Co-designing a community chapel
A graduating architecture student learns a different way to design
by Ownery Diala
In participatory planning, I had to act like a leader to encourage the members of the community to participate in the discussion
It is really true that life outside school is very different. When I worked with TAO-Pilipinas as an intern, I was assigned to design a chapel for the Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Maralita ng Navotas (SANAGMANA) relocation area in Tanza, Navotas. And as one of the requirements, I was instructed to facilitate community workshops to know the residents’ preferences and ideas. I was excited and at the same time nervous because I had never facilitated a workshop before.
The design process used in the workshop, which is called participatory planning, is far different from the one that is taught in academic training. Participatory planning involves a lot of people-the architects, engineers, and the community members. Many minds are involved to solve a problem. The plan itself will come from the owners of the project, the community members, and with an acceptable design outcome, there is a sense of ownership because their ideas are integrated in the design.
