Philippines wins silver in international architecture tilt
http://news.inq7.net/lifestyle/index.php?index=2&story_id=52827
Oct 10, 2005
By Augusto Villalon
Inquirer News Service
HOLCIM,
THE MULTINAtional behind the local brands Union, Excel, Premium and
Wall Right Cement, is a new name in Philippine industry but not around
the world. Established in 1912 in Switzerland, the multinational
company is the globe’s largest cement producer, manufacturing cement in
more than 70 countries.
The Holcim Foundation runs parallel with
the company’s global operations. Its purpose is to inspire and
encourage sustainability in architecture and environment.
Sustainability
is a fluid concept. Some find social aspects pressing, while to others
it is the environment that takes priority. Is it sustainable to build
replaceable buildings that are designed to be demolished to make room
for the new? Or should we design buildings to serve their purpose for
as long as possible, and then reuse them for new purposes?
Innovation
Entries
focused on innovation to achieve sustainability, with community
participation, natural-resource management, and cost-effectiveness.
Above all, each project improved the conditions of the locality where
it was constructed.
Of about 1,500 entries submitted from all
over Asia-Pacific region, China won the gold and $100,000. The
Philippines garnered the silver and $50,000. The bronze and $25,000
went to Japan.
The gold, silver and bronze winners from the
Asia-Pacific region earn a chance to compete against the top three
winners in the Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle
East-Africa regional competitions. The grand prize will be awarded in
April 2006 in Bangkok; it is worth $900,000.
Of three Acknowledgement Awards given, two went to China and one to India.
Two Encouragement Awards were given to China, and another to the Philippines.
The
Asia-Pacific Gold was awarded to the design for a "Clan Settlement’s
Regeneration in Hangzhou, China," an innovative urban regeneration
project responding to the need to rejuvenate aging Chinese cities. The
scheme integrates new housing and other community urban spaces within
existing neighborhoods without the need of wholesale demolition or
replacement of heritage structures.
By revitalizing old
structures, using local materials, and returning to simple construction
methods, the cost-effective project respects the living traditions of
the city, proving that heritage is an asset in upgrading decayed urban
environments.
Coral regeneration
An
outstanding Philippine project by Diamond Marketing, a Cagayan de Oro
team composed of Ernesto Pelaez, Roland Rodriguez, Oscar Cinco and
Lemuel Alfeche, "Concrete Substrates for Accelerated Coral Restoration"
won the Silver Award.
"No coral, no fish," stated Alfeche, a
marine biologist, when asked to summarize the pressing need for coral
regeneration in the Philippines which reverses massive damage to coral
and assures future livelihood to many small coastal fishing communities.
The
team developed a simple, affordable and easy-to-construct system for
regenerating coral. L-shaped concrete posts are cast on shore and then
attached around a submerged central pylon. Live coral is attached to
the spider-like structure called an acanthasia by its designers. As
quickly as two years later, the regeneration of coral and marine life
is dramatic.
The modest concrete structure, biologically
compatible with coral because of calcium carbonate present in cement,
offers a low-cost solution to the imperative need for coral
regeneration.
The bronze winner from Japan, "Air Suit: Housing
Renovation in Hiroshima," improves outdated living conditions in the
inner city by renovating existing buildings rather than insisting on
new construction, taking the enlightened view that urban recycling is
beneficial on both ecological and economic levels.
The solution
retrofits outdated building interiors, adds balconies along front and
rear facades and wraps them in woven material, providing insulation and
an air lock that controls summer and winter temperatures.
Light
material used for the building envelope increases energy efficiency
while reducing operating and maintenance cost, so housing becomes more
affordable to a wider range of society. More than merely a cosmetic
alteration, this aesthetically stimulating renovation technique
enhances living quality in the inner city while increasing the life
expectancy of its buildings.
The Holcim Awards charts an emerging
direction in global sustainability. At first it was simply an
architectural-awards program, but the range of submissions went beyond
the limits of the profession.
The range of entries, some complex
and others utterly simple, are all products of collaboration including
teams of architects, engineers, industrial designers,
environmentalists, historians, researchers, urban planners, and
educators, stressing that sustainability is a multidisciplinary effort
requiring the input of individuals with different specialties and
capabilities.
Heritage was a recurring theme. Although a majority
of schemes submitted for either housing or urban regeneration were
premised on the preservation of architectural and cultural heritage,
none viewed heritage as nostalgia but instead took heritage forward as
the basis for the future of cities and for improving local quality of
life.
The Holcim Awards sends the very strong signal that global
citizens should be conscious of preserving their individual, national
heritage while keeping their local environment intact, because each of
us is an essential component that must join the global effort to
sustain our endangered world.
Feedback is welcome at afvillalon@hotmail.com
