It’s time to go green.
Members of the United Architects in the Philippines-Dumaguete chapter are pushing for a return to the old building designs that would harness sustainable energy like solar and wind.
Ned Carlos, UAP Dumaguete president, said the subject of green architecture was discussed in a forum, with Arch. Mike Guerrero founding member of the Green Architecture Advocacy Philippines, and Gemma Perpetua, general manager of Cabinet Members Inc., a supporter of the Green advocacy.
Carlos said the observation shared by the architects in that forum was that most buildings around the world, not just Negros or the entire Philippines, are not designed in sustainable forms. “Buildings have been so much dependent on technology like artificial lighting and air conditioning, even dependent on electricity, that we have forgotten how to harness sustainable energy like solar and wind which have been for free since man walked on earth,” Carlos told the Dumaguete MetroPost.
However, the challenge is not as easy as changing the next building design. The first challenge, he said, is to change the mindset of the public. “People in Negros have to know the important role of an architect in designing spaces because architects are specifically trained to design spaces with beauty and functionality.”
No other professional was trained to do just that — the architect is the prime professional in design, Carlos said.
At the rate buildings are rising using the not-so-earth-friendly designs, the UAP president warned that we will soon sap earth of its ability to regenerate life.
He pointed to the lessons learned from Singapore, a country with great architecture, which hired only the best local Singaporean architects to let the City-state’s beauty shine.
