Metro Manila office stock sees rising green adoption

METRO MANILA’S office market is accelerating its shift toward operational sustainability, with 37% of total office stock now powered by renewable energy in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, according to CBRE Philippines, as landlords strengthen environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies to remain competitive against more mature Asia-Pacific office markets.

“The Philippine office market is experiencing dramatic acceleration in terms of adoption, but still leans heavily on design-stage certification, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE), while other regional office markets have layered in WELL, NABERS, and energy performance mandates, making their ESG story more operationally rigorous,” the consultancy firm said in its start-of-year market report.

CBRE reported that 37% of Metro Manila’s total office stock was operating on renewable energy, equivalent to around 4.2 million square meters (sq.m.) of gross leasable area (GLA). This was higher than the firm’s previous tally of about 2.9 million sq.m. recorded in the third quarter of 2025.

The Ortigas business district posted the highest level of renewable energy adoption, with 100% of office supply operating on sustainable energy, maintaining last year’s level. This was followed by Fort Bonifacio, where the share rose to 83% from 79% a year earlier, and Quezon City, where adoption increased to 71% from 63%.

Despite the gains, the Philippines continues to lag behind more mature Asia-Pacific office markets, such as Australia, South Korea, and Japan, in terms of operational sustainability standards.

Among major developers, Megaworld Corp. posted the highest renewable-to-non-renewable office supply ratio, with 86% of its office portfolio — equivalent to about 1.2 million sq.m. of GLA — powered by renewable energy.

Ayala Land, Inc. followed with 1.14 million sq.m. of renewable-powered office space, accounting for 74% of its portfolio. SM Prime Holdings, Inc. posted 796,200 sq.m., or 76% of stock, while Robinsons Land Corp. recorded 644,000 sq.m., or 65%, and Filinvest Land, Inc. posted 457,700 sq.m., or 60%.

CBRE data also showed that 20 office buildings, or about 850,000 sq.m. of GLA, are WiredScore-certified. The consultancy expects an additional 28 buildings, equivalent to around 595,000 sq.m., to be added this year.

Fort Bonifacio accounted for 56% of the WiredScore-certified market, followed by Makati at 17%, and Quezon City at 15%. — Juliana Chloe A. Gonzales