Fantastic Four
Filipino designers gear up for world recognition
Four Filipino designers prove that the Philippines has no shortage of talent when they recently presented their innovative architectural designs which have been shortlisted at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Amsterdam.
Their presentation took place during the technical rehearsal and send-off event organized by Grohe, a global brand for complete bathroom solutions and kitchen fittings, held at its showroom at the Wilcon IT Hub.
The WAF is where the world architecture community gathers to celebrate, learn, exchange, and be inspired. It is the only architecture event where keynote talks from the industry’s most influential figures sit alongside live presentations from 534 award finalists. It is also one big global networking and features an international product exhibition.
Bringing pride to the Philippines are notable Filipino names including Carlo Calma for his “The Infinity House” design under the Future Projects: Home category, and Kenneth Cobonpue, who partnered with Buck Sia, for “Cor Jesu,” an abstract heart-shaped bamboo-clad oratory qualified under the Completed Buildings: Religious category.
Joining them are first-time shortlisted entrants, Ryan Santos of John Ryan Santos and Partners for his “Sagip
Kanlungan,” a compact hospital model for disaster-prone Philippines in Pangasinan, shortlisted under the Future Projects: Hospital, and Jaemi and Jesy Cruz of Alero Design Studio for their Baliuag Community Center under Future Projects: Civic and Community category.
The four Filipino presenters were given support by the local design community during the send-off by their peers.
Among those who shared their insights during the event were
WAF 2017 winner Sudar Khadka who won for his “Project Streetlight Tagpuro” under the Civic and Community Completed Building category, and reputable designers like Budji Layug, Jorge Yulo, and
Jason Buensalido who shared words of encouragement, tips, and recommendations for improvement to help them bag the awards.
The four designers are proof once again that the Philippines is, without a doubt, home to worldclass design talents.