Regenerative architecture

QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista has signed an ordinance mandating the Engineering Department ( QCED), Department of Building Official (QCDBO) and Disaster Risk Reduction

to conduct a structural integrity audit of all buildings in the city.

The structural audit of all buildings, private and government owned, is mandatory especially for structures built 30 years ago and those located in the fault line or danger zones.

According to City Ordinance 2724-2018 introduced by Councilor Ramon P. Medalla, the audit aims to evaluate and assess potentially hazardous structures and buildings within the territorial jurisdiction of the city vulnerable to severe damage in the event of an earthquake.

“The Quezon City government mandates the promotion and development of an earthquake risk reduction and management program in order to mitigate if not to eliminate the effects of major natural and man- made disasters as well as to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of Quezon City residents,” the ordinance read.

The Engineering Department will of the structural integrity audit of be incharge buildings (Excellence in Design for Greater

- while has their Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) for buildings and large scale developments.

Other tools such as Green Star in Australia and the Green Building Index (GBI) are being used by Malays i a . The strong measures to mainstream sustainable design practices are gaining foothold and support.

LEED and EDGE are certifying more and more buildings through time. But is it improving the health of our environment? Are we taking the right path in healing our home called “Mother earth”?

Architecture and the environment

While sustainable design limits or minimizes bad effects of construction, regenerative architecture optimizes the good effects of building while minimizing its bad impacts. It heals the earth.

According to Jacob Littman’s Master theses, “Regenerative Architecture: A Pathway Beyond Sustainability,” it is the practice of engaging the natural world as the medium for, and generator of architecture.

It responds to and utilizes the living and natural systems that exist on a site and become the “building blocks” of architecture. Regenerative architecture focuses on conservation of resources and reduction on the environmental impacts of building.

The second most profound piece of regenerative architecture is the treatment of the environment as an equal shareholder in the architecture. It is a practice that employs full and comprehensive understanding of natural and living systems in the design of a structure. built and owned by local and national government while the DBO will handle privately-owned buildings. On the other hand, QCDRRMO will be responsible for identifying sites located along the west valley fault and danger zones.

A notice of structural audit will be sent to the owner. Upon receipt, the building must conduct the structural audit within 30 days and submit “structural audit report” to DBO. The DBO will then scrutinize the report and enforce compliance of all repairs and restorations in the Structural Audit Report. Consistent failures to carry out all the repairs and restorations highlighted in the report will prompt the DBO take charge of the repairs and restorations and recover the cost of it from the building owner.

The owner’s Occupancy Certificate will be revoked in case of failure to carry out the needed repairs and restorations. Continuous refusal to carry out items will result to criminal charges against the building owner.

“The city government desires to strengthen the city’s resiliency against human induced or natural disaster by recognizing the vision, policy framework and strategies capitalized on disaster risk reduction and management in QC,” the ordinance read. By engaging the architecture and co-habiting humans into the ecology of the site, it does not destroy other living communities.

Regenerative architecture embraces the environment and uses the millions of years of engineering and evolution as the foundation for a structure. Regenerative design is based on the premise that everything we build has the potential for the integration of the natural world as an “equal partner” in architecture, according to Littman.

By engaging the architecture and co-habiting humans into the ecology of the site, it does not destroy other living communities.

We often ignore the billions of living organisms on the topsoil every time we see land being scraped to give way to new developments.

And thousands of centuries old native trees home to native and endemic wildlife are cut down to give way to new roads and human settlements.

We innocently plant beautiful exotic invasive trees wherever we wish to do so thinking these will better serve the environment. But the truth of the matter is these can kill an ecosystem.

Regenerative architecture embraces the environment and uses the millions of years of engineering and evolution as the foundation for a structure. Regenerative design is based on the premise that everything we build has the potential for the integration of the natural world as an ‘equal partner’ in architecture.

These are the primary reasons we unknowingly destroy the habitat of local species. They get displaced and the ecological balance is disturbed. Thus, a biogenesis of much harmful species continues to evolve due to hostile environment.

Take note of the rise of Dengue and Ebola viruses and other diseases.

Regenerative architecture corrects the gap between present construction

practices and the rightful treatment of the natural world.

Biotics and abiotics become equal shareholder in the built environment instead of man being at the top.

Regenerative structure becomes more resilient organically because the basis of its strength is the ecosystem. Eventually, it will become an abiotic component of the natural living systems.

Until there is a shared equity

Biodiversity: From advocacy to architecture design value

Regenerative architecture starts, evolves and revolves around its ecosystem.

The sustainability of a natural living system is tied directly to its

biodiverse communities.

The smaller system contributes to the larger system’s development and, in turn, receives nourishment for its own growth. By understanding “life” within the

organic relationship between man and nature.

By strategically placing (or retaining) a native tree near a structure, birds and other living organisms invisible to man’s naked eye gain source of food. The tree shields the structure from extreme wind. It provides protection against extreme sunlight aside from absorbing and releasing carbon dioxide and oxygen respectively.

By respecting the site’s biodiverse and complex ecosystem, man creates a healthy world. Architecture should not be about beauty but about sustainable interaction with nature. Once this is achieved, it is impossible that the architecture created would not be beautiful. The beauty of nature is that it works and heals on its own.

In fact, man depends its whole existence on nature. But earth, which existed billions of years ago, does not actually need man.

(ThewriteristhecurrentSecretary GeneraloftheUnitedArchitectsof thePhilippines.HeisanAseanArchitect HeisagraduateofB.S.Architecture fromPolytechnicUniversityofthe Philippine.HeisthePresident/CEO ofYumangDesignConstruction andDevelopmentInc.andJOYA PropertiesInc.)