NA/MI: National Convention 2021 Workshop - Press Release

UMPUKAN N AY O N G P I L I P I N O F O U N DAT I O N

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NPF REIMAGINES THE NAYONG PILIPINO PARK WITH PALA Last October 2021, the Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) collaborated with the Philippine Association of Landscape Architects (PALA) to co-organize a design charrette through the 7th PALA National Convention.

Since earlier this year the two organizations have been in talks to partner up for an online consultation. However, as NPF had to recalibrate its planned projects, this endeavor was pushed back until PALA presented this opportunity. This collaboration was finalized when PALA named the Nayong Pilipino Urban Forest Project (NPUFP) Head LAr. Hannah Cruz as the workshop facilitator.

With the theme of “Productive Landscapes through Preservation, Protection, and Enhancement” the NPUFP team began organizing the workshop with the aim of reimagining the futures of the NPF Park through design and planning. Around 17 participants were invited to produce designs and provide their input in the Development Guidelines that the NPUFP team has been working on.

Officially titled NA/MI: National Convention 2021, it served as an online avenue that intensified the awareness for the preservation of natural resources, while re-learning the importance of protecting vital ecological systems, and advocating environmental technologies to enhance stewardship. The participants were immersed in one full day of webinars and online workshops.

Pre-convention Online Briefing To better familiarize themselves with the history and situation of the NPF—both its site and as a foundation—an online briefing was held last October 11. NPUFP Support Architect Jes-Alif Desuasido and Heritage Space Program Head Dr. Laya Boquiren-Gonzales were invited as resource speakers. They each gave a talk describing the history and projects of NPF as well as the operations and sustainability of the foundation.

With the given challenge, “Create a design and implementation plan expressing how you envision the New Nayong Pilipino Cultural Park and Creative Hub, championing the specific theme assigned to the group, while relating it to the other concepts in Nature, Culture, and Creativity,” the participants were divided into three groups. Composed of emerging and seasoned landscape architects, the participants were given the time to meet and brainstorm with their respective group members. The teams were then given ten days to prepare and create designs, plans, and summary boards based on these focal points.

The convention took place on October 23, 2021 via Zoom, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Hosted by L. Ar. Cruz and Ar. Desuasido, the convention gave the teams a chance to each present their designs in the presence of fellow PALA members and NPF representatives.

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Group 1 (Creativity): Malikhaing Nayon Creative Villages First to showcase their ideas was Group 1. With a focus on creativity, the presenters began by first citing already existing parks with similar features and developments that served as their inspiration when reimagining the possible NPF Park. They incorporated concepts of thematic villages; sustainability through habitats, production, and operations; as well as genuine experiences. They wanted to encourage different kinds and scales of activities. Some of the amenities and programs they thought of incorporating were: a Visual Arts Village Square with painting and sculpture exhibit areas, mural art areas, and workshop areas; a Crafting Village Square that has crafting areas and places to showcase bamboo and cane furniture, as well as a bamboo plantation that shows how this material is planted, harvested, and processed until the finished product; a Habi or Weaving Village Square that has a native textile center and a weaving demonstration area.

Interestingly, as opposed to putting emphasis on the NPF background and history, the team decided to highlight the property itself and its characteristics. “[For our approach in analysis,] we identified the strengths of the site and the opportunities afforded by these strengths, while also pointing out the inherent weaknesses of the site and the threats that could harm the development of the new Nayong Pilipino,” explained team member L. Ar. Herbert Jose.

One of the primary strengths the group has identified is the high land value that will in turn provide the opportunity for potential income to support operations. They also noted the large land area, giving way to a wide variety of possible uses. The team also shared that they see the site’s location as its biggest weakness. “It lacks public access and it’s isolated from its market,” they explained. “…being surrounded by buildings, it also isolates the site from other neighboring open spaces and the city’s open space network.”

From these attributes, the group was able to come up with four possible objectives to better develop the park—maximize the location, apply new and innovative approaches, appeal to a wider public, and incorporate sustainability in operations in terms of finance and environment.

Group 2 (Nature): The Kallima Up next was the presentation of Group 2. With the theme of nature as their primary focus, the group chose to orbit their design around the concept of the Kallima. A Kallima is an exotic butterfly native to tropical Asia. It mimics a dried leaf when threatened but unfolds into a majestic black apex with orange bands and a deep blue base. The team used this as their inspiration for their narrative—transcending adversity, transforming the unpleasant into the wonderful, turning a barren land into an abundant biome. “We see this project as similar to the life cycle of a butterfly,” one of the team members explained.

For their site analysis, they took into consideration the already existing vegetation within the NPF site, the sun and wind path, the microclimate, and the surrounding landmarks (mainly the high end hotels and casinos).

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The main objective of the team is to develop a Freshwater Biome. This environment shall thrive around freshwater where an ecological community can subsist. This 20-year Freshwater Biome is described as a 3-phase development plan that follows the process of a water treatment system.

Phase 1 covers water harvesting and is seen within their design’s Collection Zone. This zone shall house the supporting facilities needed for the Water Treatment System to operate. The water treatment process begins with the collection of rainwater and the harnessing of black water. Some of the facilities are: R&D Laboratory, Water Museum, Water Academy, Powerhouse, and the Welcome Pavilion. It also has outdoor activity amenities like the Mountain Bike Trail, Walking Trail, and bird watching spots.

“The collection zone acquires not only water but also other ecological wealth such as clean energy, good health and well-being, information and quality education, and generation of life for both plants and animals,” L. Ar. Julia Zantu explained.

Phase 2 then houses the Productivity Zone. This includes facilities that promote the creation of water-related products from food, plants, to artistic creations. Such facilities are the Cocoon, Greenhouses and the Flower Farm. Other facilities shall offer spaces for guests and visitors to enjoy. These are the Open Field, Jogging Path, Fishing Deck and the Fiesta Pavilion. When the steady collection of Rainwater and Black water has been established, the collected water shall flow through a series of living filters through a Constructed Wildlife Pond. They described that the pond shall consist of a network of chambers filled with Rocks and Boulders to further filter out the dirty water. As the process progresses, it will later on introduce wildlife to the pond such as insects, fish, amphibians and birds, thus fulfilling its production not only of clean water but of a habitat for plants and animals.

Last but not the least is Phase 3 – the Watershed Zone. “It is envisioned to enjoy the products [from the previous zones].” Clean water from the production zone shall be channeled to the Watershed zone into a lagoon that will serve as a reservoir for the future needs of the community. The facilities in this zone are designed to encourage visitors to stay near and around the lagoon. Watersports activities are welcome while marketplaces and weekend bazaars are seen as suitable to attract visitors to the park.

Group 3 (Culture): KULTURA(NASAN) The convention’s final presenter is Group 3. Excited to share their plans and ideas, the group began by first defining culture. Through a word cloud, they have identified that culture denotes “basically everything that we can relate to—everything that has given us purpose and has given us direction and has molded us from our younger years until our olden days.”

To further specify this broad concept, the team members focused on the Philippines—a nation composed of over 7000 islands, 70 languages, and who often traded with neighboring countries which resulted in various cultural exchanges. “This provides a rich cornucopia of different cultural influences to take inspiration from,” they explained

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Incorporating wordplay in their presentation title of KULTURA(NASAN), the group aims to highlight cultural experiences while at the same time to find a place solely for culture in the future park. Their design is a combination of “culture, experience, and placemaking.”

To help achieve this concept, the group proposed to consider a phased implementation for the NPF park. The proposed Phase-1 is the NP Cultural Welcome Pavilion cluster, which offers visitors a unique fare of culture, food, and discovery experiences. Under this is the Phase-1a or the Center of Excellence cluster, which will provide an opportunity for academic and practical training support for the main cultural cluster once established.

The Phase-2 cluster will offer facilities for conventions, seminars, and other events, giving its visitors a unique local cultural experience. Then the Phase-3 cluster, shall be composed of the more natural experiences offered by the new Nayong Pilipino, namely the various immersive blue and green trail and glamping experiences.

“The New Nayong Pilipino (NP) concept will be a new must-see urban destination for young, old, local and overseas visitors alike,” they concluded.

Reactions from NPF In the spirit of partnership and gratitude, the NPF Executive Director Gertrudes Duran-Batocabe attended the convention and expressed her thoughts regarding the ideas and concepts presented that afternoon.

“All these ideas and visions presented here made us—me personally—more resolute in our intention to further push for the funding and realization of our park in Parañaque City,” said ED Batocabe.

Dr. Laya Boquiren, who also attended, echoed these statements adding that “We cannot ignore the call for an interagency commitment to urban ecosystems restoration, (as well as) the urgency to pursue sustainable development goals and aspirations before 2030 in order to avert the effects of climate change.”

They emphasized that the foundation has always envisioned the decision making process for the property in Parañaque to be participatory and it is enlivening for them to see presentations that perfectly embody the values of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation.

Virtual Open Dialogue Session The floor was then opened to accommodate an open flow discussion, with the attendees encouraged to pose their questions in the Zoom chat box to be answered by the presenters.

One attendee asked “How did this current pandemic factor in your respective analysis and conceptual designs? Do you believe that this pandemic has created an impact on our future design strategies? What design innovations and design considerations have you introduced to address this concern considering that parks will have bigger crowds and mostly interactive amenities?”

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L. Ar. Herbert Jose answered on behalf of Group 1, saying that, “The pandemic has indeed impacted how we design public spaces…I think parks in the future would need to be spread out.” He explained that this means parks in the future should be able to provide a lot of different activities in smaller groups instead of one large crowd enjoying one activity.

To add to this L. Ar. Lars Adriatico from Group 2 said that pandemic served as an eye opener to help realize that “everyday counts and we have to live our lives to the fullest and so we must provide a good design not only for the benefit of the development but also for the direct benefit of the visitors.”

A question then posed for the third group asked “How does the ecological system factor into the cultural packaging being established?”

“When conceptualizing the masterplan, we left the undeveloped area [of the Parañaque site] for the nature trails or the gardens to minimize the impact of the paving and cutting. We then located the high density areas, like the structures, near to the road,” explained L. Ar. Jose Luis Salazar.

A question from L. Ar. Paulo Alcazaren further sparked and enlivened the discussion. He commented that all the schemes presented that afternoon are great however, he noted that all the sites surrounding the property are casinos. He then asked on the worthiness of pursuing such a project for the Nayong Pilipino Foundation, considering its distance and isolation from its intended market, suggesting that “it would be better to sell the land to one of the casinos and build the park somewhere else.” Acknowledging the validity of this concern, the equally esteemed landscape architects from the groups each provided their inputs and alternative views on the matter.

“I think the Nayong Pilipino project in Parañaque is a very worthy project,” said L. Arch Zantu from Group 2. She further emphasized that “it is not only the casino goers that we are attracting. One of my teammates is from Cebu but he remembers that whenever he goes to Manila the Nayong Pilipino is a destination.” She explained that similar to the Central Park in New York, all kinds of people from all over the world can be “guests of our new Nayong Pilipino.”

Since Group 1 also identified this closeness to the casinos as an inherent weakness of the site, L. Ar. Herbert Jose also chimed in and explained that “yes, it isolates the site from the rest of the wider open space network. We noted that LPPCHEA is only two kilometers away from the site but it could very well be worlds apart because of the tall buildings.” However, he does agree that these surrounding infrastructures and establishments can be advantageous as they can be “tapped [to aid in] funding, the Nayong Pilipino can serve as an amenity for them but at the same time they can support the operations of the Nayong Pilipino.”

L. Ar. John Jay Amar from Group 3 also shared his insight regarding this. In order to not seem an isolated area, their team’s design intends for the future Nayong Pilipino to be a part of a larger regional cultural context. He noted its proximity to several other cultural destinations as well as the international airport. This is also why in their design; they have made the park accessible from three different areas. “The other developments in the area can contribute to how the Nayong Pilipino can flourish and sustain itself—by being a part of the lifestyle and context [of that area.]”

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To properly close the convention workshop, Dr. Susan Aquino-Ong, PALA member and a consultant of NPF, synthesized the presentation and discussion that afternoon. She commended all the groups and its members for providing quality presentations in such a short amount of time and without being completely familiar with the site prior to the initial online briefing.

She shares a short anecdote of her experience when she first visited the Parañaque property, that when she walked on site—all grass and gravel—she nearly stepped on three eggs. This solidified her decision that the site has to be transformed into a home and habitat to living creatures.

“The land is a gift,” Dr. Aquino-Ong emphasized. “And if you receive a gift…you have to undertake the caregiving of it—you have to maintain it and see how it is going to be more productive.” She explained that as landscape architects they must be assertive and aggressive in turning every square meter in Manila possible to be an area where the people can plant native trees and enjoy green spaces.

“If we are able to mark this land (NPF site) as a green space built around the unusual casinos and its unconventional functions, then this is going to be a revolutionary green space.” Dr. Aquino-Ong then closed her synthesis with a promise, “Mark my words, it is going to be something different.”

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