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p r o m o t i o n a l
f e a t u r e
The Holcim
solution
THE VISION FOR
Balesin Island
is not new to
the world, but it’s certainly a pioneering effort
in the Asian region. Alphaland is developing
the island into a fully sustainable, tastefully
constructed, and highly exclusive resort
destination — and changing the area’s entire
culture into one that ultimately thrives on eco-
friendly systems.
According to Marco Diaz, Balesin Island
Resort Project Director, everything in the
resort is being built using the latest proven
technologies in the most environmentally
mindful way. The resort’s masterplan includes
the creation of six villages: Balesin plus five
others, each inspired by a world-famous seaside
destination — Mykonos (Greece), St. Tropez
(Cote d’Azur), Costa Smeralda (Sardinia), Bali
(Indonesia) and Phuket (Thailand).
“We’re not touching the trees in the island,
we’re building around them. By having one
masterplan, we know how much resources the
island will need per year; thus, everything is
maintained and sustainable,” Diaz explains.
“We’re using the best technology out there,
and bringing the right technology to the
island. We’re happy to show that with the right
planning, you can do things correctly at the right
price and at an impressive speed.”
To demonstrate how technologically
advanced and expeditious the project is, Diaz
highlighted the state-of-the-art runway that will
enable even international flights to land on
the island.
Led by Fernando Santico, COO of Alphaland,
the team found that geo-cell technology would
allow them to meet Alphaland Chairman
Roberto V. Ongpin’s mandate to keep the island
sustainable. Using geo-fiber as a base, the
geo-cells were filled with local in-situ materials.
They then laid Holcim cement as part of the
concrete on top.
“This way, the entire runway has a solid
base,” Diaz adds. “The geo-cell technology
made sure the compaction of the ground was
sufficient to lay out our concrete. To build a
proper runway, the compaction of the ground
has to withstand up to 5000 PSI because you
have planes constantly landing on it. Instead
of having to grind down half a mountain and
transport it all as base course, we had to look
for another way.
“Not only did it save us a lot of money
but it kept our carbon footprint in processing
and transport very small. Within a month, we
finished almost a kilometer of the 30-meter-
wide runway. This may be one of the fastest
airports ever built.”
Driven by their passion to deliver excellent
projects, Alphaland hopes to open the resort by
the end of the year.
To know more about Holcim tonner bags and how it can help your business, contact Holcim today:
Trunkline
(02) 459 3333;
Customer CARE
center
(02) 459 3222;
PLDT Toll free
1800-100-HOLCIM (465246);
Digitel Toll free
1800-38-HOLCIM (465246)
Scenic and sustainable
The construction of the resort
required more than just normal
bagged cement. The high volume
requirement together with the
necessary strength was addressed
by Holcim’s delivery of bulk cement.
This allowed for faster logistics and
efficient handling of materials.
“Most people are used to the
normal 40kg bags. Using hundreds
of thousands of these bags, however,
will lead to a massive trash problem.
You can’t just burn these bags, so we
wanted something reusable. Since
it was going into an island, it would
be more efficient to send it in bulk,”
says Diaz.
Diaz also said that Holcim was well
placed to deliver on this massive
and complicated undertaking as
the company had just opened their
Calaca cement terminal in Batangas.
This new terminal also has a tonner
bag facility.
Thanks to this, Holcim provided
the ideal solution for Alphaland’s goal
for effective waste management.
Taking sustainable development
to a whole new level, Alphaland has
gathered the best master planners,
architects, engineers and suppliers
to create the impressive Balesin
Island Resort.
Alphaland Corporation is on a quest for responsible ecotourism