A graduating architecture student learns a different way to design

by Ownery Diala

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.

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A volunteer learns more about architecture and life in a design workshop with an indigenous community in Bukidnon

By Paolo B. Aguila

The project started out as a simple volunteer design project for our organization, UP Task Force Arki (a service-oriented student organization based in the University of the Philippines College of Architecture). The Kitanglad Integrated NGOs, an organization based in Mt. Kitanglad, Bukidnon (in Central Mindanao), asked TFA through its partner NGO, TAO-Pilipinas, to suggest designs for the Mt. Kitanglad Cultural Heritage Center.

The Mt. Kitanglad Cultural Heritage Center is envisioned to serve as a venue for cultural understanding among the various indigenous people, mainland settlers, and the local government units around the area. It will house spaces for cultural activities and also serve as a support facility for the tourism activities in the Mount Kitanglad Range National Park.

“We were there to learn as much as we were there to share”

We started drafting design schemes after getting the requirements. It turned out to be really difficult, since it was impossible to design for people we haven’t met, for a site we haven’t seen, and for a culture that’s almost entirely different from ours. We didn’t think the project would be successful if the huge gap in the middle of the design process couldn’t be filled. So three of us, Architect Anna Gonzales, Jhun Fabrero (another TFA member), and I, packed our bags and flew all the way to Mindanao for the much needed architect-user interaction. Little did we know it was going to be a lot more than that. Read more »