A GROUP of three architecture juniors placed second in ArchiNext: Hocheng Philippines Corp. Young Designers Competition last April 23.
Xyruz Jior Caluag, Danison De Guzman and Keilah Raj Segovia bested 78 other designers with their entry “Pikalawag Community Hospital,” a proposed facility in Lanao del Norte that uses amphibious architecture..
“We want it to be of symbolic meaning to the people of Sultan Naga Dimaporo and become a center for refuge and hope. We want it to reflect their cultural identity,” Caluag told the Varsitarian.
Caluag said the concept sought to highlight the importance of groundwater in the lives of the Maranao people, whose primary source of income is fishing.
The design incorporates aquaponics, a food production system that combines aquaculture and growing plants in sand, gravel or liquid without soil, which, paired together, complement the bodies of water in the area.
The competition tasked the participants to look for a location in the country in need of a medical facility.
Caluag said the site selection took about two weeks and the whole design process lasted for two months.
The team was mentored by faculty members Asst. Prof. Alpher De Vera and Architect Alfred Asanza of the College of Architecture.
“All ideas came from the group, our role as mentor was to check if these design solutions comply with the project objectives of the proponent, the guidelines set forth by concerned agencies and most importantly building laws and standards,” De Vera told the Varsitarian.
“The most difficult part of this competition journey was the online consultation. Due to the pandemic, the usual face-to-face consultation that we were accustomed to was not possible. There were some technical difficulties doing online consultation but thankfully, we were able to manage them,” he added.
Caluag’s group also bagged the best presentation award.
Four other Thomasian groups landed in the top 10: Nadine Calisang, Arvee Joseph De Armas, and Jesse Nathaniel Peran who placed fourth; Paul Justin Santos, Kim Bryan Riel, and Danielle Anne Ramirez who finished seventh; Vince Julius Diaz, Angela Ysabelle and Kyle Robert Pasquin who placed ninth and Gabriel Matienzo, John Michael Canero and Mark Angelo Bautista who got the 10th spot.
The Annual Young Designers Competition challenges architecture students to produce sustainable architectural concepts.
