Images World Architecture Festival and GROHE Philippines
Last year, we hoped Pinoy designers would outdo their record-breaking appearance at the World Architecture Festival, the largest global architectural gathering of its kind. This 2022, they more than delivered, breaking the number of shortlisted entries, which included three new WAF entrants in Studio Fuerzo, BERSABARC, and DST Design+Build.
Even before WAF season kicked off, Jorge Yulo Architects and Associates and WTA Architecture and Design have already been reaping awards left and right for their WAF shortlisted entries, Equilateral House and Batangas Forest City. It was only fitting that the Special Committee on Creative Industries and Performing Arts, with members of the Arts, Culture, and Creative Industries Bloc of the 19th Congress (ACCIB) decided to file a congratulatory resolution for the second year in recognition of the eight practices and ten entries that made their mark at the WAF.
Despite a run-in with Covid, helming a play for Repertory Philippines, and the to-do lists and hectic schedules that come with being a congressman, Toff de Venecia, chair of the Special Committee on Creative Industries and Performing Arts, and his team prioritized the filing of the resolution to make it in time for the World Architecture Festival (November 30 – December 2). Kanto.com.ph was glad to help provide the necessary references and information required by the team to form the resolution just as we did last year.
2022 didn’t give the world a lot to celebrate, but the few goings-on that deserved attention, admiration, and recognition (like the largest Pinoy showing at the largest architectural festival, for example), a celebration is an act of defiance, a recognition of a more hopeful future despite the challenges of the present time.
The full text of the House Resolution No. 606 filed on November 30, 2022, follows:
Republic of the Philippines
Quezon City, Metro Manila
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Nineteenth Congress
First Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 606
Introduced by Hon. Christopher V.P. de Venecia, Hon. Rachel Marguerite B Del. Mar, Hon. Angelica Natasha Co, Hon. Jose Francisco “Kiko” B. Benitez, Ph.D., Hon. Edward Vera Perez Maceda, Hon. Charisse Anne C. Hernandez, Hon. Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon, Hon. Linabelle Ruth R. Villarica, Hon. Rufus B. Rodriguez, Hon. Jefferson F. Khonghun, Hon. Angelo Marcos Barba, Hon. Florida “Rida” P. Robes, Hon. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma, Hon. Rosanna “Ria” V. Vergara, Hon. Lord Allan Jay Q. Velasco, Hon. Joey Sarte Salceda, Hon. Kristine Singson-Meehan, Hon. Tsuyoshi Anthony G. Horibata, Hon. Mark O. Go, Hon. Richard I. Gomez, DPA, Hon. Stella Luz A. Quimbo, Hon. Vincent Franco “Duke” D. Frasco, Hon. Lianda B. Bolilia, Hon. Maria Vanessa C. Aumentado, Hon. Richelle Singson, Hon. Ma. Rachel J. Arenas, Hon. Claudine Diana D. Bautista-Lim
A RESOLUTION CONGRATULATING TWO FILIPINO ARCHITECTS FOR WINNING THE GERMAN DESIGN COUNCIL’S ICONIC AWARDS 2022 AND EIGHT FILIPINO ARCHITECTURE FIRMS COMPETING AS FINALISTS AT THE WORLD ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL 2022
WHEREAS the German Design Council awarded architects Jorge Yulo the Iconic Award for Innovative Architecture for his design of the Equilateral House in Makati City and William Ti the Iconic Award Best of the Best in Masterplanning for the masterplan of Batangas Forest City on the 5th of October at the BMW Welt Museum in Munich;
WHEREAS the German Design Council’s publication, Iconic World, described Yulo’s project in this manner: “The Equilateral House is a treasure box for antique materials representing snapshots of Filipino heritage and the country’s early interactions with foreign countries all contained in a Brutalist exploding box. The artifacts were collected and repurposed for the house’s construction with minimal intervention, allowing them to be used again in the future. The site suffers and benefits from the meteorological conditions of a tropical climate, so the most immediate strategy was to capitalize on passive cooling.”
WHEREAS the German Design Council’s jury cited WTA’s masterplan thusly: “The project, Batangas Forest City, ideally embodies the vision of modern urban planning, which reconciles residential space and nature and, as a result, creates a location that promises a high standard of living. The fact that the focus of the planning was not just limited to living, working, leisure and recreation but also took the subjects of industry and agriculture into account shows just how holistic the thought behind it was. An impressive project, which despite its great complexity, was carefully thought-out, down to the tiniest detail, and is immensely important for the region.”
WHEREAS the annual World Architecture Festival (WAF), the largest and one of the most prestigious architectural gatherings in the world, shortlisted eight Filipino architecture firms for ten projects, which will compete in Lisbon, Portugal, from the 30th of November to the 3rd of December, 2022, against 485 finalists from over 60 countries in their respective categories and for the plum prizes of World Building of the Year and Future Project of the Year.
WHEREAS the eight Filipino architecture firms are BAAD Studio, winner of the Civic & Community Category and Highly Commended for Future Project of the Year in WAF 2017; Davao-based BERSABARC Design Studio; BUDJI+ROYAL Architecture+Design, Highly Commended in the Sport Category last year; DST Design+Build; HANDS Design Studio; Jorge Yulo Architects and Associates; Studio Fuerzo; and WTA Design Studio, last year’s winner of WAFX Project of the Year;
WHEREAS BAAD Studio is shortlisted in the Completed Building, House and Villa, Rural and Coastal Category for principal architects Benjamin Mendoza and An Bermejo’s The Farmhouse in Cavite, which is remarkable for its sensitivity to context and community, its elegant simplicity, and its sustainable design and thoughtful planning that enabled the construction of the main house in a mere seven days;
WHEREAS BAAD Studio is also shortlisted in the Future Project, Civic & Community Category for Pilgrim Shelter being constructed atop Tumandok Hill in Roxas City, Capiz, an all-concrete structure inspired by the bahay kubo, designed with the community; featuring a unique, graceful roof designed to collect rainwater into underground cisterns, perform aerodynamically, and withstand harsh typhoons; and an innovative modular design for ease of construction;
WHEREAS Neil Bersabe’s BERSABARC Design Studio is shortlisted under the Future Project, Competition Category for Hexarion, which utilizes computational design and modular technology to create a self-sustaining Martian colony, a project that is both speculative and predetermined as its growth is dictated by programming and listening tools that determine when the growing population requires more space and facilities, which may be appended to the starter colony’s structures;
WHEREAS Royal Pineda’s BUDJI+ROYAL Architecture+Design is shortlisted under the Completed Building, House and Villa, Urban and Suburban Category for the Pandemic House, a compact multi-generational home in Cainta designed for the tropics and “to harness nature’s healing resources to promote a healthy living environment,” and is prepared for quarantining, if necessary, while making homecare as convenient as possible;
WHEREAS Dryan Suiza Tria’s DST Design+Build is shortlisted for The Tree House Project under the Future Project, House Category, a home intended for several families of the ‘Trias family tree;’ inspired by the evergreen ash trees of San Mateo, Rizal, where it is being constructed; proudly designed to stand lightly on the ground, without cutting down a single tree on the property, and to impact “the environment in the gentlest possible way;”
WHEREAS Equilateral House by Jorge Yulo Architects and Associates is shortlisted under the Completed Building, House and Villa, Urban and Suburban Category, a masterpiece of reused materials and positive-negative juxtapositions; designed to weather the country’s tropical climate beautifully, executed with exemplary craftsmanship; timeless and poetic; a home that invites contemplation and reverence;
WHEREAS Yonni Habúlan and Maricris Ngo’s HANDS Design Studio is shortlisted under the Completed Building, Hotel & Leisure Category for Casa Tropica, a hot spring resort villa development in Mt. Makiling that is commendable for its “contextually responsive architecture, with climate-sensitive spaces that are authentically Filipino,” molded by “careful space planning and raw material explorations;”
WHEREAS Daryl Referzo’s Studio Fuerzo is shortlisted under the Completed Building, New & Old Category for the New Provincialate House, an expansion and renovation of the decaying, 70-year-old headquarters of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament in New Manila, that succeeded in “creating remarkable moments of serendipity,” while honoring the character of the original mid-century Mission Revival-style house, retaining as much of the old structure as possible, and imbuing symbols and motifs requested by the congregation into the new architecture;
WHEREAS William Ti’s WTA Design Studio is shortlisted under the Future Project, Competition Category for the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Security Plant Complex, which boasts of a living façade that hosts “250 endemic Philippine trees and an exposition of tropical plants” to shield the building from direct sun and “absorb over 70 tons of carbon emissions each year;” a roof covered with solar panels; a rainwater catchment system that naturally irrigates the living façade; and a moat that is not only a security feature but also the repository of the catchment system’s 70 million liters of water collected each year;
WHEREAS WTA Design Studio is also shortlisted under the Future Project, Masterplanning for Batangas Forest City Category for Batangas Forest City, a planned incredible natural setting that highlights and celebrates the majesty and unique diversity of Mount Banoy and Calumpang River, enriching “the live-work-play triad of urban communities” by allowing nature to be “fully integrated and become a regular part of every Batangueño’s life;”
WHEREAS the House of Representatives recognizes the role of architecture in nation-building and development, uplifting humanity and civil society, and improving productivity while minimizing the negative impacts of buildings and structures on the environment and our natural resources;
WHEREAS the people of the Philippines may stand united in respect and admiration of the Filipino’s creative talent and the dedication to excellence of our professionals in the art and science of architecture and interior architecture;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that, taking into consideration the premises as mentioned above, we, the undersigned members of the House of Representatives, hereby express our full and unstinting support for the aforementioned architects and designers in their respective bids for the World Architecture Festival 2022, and our warmest congratulations and thanks to the winners of the Iconic Awards 2022 for bringing honor to our country. May their example inspire more members of the design professions to pursue excellence, innovate, boldly represent the country, and share their learnings with our countrymen to advance the Philippines’ global competitiveness.
Adopted,
Hon. Christopher V.P. de Venecia, Hon. Rachel Marguerite B Del. Mar, Hon. Angelica Natasha Co, Hon. Jose Francisco “Kiko” B. Benitez, Ph.D., Hon. Edward Vera Perez Maceda, Hon. Charisse Anne C. Hernandez, Hon. Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon, Hon. Linabelle Ruth R. Villarica, Hon. Rufus B. Rodriguez, Hon. Jefferson F. Khonghun, Hon. Angelo Marcos Barba, Hon. Florida “Rida” P. Robes, Hon. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma, Hon. Rosanna “Ria” V. Vergara, Hon. Lord Allan Jay Q. Velasco, Hon. Joey Sarte Salceda, Hon. Kristine Singson-Meehan, Hon. Tsuyoshi Anthony G. Horibata, Hon. Mark O. Go, Hon. Richard I. Gomez, DPA, Hon. Stella Luz A. Quimbo, Hon. Vincent Franco “Duke” D. Frasco, Hon. Lianda B. Bolilia, Hon. Maria Vanessa C. Aumentado, Hon. Richelle Singson, Hon. Ma. Rachel J. Arenas, Hon. Claudine Diana D. Bautista-Lim
References:
https://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/live/en/page/home
https://kanto.com.ph/voices/ten-pinoy-projects-make-the-cut-at-waf-2022/
https://kanto.com.ph/spaces/mendoza-farmhouse-baad-studio/
https://kanto.com.ph/spaces/raw-faith-baad-studios-pilgrim-shelter/
https://kanto.com.ph/spaces/hexarion-bersabarc-waf-2022/ https://kanto.com.ph/spaces/architecture/healing-home-budjiroyals-pandemic-house/
https://kanto.com.ph/spaces/trees-a-company-the-tree-house-project-by-dst-design-build/
https://kanto.com.ph/spaces/equilateral-house-jorge-yulo-jyaa/
https://kanto.com.ph/spaces/casa-tropica-by-handstudio-waf-kanto/
https://kanto.com.ph/spaces/architecture/studio-fuerzo-new-provincialate-house-waf/
https://kanto.com.ph/spaces/wta-bsp-competition-waf-2022/
https://kanto.com.ph/places/city-in-a-forest-wta-design-studios-batangas-forest-city/
One Response
Fantastic!