Photo credit to Diego Gavilanez on Unsplash
By Victoria “NIKE” De Dios
Aware of the growing demand for the housing needs in the country notwithstanding the fact that many houses were destroyed during the typhoons, earthquakes, and other calamities that happened in the country every year, SCG and MARIWASA, invite future architects to design future-ready homes through a home-design competition, STRUKTURA.
The newly launched contest aims to showcase the skills and creativity of architecture students from different colleges and universities in the country. For its pilot year, STRUKTURA will have the theme “Affordable Housing for a Better Normal” and will challenge local architecture students to develop ideas for disaster-proofand innovative Filipino homes. The initiative will also focus on addressing housing backlogs, with the hopes of providing sustainable home ideas as the country continues to fight COVID-19.
The layout must be durable, innovative and sustainable. The design will be judged according to its architectural planning and design (40%), innovativeness (20%), product usage (20%) and sustainability (20%).
The need for more disaster-proof and sustainable housing across the country has been a pressing issue even before the pandemic. Sitting on the typhoon belt of the Pacific Ocean, the Philippines experiences an average of 20 typhoons every year, at least five of which are destructive. With climate change, more and stronger typhoons have been hitting the country.
The country also lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are prevalent. The natural disasters caused by these factors and resulting destruction to property contribute to the growing housing backlog across the country, which at 2020 stands at 6.75 million units, according to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development. The ongoing pandemic further underscores the aggravating housing problem as people stay at home, with thousands crammed in small spaces not ideal for their health and safety.
SCG Country Director Jakkrit Suwansilp said, “We are one with every Filipino in their dream of a comfortable and safe home. With our passion and commitment to provide sustainable housing solutions to enable consumers to attain a better standard of living, SCG and MARIWASA join hands to empower architecture students develop ideas that will shape the future of Filipino homes.”
Understanding the needs of the market and utilizing sustainable and reliable raw materials are essential in creating an effective home design plan for the Philippines. With this knowledge, SCG and MARIWASA make products using high-quality raw materials and follow global standards to ensure the community’s safety and security.
Interested architecture students may submit their entries for STRUKTURA on or before January 8, 2021. The winners will be announced on February 12, 2021.
The winning design will receive a prize money of PHP100,000 and an Asus TUF FX705DU gaming laptop. The second and third place winners will receive PHP60,000 and PHP30,000, respectively, tax-free. The advisers and universities of the winning students will also be getting a prize.
To know the full mechanics, download the STRUKTURA Primer at http://bit.ly/Struktura_Primer or please visit and follow the official STRUKTURA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/struktura.scgmariwasa/ for updates.