January 5, 2023 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The proposed 44.8-hectare New Clark City Central Park was recognized for its sustainable and inclusive design as it recently won the SEMEC Gold Award in the 2022 Singapore Landscape Architecture Awards.

“The award was presented to global architectural firm Broadway Malyan Asia Pte. Ltd., that was tapped by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (UK FCDO) to design the park as part of its assistance to the BCDA under the Global Future Cities Programme (GFCP),” it said.

The New Clark City Central Park was commended by the award judges for its “exciting design with the potential to integrate the various stakeholding communities.”

They also gave the project credits for the efforts taken in carrying out extensive workshops and engagements with the community.

“We are very honored to have received this award for the Central Park at New Clark City, particularly as it is judged by professionals, academics and experts in their field.

The final design for the park is the result of a lot of hard work and ideas from a team based in the Philippines, Singapore and UK, and included extensive consultation and workshops,” Broadway Malyan Main Board director Ed Baker said.

“With the FCDO and BCDA as inspirational and ambitious clients, the team wanted to deliver a special park that was appropriate to New Clark City as a green and inclusive metropolis and a place unique to the local culture. We are very proud of the results of the final design and this award is a recognition of that,” he said.

British embassy deputy chief of mission Alistair White also welcomed the recognition given by the award-giving body for the New Clark City Central Park project.

“We are very proud of the recognition given to the Global Future Cities New Clark City Program by the Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects for the design of the New Clark City Central Park,” White said.

“The award is a testament to the UK’s commitment to supporting sustainable and inclusive development. We will continue to work in the Philippines to bring in the best of UK expertise to support ongoing and future infrastructure projects,” he said.

For her part, BCDA president and chief executive officer Aileen Zosa said the recognition is a testament to the direction of New Clark City towards sustainability.

“This recognition from the Singapore Landscape Architecture Awards just shows that we are in the right direction towards the development of a sustainable and green metropolis that Filipinos can be proud of. We at the BCDA congratulate our partners in UK FCDO and Broadway Malyan for this feat, “Zosa said.

New Clark City, the Philippines’ first smart, resilient and green metropolis is one of the 19 beneficiary-cities of the GFCP, in line with the UK’s thrust to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and urban resilience across the globe.

UK FCDO’s support to New Clark City included the development of an open space strategy, which features a 44.8-hectare public park located at the heart of the metropolis. The Central Park is envisioned to become one of the country’s largest urban parks.

It also delivered the masterplan for a 33.89-hectare affordable housing project in New Clark City, as well as a framework for the creation of a sustainability unit in BCDA.

The Singapore Landscape Architecture Awards is a biennial event that honors and sets new benchmarks in design and best practices of landscape architecture. It celebrates the works of landscape architecture firms recognized in Singapore.