Beautiful homes don’t have to cost a fortune, at least in Dumaguete.
A US-based architect said sustainable home designs can be achieved in Dumaguete for less than half a million pesos.
Victor Vicente “Dean” Sinco, an architect from Honolulu, Hawaii who also heads the Department of Architecture & Fine Arts at Foundation University, said his students have built functional, beautiful, and sustainable buildings as part of their course requirements for about P400,000.
Speaking Monday before a largely-student crowd at the SU Audio-Visual Theater for the Albert Faurot Lecture Series, Sinco shared their experience with the Estudio Damgo, the country’s first design-build program for architecture students.
Under this program, the students work together with a selected community in identifying a project and designing the structure. The students then raise funds and build the structure, in cooperation with the community members who will benefit from the project.
To date, Estudio Damgo has built a Day Care Center in sitio Dungga, barangay Malaunay in Valencia town, and a multi-purpose building for the residents of the Core Shelter and Habitat 4 housing projects in barangay Bajumpandan, who are comprised mostly by victims of tropical storm Ondoy.
Upon completion, the buildings are turned over to the community, who will be in charge of maintaining it.
“This is why it is important to have a sustainable design. Sustainable design doesn’t mean that the building will be around for 2,000 years. Rather, it’s a design whereby the community can participate in maintaining the building, like changing a damaged roof or a door, when needed,” Sinco said.
Bamboo, Sinco pointed out, is very good for houses, adding that treated bamboo can now last for over 20 years. In addition, there are less popular construction materials that are readily-available, like rammed earth.
