Philippines Representatives in the World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2021 were highly recognized nabbing two WAFX Category winnings from Carlo Calma Consultancy (with Architect Sou Fujimoto Architects) and one from WTA Architecture and Design Studio.
The World Architecture Festival (WAF) for future projects also just announced its shortlist for the most forward-thinking designs aimed towards solving the most pressing problems of society. The winning designs will cover Climate, Energy and carbon; Water; Food; Ageing; Health; Re-use; Smart cities; Construction technology; Cultural identity; Ethics and values; Social Equity; and Digital technology. Our very own Filipino Architects made their mark at the said event as they share their innovative designs, inspiring designers globally. Two of the four Filipino winners are entries from the ff:
FARM FOR FEASTS
Designer: Habulan and Ngo Design Studio
FARM FOR FEASTS Paves the Way for Innovative Farming-friendly Designs within the Metro
The Design Studio is led by the founding Partners, Arch. Yonni Habulan and Arch. Maricris Ngo-Habulan. FARMS FOR FEASTS was the brainchild of the visionary curator/managing director of the Mind Museum and the Bonifacio Art Foundation Inc., Ms. Maribel Garcia. The team of FARMS FOR FEASTS is composed of design, engineering, and agricultural specialists who all believe in the future of urban farming, and how we will all benefit from it in the near future.
In response to intensifying issues of climate change and food scarcity, FARMS FOR FEASTS is a net-zero development where emergent technologies in urban agriculture are housed in one location. The development was inspired by the resilience of the farmers – the backbone of the country’s agricultural industry. This development envisions to introduce the future of innovative farming. Situated in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Philippines FARMS FOR FEASTS is composed of three (3) major components: the Farm Pavilion, the Energy Plaza, and the Solar Farm.
Harvests from Farms for Feasts will be marketed and distributed to surrounding commercial establishments. This thus creates a self-sufficient environmental and economic interdependence, which could be replicated in other cities in the country.
Spaces within and outside of the building has been designed to not only incubate the indoor urban farm, but also to act as venues for interaction and education. At the ground floor of the pavilion, a multipurpose hall can be used for farming exhibits and dialogues. In addition, storage and production facilities will also be provided.
From Fragmented to Free
Designer: Buensalido Architects
The From Fragmented to Free creates a whole new experience of learning history, going beyond informing but compelling people to action.
From Fragmented to Free was created to honor the lives that came before the freedom experienced by Filipinos today – before democracy, and human rights during the infamous Martial Law period in the Philippines. The structure aims to inspire generations to continue defending human rights and democracy.
The inspiration is our fragmented nation, a society of imbalance that was propagated when absolute, unquestioned, and unchallenged power broke our people apart. Today, due to fabricated truths and altered narratives, a large majority of the younger generation is not privy to the horror brought about by that period in history. This fragmented condition of our society must be recognized, and our fragmented history be remembered in its unaltered truth, and only then can we accept that we are a broken people, and in that brokenness see hope.
The entry started with the iconicity of the museum’s form. Set back from the main road and positioned in the center of the site, the structure is a commanding presence, a striking amalgamation of overlapping cylindrical volumes. It seems to be in disarray and chaos (fragmented, even), just as we were during Martial Law.
The circle was selected to be the recurring shape of spaces and forms to symbolize equality, as the shape’s perimeter is equidistant from any point. It also symbolizes the hope for truth due to the absence of “sides” (nothing but truth).
At the foreground of the structure is a vast open space covered with round slabs, arranged radially, symbolizing countless unnamed victims of this period. The façade also pays homage to them, with an interspersion of solid surfaces and transparent glass enclosures and sky gardens that allow for light manipulation, and an exterior clad with two-toned stone blocks. It is the hope that as each victim is recognized, one stone is turned from one side to the other, from dark to light, from hopelessness to freedom.
Guests enter through a circular, hermetically sealed lift, surrounded with a seamless LED screen that immerses them in a harrowing collection of images and sounds from Martial Law victims. They alight at the topmost level to go through the different galleries descending a spiral ramp. With the crowd drawn to this single entry point, the start of the experience is cramped, constrained, and dark—not unlike the state of the nation during Martial Law—but slowly becomes spacious and bright as visitors descend.
The final space is the atrium, a light-filled space with a sculptural piece that asks the question, “Now what?” After the experience, the question hopefully inspires and encourages them to take action, and to keep this from happening again.
The selected designs are all future projects and will be judged in Lisbon this December.
To View all the shortlist and full details of the event, link to https://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com
