i MUHON: A Journal of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and the Designed Environment University of the Philippines College of Architecture Issue No. 4

ABOUT THE COLLEGE

[This section is an excerpt from the end-of-term State of the College Report by Dean Mary Ann A. Espina to the UPCA faculty, staff, students, and guests on September 16, 2013 at the Museum of Filipino Architecture, University of the Philippines College of Architecture.]

Vision and Mission of the College

A vision is a picture of a preferred future. It inspires and guides. It channels or directs all goals, strategies, thrusts, programs and projects towards that desired future. The vision of the University of the Philippines College of Architecture as adopted at the turn of the century is re-stated here as follows:

"The UP College of Architecture through the persistent pursuit of excellence and leadership, the constancy of relevance and responsiveness, the facility of access and equal opportunity, and armed with holistic vision amidst the culture of freedom of ideas, envisions itself to be the acknowledged Center of the Designed and Built Environment, and, thereby be a moving force in the improvement of the quality of life of our people."

The Mission statements of the College are as follow:

Provide responsive and relevant academic programs in the undergraduate, graduate and distance education levels that can serve as a guide and model for similar educational institutions;

Develop research capabilities through the establishment and maintenance of research laboratories, which will generate new and innovative knowledge in architecture and the built environment;

Hone continuously the capability and capacity of its faculty and staff by developing and implementing programs, which would harness and consolidate all resources to firm up its commitment as the National Center of Excellence; and

Educate and inspire society at large to pave the way for a more dynamic and appropriate interaction for a better designed and built environment.

Figure 1. The UP College of Architecture Building 1. Source: Roi Francisco (UPCA Alumnus)

Figure 2. The UP College of Architecture Building 2. Source: Glenn Orbon (UPCA Research Office)

History of the UP College of Architecture

The Architecture program of the University of the Philippines, upon the approval of the Board of Regents, started in 1956 as the university realizes the importance of architecture and the built environment in society. With thirty-six (36) incoming students as a start, a five-year Bachelor of Science in Architecture undergraduate curriculum was administered through the College of Engineering in the First Semester of Academic Year 1956-1957. In 1959, sensing that architecture was more art than science, the Board of Regents transferred the program to the School of Fine Arts which consequently converted into the School of Fine Arts and Architecture. As soon as the program graduated its first graduate in 1961, the School was elevated into a College. In 1970, when architecture was acknowledged to cover both the arts and science domains – integrally concerned with culture and technology, people and place – the UP College of Architecture (UPCA) was finally recognized as an independent unit.

Figure 3. The fourth and fifth floors of Melchor Hall (College of Engineering Building) served as the home of College of Architecture before transferring to its present home in 2005. Source: Glenn Magaspac

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Further, the College developed architecture programs in the Graduate level and pioneered programs in Landscape Architecture in its pursuit to make itself a relevant and responsive educational institution and to advance the architectural education in the country. The Master of Architecture (M Arch) Program offered specializations in Architectural Design, Architectural Science, Community Architecture and Housing and produced its first batch of graduates in 1974. More than a decade later, the College introduced the Master of Tropical Landscape Architecture in 1985. In 1990, the College established its Research and Extension Unit. With its initiatives and leadership in developing further the architectural education in the country, the honor of Center of Excellence in Architecture was awarded to the College by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in 1999.

In time for the celebration of the College’s Golden Jubilee Anniversary in 2006, UPCA left Melchor Hall and moved to its new home in E. de los Santos St. in the summer of that year. This new College of Architecture Complex consisted of 2 buildings - one was an adaptive reuse, designed by Prof. Nicolo Del Castillo, of the partly burned old CPDMO building, and the other, a brand new Studio Laboratory Building designed by Prof. Jose Danilo Silvestre. The UPCA Alumni Foundation assisted in raising funds for the procurement of new furniture and equipment.

Today, after more than half a century of existence, the UP College of Architecture continues to break new ground for visionary concepts and approaches in the fields of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Its faculty members are among the pillars and fountainhead of architectural knowledge in the country, its graduates becoming not only shapers and molders of the built environment but builders of the nation as well.

Figure 4. Out-of-class learning activity for the undergraduate students of Urban Design and Housing. Source: Dr. Grace Ramos

Sources:

(1) Fermin, Ephraim K., June 30, 1985. The University of the Philippine College of Architecture: The First Thirty Years by the People Who Made It. Quezon City: UPCA.

(2) Various interviews and College documentary research made by the UPCA Research and Extension Programs.

Undergraduate and Graduate Programs

The College offers two (2) undergraduate and two (2) graduate courses for both Architecture and Landscape Architecture. The Bachelor of Science in Architecture (BS Arch) degree has a total of 188 academic units to be completed in a period of five (5) years. The other undergraduate program – the 149-unit, four-year Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) was the only such program in the Philippines until 2004 but to date, UPCA continues to produce, not only the most number but also the topnotch graduates in landscape architecture. The first faculty of the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Program included Ildefonso P. Santos Jr. who is regarded as the Father of Landscape Architecture in the Philippines and who was honored as a National Artist for Architecture in 2006. These two undergrad programs have been revised and updated into the present 2012 curricula.

Figure 5. 2006 National Artist for Architecture and Father of Landscape Architecture in the Philippines, Prof. Ildefonso P. Santos, graced the turnover ceremony of his library collection to UPCA. Source: Edra Belga-Casono

UPCA also pioneered the establishment of Master of Architecture (M Arch) degree in the country. A graduate student of Architecture must fulfill the minimum requirement of completing forty-two (42) academic units, within a minimum of two and a half years on full-time basis. The Master of Tropical Landscape Architecture (MTLA) program is unique in the world. It can be completed with minimum of thirty-nine (39) academic units to be completed by a licensed landscape architect, and sixty-seven (67) units by a licensed architect.

Figure 6. Commencement Exercises for the graduates of UPCA. Source: Dr. Grace Ramos

Currently, a Doctor of Philosophy in Designed Environment (PhD Designed Environment) program is being prepared by the College for proposed implementation within two years. Once the program is approved, a post-graduate student must fulfill the minimum requirement of completing thirty-nine (39) academic units to be conferred with the doctoral title.

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Figure 7. UPCA students at work on their plates in their studio class. Source: Dr. Grace Ramos

College Deans Profile

A total of seven (7) deans have served the College to date. The late Professor Aurelio T. Juguilon was the very first faculty of the Architecture program in 1956 (under the College of Engineering) and later as the first dean of the College of Architecture in 1970. He was succeeded by Professor Geronimo V. Manahan, the Architecture program’s first Cum Laude graduate, in 1984. The late Professor Honrado R. Fernandez, PhD., assumed office in 1990 and served for three (3) terms. Professor Cristopher Stonewall P. Espina took over as the fourth Dean of UPCA from 1999 to 2002. The curriculum review of the BS Architecture program of UPCA and the syllabi-writing were initiated during his term, as well as the operationalization of the Studio Laboratory organizational structure to further promote a “Culture of Research” in the College. It was in 1999 that the College’s leadership role was confirmed when the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) declared UPCA a National Center of Excellence in Architecture.

Figure 8. The UP College of Architecture Deans: Prof. Aurelio Juguilon (1970-1984); Prof. Geronimo Manahan (1984-1990); Prof. Honrado Fernandez (1990-1999); Prof. Cristopher Stonewall Espina (1999-2002); Prof. Prosperidad Luis (2002-2007); Prof. Jose Danilo Silvestre (2007-2010); and Prof. Mary Ann Espina (2010-present). Source: Dean Mary Ann Espina and UPCA Research Office

In 2002, Professor Prosperidad C. Luis became the fifth Dean and the first Lady Dean of UPCA. It was during her term that the College was transferred to its new home in the summer of 2005, where it held its first ever College Recognition Rites in its own grounds in UPCA Building 1. Professor Jose Danilo A. Silvestre, the design architect of Building 1 and UPCA’s first Magna Cum Laude graduate, assumed the deanship in 2007. In 2010, Professor Mary Ann A. Espina became the seventh Dean and the first Landscape Architect Dean of UPCA.

College Executive Board & Faculty Profile

The College Executive Board (CEB) serves as the highest policy-making body of the College, composed of the Dean, College Secretary, and six (6) directors of the following programs of the College: Architecture Undergraduate Program, Architecture Graduate Program, Landscape Architecture Program, Research Program, Extension Program and Student Relations Program. The College Dean and Secretary are tasked to execute and implement the decisions made by the Board regarding major concerns affecting the College.

As of the First Semester of Academic Year 2013-2014, the College has twenty-five (25) full-time faculty members, twenty-one (21) lecturers, and one (1) teaching associate. Of the 25 full-time faculty members, 17 are tenured faculty, with 4 holders of PhD and the rest having various graduate degree obtained in the country and across the globe as well. Members of the UPCA faculty are all licensed professionals in the fields of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Planning, Civil Engineering, and other related fields of the designed and built environment. Most of the faculty members were student achievers of UPCA and licensure board topnotchers.

Figure 9. UPCA students present their thesis projects during deliberations as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degrees in Architecture or Landscape Architecture. Source: Glenn Orbon

Several faculty members from the College are holders of administrative positions in UPD and UP System, as well as in various professional organizations. Other professors also received prestigious awards from design competitions and from various respected organizations for their valuable contribution not only to the academe but to the allied professions as well. Five (5) were recipients of the prestigious Most Outstanding Professional of the Year awarded by the Professional Regulatory Commission.

College Achievements and Milestones

The College is a beneficiary of various Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) signed between UP Diliman and other local and foreign universities that foster exchanges between faculty and students. These MOAs have facilitated the academic exchange of faculty and students in various Asian and European universities. UPCA is a member of the IUSAM (Inter-University Seminar on Asian Megacities) for the past 15 years and have participated actively in its annual scientific paper exchange.

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Figure 10. The UP Integrated School Grade 7-12 Building is a project overseen by the Office of Design and Planning Initiatives (ODPI) and team-designed by several UPCA Faculty members, with Prof. Emmanuel Litonjua as Architect-of-Record. Source: Dominic Sadsad

Figure 11. UPCA’s participation in the IUSAM included the hosting of two international conferences in UP Diliman. Source: Dean Mary Ann Espina and Dr. Grace Ramos

In 2012, a group of ten (10) faculty members held a workshop with the professors of National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei. In the same year, UPCA sent a faculty member and a graduate student to Sapporo in Japan under an academic exchange project with Fuji Women’s University. UPCA also partnered with business and industry leaders in the conduct of conferences, workshops, design competitions, and the like for the students, faculty, and design professionals.

Figure 12. UPCA-NTU Workshop in Taipei last May 2012. Source: Dean Mary Ann Espina

These partnerships have also generated professorial chairs and student scholarships.

Figure 13. “HARAYA”, a vernacular term meaning "imagination", is an annual college exhibit of UPCA that showcases student works at the end of the school year. Source: Edra Belga-Casono

Figure 14. UPCA holds the first ArkiREX (Research and Extension Extramural Workshops) last August 2013. Source: Edra Belga-Casono

In 2012 and again in 2013, a sudden surge in the number of freshmen applicants to the undergraduate programs indicated an increase in the demand for architectural education in UP. Undoubtedly, this is due to the mark of excellence the College has consistently shown in the award-winning academic works of the students and faculty as well as the outstanding performance of the alumni in the licensure examinations. Other milestones for the College within the past few years include student interactions, faculty and administrative staff development, alumni’s performance in their careers, and various research and extension activities and endeavors in relation to UPCA’s goal of being proclaimed as the National Center of Architecture.

Figure 15. Panorama Development Corporation offers UPCA Faculty scholarship. Source: Prof. Maureen Anne Araneta (UP Diliman Information Office)

About the College

v MUHON: A Journal of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and the Designed Environment University of the Philippines College of Architecture Issue No. 4 issue no. 3

Figure 16. UPCA bore ArchCARE in 2000 that is responsible for conducting the Annual Conference on Architectural Research and Education (ACARE). Source: Glenn Orbon

Figure 17. 2nd Prize Professional Category in FuturARC won by the alumni and faculty of UP College of Architecture. Source: Prof. Nicolo Del Castillo

The College is aiming to achieve two ambitious goals in the near future: 1. The proclamation of UPCA as the National Center of

Architecture, rendering research and extension service to the country through the following: a) Continuing leadership in the formulation of the BS

Architecture program for all schools and colleges of Architecture in the Philippines;

b) Development, propagation and dissemination of researches in Architecture in the specialized fields of Green Architecture, Heritage Conservation, Safe Buildings, and Sustainable Sites and Buildings;

c) Provision of laboratory facilities for testing or simulating natural daylight and ventilation, structural frame optimization; rainwater recycling system, heritage architecture materials, and others; and

d) Production of guidelines for the government on the planning and design of disaster-prone sites, environmentally-sensitive sites, and heritage sites; and guidelines for the application of Filipino architecture and landscape architecture in civic buildings and sites.

2. The Internationalization of architecture programs of UPCA, in preparation for the 2015 Regional and 2020 Global Integration. This will entail strengthening of the current UPCA curricula by fostering intensive curricular partnerships with other UP academic units; establishing and maintaining international linkages with foreign academic institutions and with industry partners; facilitating student mobility with focus on increasing student exchanges among ASEAN universities; promoting faculty development through academic exchanges and fellowships; and making the necessary steps to qualify for accreditation in the AUN-ACTS and the Canberra Accord.

Figure 18. Aerial photograph of UP College of Architecture Complex, with Amphitheater between the two existing buildings. Source: Paulo Alcazaren and LIPAD Aerial Photography

Hence, as a necessary objective to attain those two goals, UPCA embarked on the planning, design and construction of two projects in the UPCA Complex: (a) the Bridge and Amphitheater project which will provide a desirable physical and visual connection the two UPCA buildings; and (b) the 413-seater UPCA “Mindanao” Auditorium, funded by former Representative Fatima Aliyah Dimaporo from the Second District of Lanao del Norte.

Figure 19. Perspective of proposed UPCA Mindanao Auditorium. Source: Dean Mary Ann Espina

Within the next three years, the College will endeavor to build a 7-storey Studio Laboratory Building, a 3-storey Bahay na Bato, and the Bonsai Garden Convention Center as further testaments to the vision and mission of the UP College of Architecture.

Figure 20. Representatives Fatima Aliyah Dimaporo (2nd from left) and Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (3rd from left) graced the Groundbreaking Ceremonies of the UPCA Mindanao Auditorium. Joining them are UP Diliman Chancellor Caesar Saloma (4th from left), UPCA Dean Mary Ann Espina (1st from left), and representatives from the University and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Source: Timothy Augustus Ong

vi MUHON: A Journal of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and the Designed Environme nt University of the Philippines College of Architecture Issue No. 4

In

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Adapted from: Wang, Ahmed, 2005.

Research team working on a project funded by the UP Diliman

Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development.

EDITORIAL Grace C. Ramos, Ph.D. gcramos@up.edu.ph

Completing the Knowledge Value Chain

Attuned with the age of the information economy, MUHON is the UP College of Architecture’s vehicle for completing the knowledge value chain in the designed environment field. Bodies of knowledge generated through research and professional practice go through the cyclical and iterative process involving value adding activities that lead to innovation.

Knowledge Processing and

Generation

In UPCA, this falls within the domain of the studio

laboratories, which represent specialized fields of

research undertakings. The Research Program directs

these collaborative works by formulating the research

thrusts of the college.

Knowledge Acquisition

The teaching function of the college is administered by

the Academic Programs through in-class and out-of-

class learning activities. The undergraduate and

graduate program curricula are constantly assessed in

terms of relevance to the current and projected social

contexts.

Knowledge Storage

The knowledge database consisting of creative and

research outputs by faculty and staff are organized for

easy access and updating. The collection of thesis works,

documented design projects and seminar/conference

proceedings are managed through the physical and

virtual libraries of the college.

Knowledge Dissemination

MUHON and other designed environment-related

publications come in as the conduits through which

knowledge generated in the academe flow out to the

industry and the public at large. These printed

information sources are coupled with seminars and

workshops that are geared at sharing new ideas that

could potentially make a difference in the existing state

of things.

Knowledge Application

The Extension Program of the college is the arm that

further extends the academe beyond the conventional

role of a knowledge repository. Knowledge gained

becomes meaningful if it is made to seep through the

operational systems of industries, the governance

structures of public agencies and the daily challenges

and coping mechanisms of the common people.

Editorial Grace C. Ramos

vii MUHON: A Journal of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and the Designed Environment University of the Philippines College of Architecture Issue No. 4 issue no. 3

Such is the complete chain that is key to the realization of UPCA’s vision to be “a moving force in the improvement of the quality of life…” New bodies of knowledge ideally translate to changes in what is and what have been or what people are accustomed to. These changes are supposed to be documented and fed back to the knowledge chain. It is this constant coming in and out of new realizations that result in innovation.

As world economies are continuously restructured in favor of the services sector and as global competition becomes more intense, innovations will always command high premiums. Creative processes and outputs that

challenge the status quo, rather than cost competitiveness-based strategies are the forces that catapult cities and nations to progress. Building forms, outdoor spaces, details and finishes are constantly being redefined with the increasing sophistication of the clients’ needs and wants. Coded knowledge then need to be revisited and constantly recoded to respond to, as well as stimulate desired responses from the social structures that they should match with.

Designed environment professions have the unique role of being able to tackle both the software and the hardware components of the knowledge-based economy. What starts as an

abstract concept eventually gets translated into tangible elements that concretize processed pieces of information. These fields of practice, therefore, provide immense opportunities for meaningful interventions

The college may be seen as a knowledge base that can fuel productive pursuits in the same way a city does for a country or the world. The city is a milieu that accommodates the concentration of human capital that make up interrelated social systems. The confluence of specialized skills and information set off a process of knowledge transmutation. In the academic setting, the provision of this city-like venue for convergence enhances the process of creation. Convergence implies access and proximity, which are both addressed physically and virtually. While the physical meetings and face-to-face exchanges of ideas are aided by college infrastructure such as classrooms and studios, virtual exchanges are facilitated by electronic and printed media. MUHON serves to sustain this knowledge ecosystem by pooling together modeled, processed and coded information.

Free flow of information that is an essential attribute of the knowledge economy is allowed as MUHON features academic papers that embody the crossing of specializations represented by the different studio laboratories. Multi-directional knowledge transmutations across these specialized fields lead to technological advancement, which is yet another key ingredient of the

information-based economy. Technology, which is a component of the supply side of the knowledge value chain, is also a potential output that may be applied and translated into new spatial experiences.

Muhon 4

MUHON is a Filipino word derived from the Spanish word Mojón, which signifies the physical definition of spaces referred to as landmark, boundary, place and territory. This fourth issue of the journal of the UP College of Architecture aptly embodies all these denotations. This is a landmark issue that features seven academic papers that have undergone review by an international group of referees. Academics from universities in Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America shortlisted these papers from a total of seventeen. Referees include academics and professionals in the fields of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design, City Planning, Engineering, Architectural Science, Heritage Conservation and Education. This MUHON issue sets the boundary between perception and theoretically and methodologically-grounded arguments about spaces ranging from interior spaces in buildings to urban and communal spaces. It also clarifies the boundary between the randomly disposed built areas and the rationally designed environments

Thirdly, this issue is all about places in their most fully-encompassing sense. MUHON is a cornerstone that seals the existence of space on the ground. The papers included in this issue bring the concept of space to a higher level as they tackle it as a multi-dimensional entity that has socio-cultural components. And lastly, the papers confirm the concept of territory. Definition of territories connotes ownership- a one-to-one correspondence between space and an individual or a group of people. This claimed space is, over time, defined and constantly redefined by its dialectic relationship with the claimants.

Three key themes are prevalent in these papers: (1) the need to contextualize the decision-making leading to design processes; (2) recognition of places as very specific and unique confluences of a wide range of realities; and (3) the existence of a two-way correlation between spaces and the social and temporal milieus where they are located.

JV Chua and RF Bernardo’s simulation study highlights the need for a designed learning environment to respond to local climate and other site realities. With daylighting as an end goal, building envelope, materials and architectural form are among the design elements that may be manipulated to make the interior space perform at par with the parameters for energy efficiency and user comfort. MS Gilles’ quantitative investigation on the amenity values of green open spaces rationalizes the allotment of significantly large areas of real property for what are conventionally categorized as non-revenue generating uses. Parks and green spaces in shopping centers actually translate to monetary returns while capitalizing on the tropical settings of these establishments.

CD Nadal’s triangulation-based research illustrates how a heritage site and structure can remain as such while adapting to modern urban development trends. The Malate Church and grounds serve as a transition space where activities represent the convergence of the historical and current contexts that this religious complex embodies.

Editorial Grace C. Ramos

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RL Mata’s phenomenological research ends with the recognition of the value of community involvement in the formulation of municipal plans that are anchored on the cultural heritage of Sta. Catalina, Carcar, Cebu. Participation of the stakeholders in the documentation and design formulation stages yielded planning inputs that would account for the sustainability of the heritage preservation efforts. PS Marahatta and JR Pokharel’s analysis and conclusions stress the importance of social attributes in establishing the level of resiliency of communities against natural disasters. The paper also presents the capability of indigenous communities in Kathmandu Valley to respond to calamity situations. Disaster-resilience principles may, therefore, be drawn from these experiences to make communities in the contemporary setting better equipped in addressing natural disaster issues.

EU Ozaeta’s qualitative analysis brought to fore the strength of spatial qualities in influencing behavior. The paper, which relates architecture with the learning process argues that the designed space can be a teaching aid particularly for pre-school level where the ability to perceive space is developed. The space then where learning happens can be thought of as more than just an inanimate entity. GT Orbon’s survey-based research reinforces the notion of space as an active participant rather than a passive container of people and events. The UP Diliman Shopping Center has features that interplay with other factors such as transport facilities and distance which all collectively influence the level of patronage of this commercial center.

Also featured in this issue of Muhon are the project abstracts of two undergraduate theses. The Bachelor of Science in Architecture Thesis by LL Celestial is an animal rehabilitation facility that draws on theories in the fields of Psychology and the natural sciences. The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Thesis by JG Amar infuses city planning and environmental science principles into the design of a waterfront park.

The papers and design projects included in Muhon 4 were prepared under the auspices of the eight (8) Studio Laboratories of the UP College of Architecture. These are the following: Architectural Design; Architectural Communication; History, Theory and Criticism; Building Science; Urban Design; Practice and Governance; Environmental Architecture; and Landscape Architecture Studio Laboratories. It is the goal of the college to engage students and faculty in the graduate and undergraduate levels in research that would entail the crossing of these different fields. Inter-disciplinary approaches that interweave architecture and landscape architecture with economics, sociology, geography and other social science fields are highly encouraged. It is hoped that through this window, the quality of research outputs especially in the Master of Architecture and Master of Tropical Landscape Architecture programs will constantly be upgraded. This publication also paves the way for the offering a future Doctor of Philosophy program in the college. The envisioned Ph.D. program is largely studio-based, requiring collaborative research works with faculty.

The Research Program

UPCA’s Research Program is geared at generating research projects that are aimed at upgrading quality of life through better designed environments. The research undertakings of the college are directed towards these general thrusts:

Disaster Mitigation and Preparedness

Sustainable Design and Building Materials

Cities and Economic Development

Cities and Global Networks

Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Heritage Conservation

Landscape and Environmental Design

Contextual Design/ Tropical Design

Innovative Materials and Building Technology

Global Practice and the Design Professions

Knowledge-generation in the designed environment realm can fall under any of three categories, which are defined as follows:

Creative Design: New space and form concepts can emerge out of design studies for a known building type or landscape setting.. The proposed design can be illustrative of the use of new technology or novel ways of addressing user needs. These design studies can also lead to new building types, landscape designs or interior spaces that are called for by emergent social organizations that correspond to new forms of interaction. New design programs could also reflect evolving principles, philosophies or ways of thinking.

Advancing New Principles or Systems: The output of investigations can be new theories involving the behavior of elements in the physical or social environment that could potentially redefine architecture and landscape architecture- their practice and their products. Propositions could be in the form of models representing sets of relationships among variables that translate to new architectural products. Studies generating principles for disaster-resilience, tropical climate adaptations, workplace efficiency, and urban renewal are a few examples of these outputs. The application of these principles can be innovative building systems, landscape design features, new construction materials, or new concepts for lighting, ventilation, acoustics or fire safety features.

Formulation of Guidelines: Research in the designed environment fields could yield sets of prescriptions on how to address issues or how to get something done. These guidelines are aimed at systematizing procedures and implementation strategies. Establishing a set of criteria for post-occupancy evaluation, formulating guidelines for energy conservation in buildings, prescribing procedures for heritage conservation, are examples of research outputs that could impact design.

Thesis projects and faculty research that have been completed over the years can be categorized under one or a combination of these three types.

Editorial Grace C. Ramos

ix MUHON: A Journal of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and the Designed Environment University of the Philippines College of Architecture Issue No. 4 issue no. 3

Going Places

MUHON continues to negotiate and mark places…

The college journal was launched in year 2000 to serve as a forum for discussion of ideas on the designed environment. This publication seeks original work and welcomes contributions related to a variety of issues. It considers for publication research, technical and philosophical papers. The journal encourages prospective contributors to view their efforts as exercises on critical inquiry. Great emphasis is placed on the idea content of the work, its scholarly depth, and on the development of arguments.

The maiden issue covered a wide array of design issues. It tackled the economic costs of housing regulations, cases of environmental misfits in public outdoor spaces, sick building syndrome and the socio-cultural dimensions of public markets. Landscape architecture themes were discussed in papers on parking for the tropics and constructed wetland systems. This first issue also induced critical thinking as it featured non-traditional themes such as “mala-baklang espasyo” or gay spaces.

MUHON is also a venue for publishing creative and professional works of architects in the academe. These documented works must highlight new bodies of knowledge applied to or generated by the projects. Hence, the second issue mainly featured three papers that illustrated how new design principles lead to innovative space conceptualization strategies. Muhon 2 is a recognition of the parallelisms between research and design. It is an acknowledgment of design as a process of knowledge generation and research as a valuable requisite to design.

The third issue was the first to be published online. As such, this issue covered themes that brought to fore Filipino and universal design issues. Paper included various topics on semi-urban development guidelines, comprehensive development planning processes, landscape design, heritage conservation, tourism, housing for the urban poor, billboard industry structure, alternative teaching techniques, and urban heat phenomenon. MUHON 3 reached a wider sphere as new ideas flowed out through cyberspace. The online publication also opened opportunities to receive feedback on the papers from local and international readers.

The fourth issue treaded another previously unexplored frontier while going back to the basic essence of research. Logically drawn conclusions that were formulated through a clear research design and a set of reliable and valid data are the features of these published papers that went through the rigors of international review. This fourth installment takes off with a mission to instigate yet another round of inquiry as it hopes to inspire more creative and knowledge seeking pursuits.

Where MUHON will take us next will depend heavily on how we value and welcome CHANGE.