PRRD signs law on advanced energy, green building tech curriculum

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte at the Malacañan Palace on December 12, 2018. SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a bill requiring the creation of an advanced energy and green building technologies curriculum for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Duterte signed Republic Act No.

11393 or “Advanced Energy and Green Building Technologies Curriculum Act” on Aug. 22.

The law recognizes the importance of providing assistance to higher education institutions (HEIs) “in preparing the next wave of design and construction professionals as well as the existing pool of architects, engineers, landscape engineers, landscape architects, and planners all over the country, to become adept in the incorporation of advanced energy and green building technologies in the design and construction of green or high performance buildings.”

Under the law, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), in consultation with the Department of Energy (DOE), and CHED-recognized higher education institutions (HEIs) will be tasked to develop a curriculum on advanced energy and green building technologies at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The curriculum shall focus on “design resilience, natural resource conservation, and sustainable design and building practices, among others, to prepare students for future careers in advanced energy and green building technologies to enable future engineers, architects, and urban planners to incorporate advanced energy and green building technologies in the design of high-performance buildings.”

The CHED, in consultation with the DOE, will also be “mandated to develop graduate education curriculum related to advanced energy technology research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities pertaining to energy research and development.”

Both agencies, as well as concerned stakeholders, will be tasked to promulgate the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) necessary to ensure the efficient implementation of the act.

Also under the law, advanced energy refers to technologies and services which are delivering a secure, clean, and affordable energy system.

A green building refers to a building which, in its design construction or operation, reduces or eliminates the negative impact on the climate and natural environment of a particular area and the country in general.

On the other hand, a high-performance building refers to a form of green building with a singular focus on its energy performance and which integrates and optimizes all major high-performance building attributes.

The law requires that a green or high-performance building shall use all forms of renewable energy, provides good indoor or environmental air quality, and consider environment-friendly design, construction, and operation.