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Health and Wellness
Work With Wellness
Menarco Tower is the healthiest building in the Philippines. As the first and only WELLTM Gold certified Corporate Tower in Southeast Asia, second in the world to obtain the coveted WELLTM HSR Rating, and first in Asia to be certified IMMUNETM Resilient, we’re committed to company and employee health – literally and figuratively.
As “The Healthiest Building in the Philippines,” the Menarco Tower addresses seven most important wellness concepts to boost worker’s performance in the workplace: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Fitness, Comfort, and Mind.
Recent studies have found a direct correlation between illness and the time one spends in a building. Hormone dysfunction, insomnia, headaches, dry throat, sore eyes are just a few symptoms experienced. The World Health Organization calls this phenomenon “sick building syndrome.” It leads to reduced staff efficiency, increased absenteeism, and low morale.
As “The Healthiest Building in the Philippines,” the Menarco Tower addresses seven most important wellness concepts to boost worker’s performance in the workplace: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Fitness, Comfort, and Mind.
Over the last decade, measures have been introduced to elevate health and wellness in buildings, such as the International WELL™ Building Standard (WELL™). Menarco Tower is the first building in the country to register and to achieve the WELLTM Certification. The WELL™ Building Standard is for people. It encourages the creation of healthy environment for people to live, work, and play, thereby elevating the quality of occupant health.
“Providing a healthy environment has always been our priority. Thus, we are proud to be the first building in the country to be investing in WELL™ Certification,” says Carmen Jimenez Ong, Founder and CEO ofMenarco Development Corporation.
Recent studies have found a direct correlation between illness and the time one spends in a building. Hormone dysfunction, insomnia, headaches, dry throat, sore eyes are just a few symptoms experienced. The World Health Organization calls this phenomenon “sick building syndrome.” It leads to reduced staff efficiency, increased absenteeism, and low morale.
“WELL™ has been described as a nutritional label for [a building],” explains Michael Hearn, former Operations Manager of Arcadis, the Construction Cost Consultants, LEED®· and WELL TM Consultants on the project. “WELL ™-Certified buildings provide an improved environment for employees and clients, resulting in increased employee satisfaction and health, increased productivity and staff retention.”
From the number of air pollutants to the creation of an environment that is distraction-free, productive, and promotes a healthy lifestyle, WELL™ analyzes these factors through a scorecard before awarding certification.
“Menarco Tower has better quality because we use air conditioners with modern MERV 13 air filtration systems. We have efficient natural lighting with a double glazed curtain wall system. We let the sunshine in without the heat. That helps with one’s circadian rhythm and reduces hormonal imbalances. We go even further by providing whole food dining options within our building. All these speak to our belief that a healthy, happy employee is also a productive employee,” says Carmen.
Menarco took its commitment a step further by being among the early adopters for WELL™ Health-Safety Rating and implemented its science-backed guidance. Through this evidenced-based rating, Menarco’s operational policies, maintenance protocols, emergency plans and stakeholder engagement strategies were reviewed and verified. It eventually became the second in the world to be rated.
“The latest achievement of Menarco gives the sense of assurance to the project team, employees and stakeholders that the measures they took have been mapped to scientific evidence and verified through an internationally trusted third-party review process,” said Rachel Gutter, president of the International WELL™ Building Institute.
Undeniably, the demands of the 21st century work environment require more focus on the workers’ personal health and wellness. Menarco Tower addresses this through its own beliefs in the literal and figurative wealth of health- healthy employees means less sick leaves and less expenses, but it also means a happier and more engaged employee. A winning solution, wouldn’t you think?
Seven Marks of Good Health
Continued commitment to supporting people’sÂ
health, safety and well-being
Light
Issue: Disruption to the body’s circadian rhythm is associated with chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes, and depression.
97% of Menarco Tower is exposed to natural light (without heat). Even the fire exit stairways are located in an area that receives abundance of natural light, foregoing the traditional model of putting this at the middle of the building. This encourages occupants to take the stairs as part of their regular routes, ultimately familiarizing themselves with safety protocols.
Water
Issue: Many people are inadequately hydrated, which is associated with higher rates of obesity.
Menarco Tower prides itself for having potable water that goes beyond the requirements of WELL™ and the World Health Organization. Easily available through the numerous drinking stations located throughout the building, occupants are encouraged to continually hydrate and reap the benefits of this 0-calorie beverage. Constant maintenance and tests likewise ensure that contaminants present in the city-supplied water are properly filtered prior to the use and consumption of the tower’s occupants.
Nourishment
Issue: Poor diets are the second leading risk factor for mortality and morbidity globally, accounting/or 8% of all deaths and contributing to an estimated 9.6% of the global burden of disease.
The Yard, Menarco Tower’s own food hall, provides healthy food options -catering to the daily wage earners and executives alike. Step out to the deck and pick for yourself any of the edible native and adaptive plants available, all carefully selected to reduce by 68% irrigation water consumption.
Air
Issue: Exposure to air pollutants has been shown to increase the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, myocardial ischemia, angina, high blood pressure and heart disease. 9 On average, 10% of productivity loss could be attributable to health issues related to poor indoor air quality in office buildings.
Comfort
Issue: Leading research indicates that employees perform 6% poorer when the office is overheated and 4% poorer when the office is cold.
The tower’s VRF inverter air-conditioning system allows for occupants to individually control and maintain the room temperature at 24 degrees, with a lF +/ – tolerance, providing for optimum thermal comfort.
Fitness
Issue: Physical inactivity has emerged as a primary focus of public health due to a rise in premature mortality and chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, stroke, dementia and some farms of cancer.
Movement is encouraged through the numerous fitness options available in the tower. Whether you prefer high intensity workouts, or the calm and relaxing routine of Pilates and yoga, Menarco Tower has you covered. For those who don’t like the regimen of exercise classes, they can easily pump their hearts by just going up or down the tower’s well-lighted stairs, do sports around the neighborhood’s numerous fields, or simply unwind playing air hockey with friends.
Don’t also disregard the clinics found at the tower ready to address any eastern or western medical needs.
Mind
Issue: Mental health conditions can have a substantial effect on all areas of life, such as school or work performance, relationships with family and friends and ability to participate in the community. Two of the most common mental health conditions, depression and anxiety, cost the global economy US$ 1 trillion each year.