Besting 67 other youth organizations in the Visayas, the United Architects of the Philippines Student Auxiliary of Foundation University will represent Region VII along with four other organizations in the 2013 Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) national awards.
In his seven-minute presentation, Von Jovi Biala, a BS Architecture graduate of Foundation University and one of the 2013 Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines, was able to encapsulate the story behind this advocacy–Estudio Damgo, the first design-build studio in the Philippines.
According to Biala, the judges were impressed on how the architecture students of Foundation University were able to make use of local materials, especially bamboo.
Biala also shared how architecture is undervalued in the Philippines, and largely overlooked at a time when extreme growth demands creative, sustainable solutions. He also narrated how they built the day care center at barangay Malaunay in the municipality of Valencia. The project is based on sustainable architecture and its construction was completed in almost 100 days. Some 25 kids and others 15 kindergarten pupils are now utilizing the center.
“Architecture is not just all about beautifying homes nor aesthetics,” Biala said, “It can also be about bringing and giving life back to a community, by providing them sustainable structures that can support their needs, lifestyle and activities,” he added.
The FU-UAPSA along with five other area finalists from the Visayas will be competing against 19 other national finalists from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
The finalists will first undergo a final panel interview, after which the 2013 TAYO of the Philippines will be named.
The TAYO national formation will be held in Manila on the second week of November. Expected to attend the awarding ceremony at Heroes Hall in Malacanang Palace are President Benigno Aquino III, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, and Sen. Bam Aquino. (Paul Edward Bajas)
