PROJECT OVERVIEW Design Against the Elements is a global architectural design competition meant to find a solution to the problems and threats presented by disasters caused by climate change.

Spurred by the devastation wreaked in the Philippines by tropical storm Ondoy (Ketsana) and driven by a strong multidisciplinary group of organizations from the private, institutional, and government sectors, the project aims to draw together the brightest and most innovative minds in the fields of sustainable design and urban planning to develop an integrated, environmentally sound, and disaster-resistant housing community in a tropical urban setting. The MyShelter Foundation has pulled together a powerhouse group of partners: the city of Taguig, Climate Change Commission (CCC), the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), the RP - United Nations White Helmets, among others. The challenge is to design a complete housing community that is both sustainable to build and that can withstand the rigors of the Philippines’ typhoons and consequent flooding, made worse by the increasingly alarming effects of climate change. The permanent dwelling provided by the physical structure and the social support system offered by the planned community will not only provide shelter from the elements, ensuring the safety of its residents, it will also give them a sense of security and hope that life can proceed unhindered by the onslaught of natural disasters. The project also aims to present a definitive green building solution in a truly local context. Too often, home-owners, architects, and policy-makers think of sustainable building as a luxury that only privileged landowners and advanced countries can afford to practice. Design Against the Elements considers the concept of green architecture as essential to survival—planning for homes and communities that can survive for weeks in the severely restricted conditions of a post-disaster situation. The goal is to mitigate the effects of the destruction caused by these disasters, which currently contribute to the perpetuation of poverty as they result in loss of life and property and a costly halt in indigent communities’ way of life. The competition will be divided into two categories: the Open Category (Category 1), which shall be open to registered and licensed architects, and the Student Category (Category 2), which shall be for senior students and graduates of an architecture course. A total prize fund of US $21,000 will be awarded for up to four winning entries in the first category and US $7,500 for the second category. Moreover, the top winning design will be built as a prototype masterplanned disaster-resistant and livable eco-village in Taguig City, Metro Manila. The village will be the first green and disaster-resistant community in the country and will provide an archetype model that can be studied and replicated in similar areas. The finished project will house a marginalized climate-refugee community and is meant to give them a sense of security and belonging as well as pride and ownership and awareness of sustainable practices that can be practiced at all levels of their everyday lives. All the entries to the competition will also be compiled into an encyclopedia of architectural and planning solutions to address climate change, adding to the canon that can be tapped by future designers and researchers worldwide. Thus the competition will synthesize many solutions to problems resulting from climate change, and will address the need for socialized housing in a creative, innovative, and fully sustainable manner that can be replicated by other concerned citizens in the near future.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES Design Against the Elements was conceptualized with the intent to mitigate the effects of the natural disasters brought about and worsened by climate change, particularly on the marginalized groups of society who are most at risk since they lack adequately planned and well-built shelter. The project also aims to tap the most sustainable and ecologically sound technologies available in order to end the cycle of further damage to the environment. Thus, the objectives of the project may be stated as follows: o To foster local and global awareness on climate adaptability and its relevance to poverty

alleviation. The main hypothesis of this project is that having safer structures “ahead of time” will not only lead to less injury, number of climate refugees, and loss of life and property, but will empower communities to uplift their quality of life.

o To build the first green, livable, affordable, and disaster-resistant village in the

Philippines that will serve as the blueprint for how families in vulnerable areas can successfully cope with the impacts of climate variability.

o To compile an encyclopedia of climate-resilient and affordable design solutions that can

be used and repeatedly referred to in the near future, and that can help facilitate the development of facilities that address these humanitarian challenges.

COMPETITION TIMELINE

Deadline for registration September 24, 2010

Deadline for submission of questions

October 5, 2010

Deadline to dispatch answers to questions October 15, 2010

Deadline for submission of entries

November 19, 2010

Judging December 1-3, 2010

Announcement of Winners

December 8, 2010

Awarding January 14, 2011 (tentative)

PROPONENTS City of Taguig

The city of Taguig is an important residential, commercial, and industrial center in Metro Manila. Headed by Mayor Sigfrido Tiñga, the city aims to be a premier city of the Philippines, recognized for its quality environment, people-oriented public services, and the economic opportunities it offers to its residents. It is also a strong advocate of building homes for all, responding to the housing needs of the city’s poor and homeless through partnerships with various housing-oriented organizations. It is providing the land and funding for the construction of the prototype eco-village which will be designed based on the winning entry for Design Against the Elements.

Climate Change Commission

The Climate Change Commission was created to coordinate, monitor, and evaluate the government’s programs and actions to mitigate and adapt to the effects of Climate Change. Its mandate is provided by the Philippine Climate Change Act of 2009, which was signed into law on October 23, 2009 and seeks to mainstream climate change into the formulation of government policy by setting up a National Framework Strategy and Program on Climate Change. The law is meant to enable the country to better respond to disasters spawned by climate change.

MyShelter Foundation

MyShelter Foundation is a non-stock non-profit organization that aims to create a system of sustainability and replicability through its capability-building and employment generating projects. MyShelter empowers its beneficiaries and uses their energies as the greatest force for their upliftment. Among its previous projects are the 25 Earthen Schools in Surigao, Coral Walls development, and the innovative peanut shellters for peanut farmers and processors. MyShelter Foundation is the pioneering force behind the Design Against the Elements project.

United Architects of the Philippines

The United Architects of the Philippines is recognized as the Integrated and Accredited Professional Organization of Architectect (IAPOA) in the Philippines. It is the only organization with the right to represent Filipino architects in the Philippines and internationally. As the country's prime professional organization of architects, the UAP is strongly committed to social responsibility and has taken an active role in various socio-civic programs and projects. The UAP aims to be responsive to the needs of its professionals, the profession, and the professional product while preserving the UAP-IAPOA's larger, enduring role as a vanguard of

architecture profession where knowledge and innovation are created, transmitted, and preserved; and to be actively seeking balance in all of these roles, even in the face of the uncertainties and the rapidly changing forces that surround the Filipino architects. The UAP is taking the lead role as the project manager and official competition organizer for Design Against the Elements. UAP is a member institute of ARCASIA (Architects Regional Council Asia), a regional organization of 16 institutes of architects in Asia, and is the Philippine national section of UIA (Union Internationale des Architectes), an international organization of 110 institutes of architects worldwide. The UAP has been awarded the Most Outstanding Accredited Professional Organization (APO) by the PRC for four consecutive years already.

Philippine White Helmets The Philippine White Helmets is a joint government, civil society and private sector humanitarian and peacebuilding group supervised by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs - Office of UN and Other International Affairs / Philippine Mission to the UN in Geneva. The White Helmets are mandated by the United Nations though UN General Assembly Resolution 49/139-B (1994). Domestically, the PWH assists in providing and coordinating local and international humanitarian assistance to calamities throughout the country, and is currently engaged in relief for the Ondoy and Pepeng Crises in Luzon.

SPONSORS

Major

XOB Productions

Six Degrees Strategic Design

Minor

DigiScript Philippines Inc.

Bigtop Meda Productions, Inc.

Sony Philippines

Brand Aide Inc.

Media Partner

National Geographic Channel

PRESS RELEASE It takes only seconds to destroy what takes years to build. Thousands of Filipinos learned this last year, when Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) took lives and homes. Help reduce the painful cycle of environmental destruction and post-disaster reconstruction through design. The best donation to a country at risk to the effects of climate change is not just financial aid, but ideas. This year’s challenge is to prepare communities before the next disaster. Design Against the Elements is a global competition to design sustainable and disaster-resilient communities for tropical urban environments. The competition is divided into two categories. The Open Category (Category 1) is open to registered and licensed architects worldwide. The first prize winner for Category 1 will receive a $10,000 reward, and have his or her design built. The Student Category (Category 2) is for current students of an architecture course worldwide. The winner for Category 2 will receive $3,000. The winning design will be built for an urban poor community in Taguig City, Philippines. Taguig, is known to be a leader in innovative practices in terms of governance and social development. In 2009, the city government sponsored a housing project for the poor based on a condominium paradigm; the city is also the site of many housing projects and relocation settlements, and is thus no stranger to the needs of its less privileged communities. Taguig has also laid out plans for its strategic development, covering various concerns such as housing, road networks and infrastructure, the provision of utilities, and distribution of land use. In this plan, Taguig acknowledges its geography and location, and clearly states the need for carrying out various flood control and adaptation measures to deal with the problem. This makes the city an ideal test and prototype location for a disaster-resistant eco-village, given the physical setting and the openness of the local government to support new methods of disaster control. The finished project will serve as a prototype for vulnerable communities around the world. Too often, home-owners, architects, and policy-makers think of sustainable building as a luxury that only privileged landowners and advanced countries can afford. Design Against the Elements considers green architecture as essential to survival; it has the ability to reduce the frequency and impact of environmental disasters and lessen the cycle of poverty. As in all major efforts, it takes the time, effort, financial resources, and influence of many individuals, organizations, corporations, and government offices to make a project a success. The Design Against the Elements initiative is driven by the following groups, and more project partners are joining the group daily. Partners for this project include: City of Taguig, Climate Change Commission, My Shelter Foundation, Architects of the Philippines, RP-United Nations White Helmets, XOB Productions, Six Degrees, DigiScript Philippines, Bigtop Media Productions, Sony Philippines, Brand Aide, National Geographic Channel.