MAY 19, 2021. ArchiGlobal Inc. won first prize for their Housing and Masterplan Design for the proposed Provincial Government of Bohol Employees Village. The competition was participated by 18 other architectural firms from different parts of the Philippines. Among those that judged the competition entries were Ar. Jun Palafox and Ar. Royal Pineda. The abstract of the design is narrated below:
Bohol is a world-famous island. It is famed for its unique natural resources, beautiful tropical vibe, cultural heritage, and its wonderful people. Central to Boholano’s heart is her devotion to God. In May, the island does not cease to celebrate a fiesta every day. When the Boholanos celebrate feast days, they do it with lavishness and wide-open arms admitting even strangers to partake of their feast. Town fiestas are usually coupled with street fanfare. The Sandugo Festival is an example. It commemorates the blood compact between Bohol’s Datu Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. This is a gesture evocative of the Boholano’s appreciation for unity. They are family-centered people. The feasts that they celebrate are occasions for them to hold family reunions and come together as a community.
Central to the design concept of the Kabilin Community are three Visayan words that encapsulate the Boholano culture: PANAGHI-USA, PAGMAYÂ, PAGKADIYOSNON.
Panaghi-usa
The design of the Kabilin Community rests primarily on the concept of unity – Panaghi-usa – Communal space is central to the masterplan. Lot cuts are uniquely configured to have inter-twining patterns. From an airplane, the houses will appear like they are weaved together.
The design took note of the planned Medical Center and Youth Center within the housing complex. The commercial spaces take in a strategic location, being an amenity to cater to both the community and the hospital. There is a proposed organic urban plantation designed to initiate a unitive activity for the community dwellers. This plantation can be run by a community cooperative where organic products will be sold in the commercial space. It will be a feasible idea to supply the hospital and the youth center with these organic products. The promotion of healthy living is the unifying goal between these three developments that seem to be irreconcilable.
In the house model designs, Panaghi-usa is exemplified by the presence of the Pantawan or visitor’s porch. Every Boholano house has a Pantawan, a very useful space to welcome visitors, especially during a fiesta. It also serves as a place where the house residents can have get-togethers, at times with neighbors and friends, in an outdoor setting.
Pagmayâ
Together with Panaghi-usa is Pagmayâ – a word that captures the Boholanos’ joyful spirit, love for life, and pride for their province’s natural beauty. The community’s curved spine road takes away the boredom of rigidly designed subdivisions. The subdivision amenities are a celebration of life. The chapel provides the reason for the community to celebrate the feast of a patron saint. The multi-purpose structure is a venue for community activities. The open garden fields and bio-swales mimic nature and bring the residents close to nature. Sports facilities are locations to celebrate friendship and fun among neighbors and espouse healthy living. The configuration of the house lots is intentionally slanted to orient them favorably against the sun.
In the house model designs, Pagmayâ is concretized primarily in making the house spaces as complete, sturdy, customizable, and comfortable as possible. There are provisions for either vertical and/or horizontal expansion. In these expansion areas, the house owner can have more individuality leaving up the design to them. Some units are raised on stilts to mimic the effective tropical suitability of the design of the Bahay Kubo. Jalousie windows are employed because it is the window that admits more breeze inside the house. The roof is curved to make it typhoon-proof.
Nothing can beat the celebration of life than to be able to own your own house & lot property. To make the housing unit cost more economical, the houses are planned using a 0.60 x 0.60 grid template. This will ensure minimum wastage in the construction materials that will be used for the housing units. The proposed construction system is pre-cast concrete. Mass-produced precast concrete will be used for the walls. This system can greatly reduce construction costs while having the benefits of a faster construction period.
The house units are named after Bohol’s most popular heroes.
Pagka-Diyosnon
Finally, we go to the third design byword of Pagka-Diyosnon. The Boholanos are known for their piety. The chapel is a central feature of the Kabilin community. It is set in a plaza. This will be the place where the Kabilin residents can practice their piety and celebrate their fiesta as a community.
Being God-fearing means being good stewards of God’s creation. The efforts to make this development sustainable and green exemplifies this stewardship. The community masterplan employs bio-swales to make the whole development porous. The streets will be well-lighted by solar-powered street lamps to reduce electric consumption.
The sustainable features of the house units were already enumerated above. The residents can participate in the drive to produce organic plant products by providing concrete locations where they can do hydroponics planting in the house design. This communal goal to produce and promote healthy living can be a source of income for both individual residents and the community as a whole. This is a way to give back to God his blessings by engaging in activities that promote life and sustain the sense-of-community among the Kabilin residents.
