Design Against the Elements (DATE)
On March 5, 2010, Design Against the Elements, a global architectural design competition meant to find a solution to the problems presented by climate change was launched. Spurred by the devastation wreaked in the Philippines by tropical storm Ondoy (Ketsana) in 2009 and driven by a powerhouse multidisciplinary group of organizations from the private, institutional, and government sectors, the project aimed to draw together the most innovative minds in the fields of architecture, design, and urban planning to develop sustainable and disaster-resistant housing for communities in tropical urban settings.
The winning design was intended to be built as a prototype disaster-resistant and livable eco-village in Quezon City. The village will be the first green and disaster-resistant community in the country. It will provide a model that can be studied and replicated in similar areas. The finished project will house a marginalized community living in an environmental danger zone, giving them a sense of security, ownership, and awareness of sustainability that can be practiced at all levels in their everyday lives. As of date, a location and funding scheme has yet to be finalized to be able to realize the building of the winning design.
The project also aimed to present a definitive green building solution in a truly local context. It has the ability to reduce the frequency and impact of environmental disasters and lessen the cycle of poverty.
The competition was open to all local and international architects, registered according to the relevant laws in their respective countries under Category 1 and to all local and international students of architecture in their senior years and to graduates of an architecture degree under Category 2.
Project Objectives
The objectives of the project are:
• To foster local and global awareness on climate adaptability and its relevance to poverty alleviation. Disasters are setbacks to sustainable economic growth as well as human tragedies. Having safer structures “ahead of time” will not only lead to less casualties, displacement, and damage, but will empower communities to uplift their quality of life.
• To build the first green, livable, affordable, and disaster-resistant village in the Philippines that will serve as the blueprint for other communities threatened by climate change.
• To compile an encyclopedia of climate-resilient and affordable design solutions for urban poor communities.
Design Criteria
The design is expected to take into account the various economic, social, and environmental conditions of the community in which it will be built. The following are the criteria against which the entries were judged.
• Disaster Resiliency
• Innovative Construction Technology
• Socio-Economic Sustainability.
• Cost Effectiveness
• Adaptability to Other Sites
On January 13, 2011, eight (8) winners were chosen from a total of 282 submitted entries from 52 countries for both categories. The first place for the professional category went to the entry from Denmark. For the student category, first place went to the entry from Vietnam. A panel of 7 international architect judges took on the challenging task of evaluating and deciding the deserving winners.
The major proponents of this competition were My Shelter Foundation headed by Mr. Illac Diaz, the United Architects of the Philippines, the Quezon City Local Government, Climate Change Commission and the major sponsor, San Miguel Properties, Inc., who made this competition a very huge success.
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