Knight Juanito I. King Scout Hall in Mandaue City Receives Seal of Excellence
The Blue Mango Awards for Placemaking culminated in a Design Talk and Awards Ceremony last November 26, 2022, as part of the Cebu Design Week held at Oakridge Business Park, Mandaue City, Cebu. The awards aim to celebrate excellent design within the territories of Cebu Province, Bohol Province, and Negros Oriental. By awarding these exemplary spaces with Seals of Excellence, the public is also informed of the important role designers play in shaping the spaces we enjoy.
Out of 77 entries and 21 shortlisted projects spanning four categories (Architecture-Built, Architecture-Future, Interior-Built, Interior-Future), only one received the Seal of Excellence while five projects received commendations. The Seal of Excellence is the highest commendation a project may earn, which was awarded to Knight Juanito I. King Scout Hall in Mandaue City, Cebu by Arkinamix, Ren Design Studio, and Zubu Design Associates.
Meanwhile, select highly commended works earned scholarships from the organization’s partner, Thames International.
Here is the list of commended projects:
High Commendation and Thames Scholarship recipient
Luca Hotel Interiors, Panglao, Bohol (DEQA, Design Collaborative)
“In our interiors, we combine elements of futurism with natural materials and local influences. Furniture is tactile and nostalgically avant-garde. The iconic forms and patterns of the seventies’ radical design are used throughout the hotel’s public space and guest rooms. It is most expressed in the sculptural spiral stair that extends from the lobby to the fifth floor. The iconic rattan peacock, reimagined, is a focal piece in the lobby… …As a complete experience, the Luca Hotel is a destination to savor tropical glamor that is expressive, radical, daring, and mysterious. We hope we will invite guests to engage their imagination.”
Tiny Tree Hugger Home, Carmen, Cebu (M+S Studio Co.)
“The design intent was to locate the livable space around three existing matured native trees in the farmland. The trees were there first, with respect to it, humans and structures should be the ones to work around them and not the other way around. Aside from the existing trees, another challenge was to build on steep terrain. The brief was also to build a simple house with a small footprint that can be constructed quickly with a little manpower. The plan is to build a semi-permanent ‘pandemic’ house as the first phase in a permanent setting. When the resources are available, the second phase will be then expanding around the house shell as the needs arise. The house should be flexible enough to evolve to changes and needs. Being used to living in a tiny space, and truly helped in designing this home, since the needs and basic requirements for a home are already established. Just because the home may be tiny, that doesn’t mean it can’t be minimalist and beautify it at the same time. The key is to pick the most favorite items, that spark joy (Konmari method) that doesn’t change with the season (timeless). Make it a showroom of favorite things that are useful.”
With Commendation and Thames Scholarship Recipient
A Proposed Chapel, Busay, Cebu (SAN Studio)
“Unlike most places of prayer that are known to stand towering among us, this chapel is sunken on the ground, highlighting a different form of grandeur. The grandeur we talk about is the life around us, the sky above us, and the earth beneath us. Such grandeur is not proud but is significant in the sense that its presence is often missed in daily city life, making its chances for observation majestic. The chapel hides but also reveals. The architecture acts only at the bare minimum for people to experience the beauty of nature that has always existed among us.”
With Commendation
A Proposed Carbon Heritage Redevelopment, Cebu City (Visionarch)
“Amidst the fast developing city of Cebu is a hub that has kept its heart and historical identity. For over a hundred years the Carbon Market has remained the city’s primary source of goods and has been the most visited public market in Cebu. It is essential for a place that holds so much value such as this, to grow with its surroundings. The Carbon District Development’s unique design adapts to the lifestyles of the people today while retaining the city’s heritage. The Carbon Market building is envisioned to be a multi-storey facility that houses a neighborhood of quaint yet familiar stalls for meat, poultry, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and other merchandise. The structure maximizes the variety of products and vendors while retaining an amicable atmosphere reminiscent of a small town local market.”
CasAmigos Beach House, Daan Bantayan, Cebu (22AD Studio)
“”Turning a distressed property into a de-stressing haven.” Located along the shores of Daanbantayan, Cebu, CasAmigos showcases a modern take on the age-old harmonious relationship between architecture and nature. Built on a dilapidated beachfront site and its facilities, the project breathes new life into an old property through the use of modern architectural concepts and principles to transform a distressed property into a modern tropical getaway. Given the challenge to rehabilitate this property, the overall design direction was led by the desire to create a relaxing modern architectural experience that capitalized on the unique characteristics and strengths of the individual structures and the surrounding wide-open spaces. To achieve this, the design process focused on addressing both the spatial and visual experiences of the project through spatial programming and aesthetic intervention.”
Apart from the awarding ceremony, the program also included a Design Talk entitled Intuition/Experience, where select members of the jury shared how intuition and experience drove their most iconic and award-winning designs. The program was also attended by Richard Garcia, National President of the United Architects of the Philippines, and Joey Manalad, Chairman of the UAP National Convention.
Photos Provided by the Blue Mango Awards for Placemaking Committee
