Ang Pinakamagandang Bahay sa Balat ng Lupa

Everyone thinks of their house as "home", the most beautiful place to be.

Most of housing designs have been modeled after European and American exemplars which are incongruous with our tropical climate. The resultant living conditions in these houses would then necessitate high energy and operating costs. The organizers feel it is time to challenge the aspirations of people through a redefinition of the concept of beauty in houses.

The competition aims to redefine the ideal of "beauty" or what is beautiful about a house to include sustainable concepts that will speak about how a house is lived in and how a house attuned to the tropical climate can be a beautiful place to live in.

Design Problem
The competition will be for the complete architectural design of a low-medium income housing unit to be constructed on a 200-square meter lot in the UP-Diliman Campus. Each competition category will be assigned its own lot. The parameters of the design problem are:

1. The house would serve the needs of a family of a maximum of five (5) persons.
2. The house design may be a starter house that can be adapted to meet the needs of a typical family as it grows and contracts as the children grow and then eventually leave home.
3. The cost of the house should be within the range of P750,000.00 – the maximum affordable economic housing loan of PAG-IBIG.
4. The house design should be in compliance with all building laws and regulations.

The design should be a statement of the designer's definition of "magandang bahay", demonstrating the following:

1. Incorporation of locally available sustainable /green systems and/or materials. Alternative building materials or construction systems should be both forward and backward integrating, i.e., they should have the potential for application to both low-cost and upscale construction scenarios.
2. Appropriateness of the house for tropical living
3. Feasibility of the design to meet cost requirements
4. Adaptability of the house design to meet the varied life patterns of potential users
5. The integrity of the design in incorporating all the requirements into a delightful whole

Prizes There are two categories and following prizes will be awarded per category:

Professional Category

1. First Place: PhP 100,000, plus plaque of award; Award of design contract for the implementation of the design.
2. Second Place: PhP 75,000, plus plaque of award
3. Third Place: PhP 50,000, plus plaque of award

Student Category

1. First Place: PhP 75,000, plus plaque of award;
2. Second Place: PhP 50,000, plus plaque of award
3. Third Place: PhP 25,000, plus plaque of award

4. The First Place winner for the Professional Category will be awarded the design contract to implement the winning design. The design will be built by LCSPI.
5. A professional will be commissioned by Lafarge Cement Services (Philippines), Inc. to execute the First Place winner for the Student Category.

FOR MORE DETAILS, VISIT:
http://www.geocities.com/pmbbl_2008