University of the Philippines COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

TABLANTE, IVY SYCHELLE B. S.N. 09-79456 April 6, 2010

Arch. 205 - Tropical Architecture Arch. Dan Silvestre

1. INTRODUCTION
This paper reviews the Deed of Restrictions and some existing conditions of McKinley Hill
Village, as to their compliance with known requisites of sustainability and tropical design.

McKinley Hill Village is a residential development of Megaworld Corporation, located beside

Forbes Park and Global City in Taguig. It is positioned as an "enclave" of the combined beauty of
nature and 'nurture', advertised with the statement "feed your heart and mind with lush
greeneries and a Mediteranean-style of living..".

2. EXISTING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS

The McKinley Hill township is situated on a 50-hectare development intended for world-class
quality and the upscale market, wherein a mix of houses (McKinley Hill Village), garden villas and
condominiums comprises its residential block. It also features a retail complex, a cyberpark and
an institutional section with international schools and embassies.

Minimum lot size is approximately 188 sqms; maximum size is 296 sqms. The development is set
on a "hill" on which the land is slightly sloping. A few trees are scattered throughout the village,
with minimal concentration on open areas.

3. ANALYSIS OF EXISTING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS

- The lots, being small in size, require minimal cutting and filling.
- Saplings are planted throughout the village, almost no "old" trees are found. Although it will take
several years for these to blossom into full grown trees, these are still effective in maintaining
good air quality (considering the village is located along a major thoroughfare where air pollution
is evident) and providing shade against harsh natural daylight.
- The small number of existing trees and ground cover (plants) is an irony to the village's marketing
slogan of "lush greeneries" and "nature and nurture". There are very few plants to absorb heat
reflected by concrete roads and pavements.
- Since lot cuts are small given the target upscale market, the density of built structures is high.
- The entire McKinley Hill township master plan, using the "live-learn-work-play" concept, is a good
example of sustainable development. It promotes greater pedestrian traffic, therefore less
automobile use, because the necessities of everyday living are closely situated to the residential
area.

4. DEED OF RESTRICTIONS REVIEW

The Deed of Restrictions is implemented to help the developer attain its intention of disposing
lots only to responsible persons or entities who are ready, willling, and able to construct upscale
residential houses.

The DOR provisions give ample consideration to the requisites of sustainability and tropical
design. However, there are some items that need to be revised in order to allow better conformity
to these requisites. Also, the absence of specific guidelines for design is noticeable, considering
the development's selling-point as an upscale "Mediterranean-Style" village.
5. RECOMMENDATIONS / PRESCRIPTION
ACTUAL D.O.R. REQ'T. /
RESTRICTION
item #2: Property Easement
" The lot is subject to an
easement of 3 meters wide
on the side/s fronting a
street, and 2 meters wide
along the side/s."
item #9: Setbacks
"…structure is allowed to
flush to property line at rear
provided that the maximum
length does not exceed 83%
of the total length of the lot
at the rear.."
item #10: Perimeter Wall
"Front perimeter fence is not
allowed. Side and rear
property walls will have a
maximum height of
2.00meters measured from
the highest point of the
street curb fronting the
item #14: Filling of the Lot
"filling of the lot is allowed
provided the filling does not
exceed one-half meter
above the original ground
level within the 2 meters
setback on the sides and
rear of the lot not fronting a
street.."
item #C.3: Carport
"Each lot owner is required
to provide a minimum of 2
carports located within the
lot area. Lower ground or
basement parking is strongly
encouraged while overnight
street parking within streets
and roads will not be
allowed.."
item #H.20: Cutting of Trees
"No tree planted by the
association shall be cut or
trimmed. Any person found
violating this rule shall be
subject to action for
damages."
RECOMMENDED REVISIONS / ADDITIONS
(as per LEED requirements)
- open space should at least be 45% of
total lot area of inside lots, and 75% of
total lot area of corner lots, or the lot area
left considering the existing setback
requirements, whichever is bigger
- to conform with the requirements for
open space, firewalls should not be
allowed. Minimum setbacks for all sides
of the lot should be observed.
- this perimeter wall height is acceptable,
as it will not impair access to daylight and
natural ventilation & air movement.
(acceptable)
- the maximum allowable number of
carports for each lot shall be three (3).
Overnight street parking will not be
allowed.
- in addition to his provision, at least 50%
of the total open area alotment for each
lot shall consist of landscaping and/or
vegetation.
REMARKS
higher ratio of open space to
building footprint without sacrificing
potential income from saleable floor
area on the part of the developer --
building footprint for a typical-sized
lot (250 sqms) is 137.50sqms.
the absence of firewalls allows
better lighting, ventilation, and air
circulation
Considering the small cuts of lots in
the village, it can be deduced that
the occupants include starter
families, or small families with only
a few members. Given this
reasonable assumption, it is wise to
regulate the number of cars per
household (few family members =
few cars), to help promote
pedestrian circulation and reduce
pollution impact brought about by
automobile use.
this additional provision is given to
help promote better air quality
through the help of vegetation /
increased number of trees.
Construction Waste
Management:
(no provision) - Recycle and/or salvage non-hazardous
construction and demolition debris. The
owner / contractor shall be required to
submit and implement a construction
development plan that identifies materials
to be diverted from disposal and whether
the materials will be sorted on-site or
comingled.

**Please refer to APPENDIX 1**

5. CONCLUSION
In general, and in comparison to other residential developments, it can be said the the DOR of McKinley Hill
Village has given ample consideration to tropical and sustainable design. However, there still is a
considerable room for improvement when it comes to proper composition and implementation of building
and design guidelines that ensure absolute conformance to the requisites of green design and sustainability.
As designers, it is our professional obligation to our clients and to the ecosystem to be conscious of the
ecological and social impacts of the built environment. We must as well be aware of the benefits and
dangers of designing with and against nature, especially in the local and tropical setting. The National
Building Code and village deeds of restrictions are standards of minimum requirement on conformance to
these conditions; we should always achieve to design above these standards.