC in a virtual ceremony on Wednesday received the Immune Resilient Certification from the Healthy by Design Building Institute (HDBI).

It is the first and only building in Asia to receive such a distinction.

The certification is given to buildings that scored over 85% during an assessment that measured and verified a building's level of resilience to present and future health challenges.

Menarco Tower received five stars or the highest rating.

The recognition, held virtually via MS Teams, was attended by no less than Menarco Development Corp. Chairman Emeritus and former GMA Network, Inc. President Menardo Jimenez, his wife Carolina, and daughter Carmen, who is Menarco Development Corp. founder and CEO.

"We are now reaping the rewards of what we sow," Carmen said in her acceptance speech, adding what used to be an "impossible" dream in a third-world country is now a reality.

"It was a risk, it was a gamble, and I'm so glad we did it," she added.

"We thank you for recognizing that, we thank you for certifying that, and we thank you for not one, two, three, or four but five stars!" Carmen added with excitement.

Carmen expressed her hope "that we're not only a force of good, but a force of change not only in the country but also in Asia." 

According to HDBI, the Immune Resilient Certification is "inspired by advanced technologies and procedures successfully used in medical institutions and research facilities and adapted for use in commercial real estate."

The HDBI certification is yet another feather in Menarco Tower's well-decorated cap. Apart from being the first and only building in Southeast Asia to receive the WELL Health Safety Rating  (which measures a building's impact on the health of its occupants), the 32-storey building also boasts of being LEEDS Gold-certified (which measures a building's impact on the environment).

It has also received the Best Green Development from the Southeast Asia Property Award, and as well as multiple recognitions from the Philippine Property Awards including Best Green Development, Best Office Architectural Design, and Best Office Development.  

"From day one, Menarco Development Corp. has designed, built and provided only the safest and healthiest spaces and experiences to every person we have touched," Carmen said. "So we are definitely honored that Menarco Tower is Southeast Asia's first recipient of the Immune Resilient certification, the highest rating by International Healthy by Design Insititute." — LA, GMA News