The top prize in the international competition, Cities for our Future, was awarded to a young Filipino contestant with an innovative design for a dwelling made of treated bamboo.
With the Manila slums in his crosshair, Earl Patrick Forlales has placed his knowledge in material science to use by designing a low-cost and environment-friendly dwelling with bamboo as the main player. Since bamboo is abundant in the Philippines, sustainability is easily achieved. Forlales added that the building material is robust and long-lasting, eliminating the need for "band-aid solutions."
Forlales came up with the idea when he was spending time at his grandparent's house. He calls his project CUBO.
Optimal ergonomics was met in CUBO as judges from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) agreed with the project's intents. Competition head judge and RICS President John Hughes points out that CUBO satisfies what constitutes a comfortable, clean, and safe place to live in.
Hughes also pointed out that the growing problem regarding slums is worldwide. While there were a number of exciting and original designs lobbied, the simplicity of CUBO and its capability to solve the said global slum problem has definitely caught the attention of the judges.
CUBO is said to cost only P4,000 (about $77) per square meter and can be set up within four hours.
Bamboo releases 35% more oxygen than trees. The plant can thrive even on poor quality land and still be harvested yearly without causing degradation to the soil. RICS noted that these qualities make bamboo a very ideal material.
The competition comprised of 1,200 entries from all over the world. This was narrowed down to 12 proposals, of which CUBO was deemed the most innovative solution. Forlales took home over P3.5 million in prize money which he will use to fund the materialization of his project. A target site location has already been identified and construction will start next year in collaboration with specialists in the industry.
Forlales explains that CUBO building sites can be located anywhere bamboo is a vernacular material. This includes countries in Southeast Asia, and some parts of Latin America, and Africa.
Forlales expressed his gratitude to RICS for the opportunity to develop his idea. The young designer envisions that the funding will be put to good use with the Manila slums in mind. Forlales is optimistic for his project to be possibly built in different parts of the globe.
