April 21, 2017 – The University of Santo Tomas Architecture Network (ARCHINET) hosted the 9th annual National Architecture Symposium at the SMX Convention Center to conclude the four-day National Architecture Jamboree.
This year’s theme for the National Architecture Symposium is Creating Architectural Solutions and Social Innovations that develop the Global community. Its focus is on understanding the theoretical framework of social design, and how configuring a city’s urban design in accordance to the livelihood of the people can become a social change.
Ar. Daniel Terence Yu, President and CEO of Visionarch launched the symposium with an introductory speech on the story of developers in the Philippines, and in how their developments relate to the community and the legacy they will leave.
The first speaker of the event, Ar. Chan Hui Min, the director of DP Architects, one of the largest architectural practices in Singapore, and globally. She has participated in the development of the Seef Lusail, a Major Waterfront Master Plan in Qatar, as well as Emaar Square, a large-scale mixed-use development retail project. Her lecture titled “Leveraging Innovation to Power Design”, touched on subjects such as Project and Design Productivity, Real-time Visualization, Parametric Design. These technologies are the future of architecture, restructuring the rules of architecture and the role of the architect.
After the first lecture, a representative from TAO Pilipinas, Verna Sarraga, gave an orientation of the non-profit, woman-led organization, dedicated in assisting poor communities in the development of their communities.
Before the second lecture, an introductory speech was presented by Ar. Willian Ti, Principal Architect of WTA Architecture and Design Studio spoke on his views on social design as a networking tool, platform of ideas, and form of communication.
The second and final speaker was Alastair Parvin, co-founder and director of WikiHouse Foundation, an open-source project for designing and building houses. His lecture focused on the challenge of housing, affordability, quality and sustainability. It was a discussion on how open-source design can act as a tool to revive community living, and a critique on traditional business models present in society.
ARCHINET first launched the National Architecture Symposium the largest student-initiated learning event, in 2009. Topics such as global warming, environmental planning, and architectural evolution have been featured in the yearly symposium. The annual Symposium continues to strive to spark a dialogue on architecture’s most relevant issues and aims to be a venue for the convergence of ideas, connecting designers worldwide.
