POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND FINE ARTS

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

In partial fulfillment of requirements in Research Methods in Architecture:

BUREAU OF FIRE PROTECTION HOSPITAL AND

BURN CENTER
Proposal of the First Tropical Earthscraper

SUBMITTED BY:

ARANETA, Edric Cyril M.

BS Architecture 4-2

SUBMITTED TO:

Ar. Ted Villamor Inocencio, uap

I. PROJECT TITLE
Bureau of Fire Protection Hospital and Burns Center
II. RESEARCH TITLE / PROJECT APPROACH
Proposal of the First Tropical Earthscraper
III. INTRODUCTION
1. Background of the Study

The Bureau of Fire Protection, as part of their core values, is concern.

Concern for the Filipino people and every Filipino firefighter. The Bureau of
Fire Protection encourages everyone to volunteer as a firefighter through
ease requirements and qualifications that can fit for all.

Like in being FO1 (Fire Officer 1), the BFP CY 2017 released the list of
qualifications and requirements such as the follows:

Must be a baccalaureate course graduate with Civil Service eligibility or RA

1080, PD 9A7, Fire Officer 2, Fire Officer Exam, Police Officer taken 1998
onwards.
Must not be less than 21 years old or more than 30 years on the date of actual
appointment.
Should be physically and mentally fit.
Female applicants should be at least 52 in height and 54 for males. A waiver
for height and age.
Requirements shall be automatically granted to applicants belonging to cultural
communities
Holders of Professional Drivers License with 2 and 3 restriction codes and
National Certificate III in Driving issued by the Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority (TESDA) will be prioritized to address the long-
standing lack in actual strength of fire truck drivers vis--vis the actual number
of BFP-owned fire trucks.
No training and experience required.
Also, all applicants must comply with ease requirements namely:
a) Application Letter indicating the position and item applying for;
b) One (1) Handwritten Personal Data Sheet (PDS) usng black ballpen only. No
sign pen
c) One (1) Photocopy of Authenticated Transcript of Records and College
Diploma;
d) One (1) Photocopy of Authenticated Certificate of Eligibility (CSC/PRC);
e) One (1) Photocopy of Certificate of Live Birth issued by the National Statistics
Office;
f) One (1) Photocopy of Certificate of Marriage issued by the National Statistics
Office (for married female applicants);
g) One (1) Photocopy of NBI Clearance: and
h) Photocopy of Certificates of Training (if any)

With the following data regards qualifications and requirements to join the
Bureau of Fire Protection, recent issues regarding the provision of benefits are
on the headlines of news. According to PhilStar Global:
 A firefighters group is awaiting a reply from Bureau of Fire Protection
(BFP) officials on issues they have raised concerning the plight of retired
firefighters.

Van Resurreccion, Foundation for Filipino Fire Fighters (F5) president

said, BFP officials must give an accurate number of retired firemen who have
not received their terminal leave benefits and why their claims have not been
granted.

The F5 has accused unnamed BFP officials of coddling a loan shark

syndicate that is raking it in at the expense of the retirees.

One retiree, who has been working on his claims for the last seven
months, said his benefits are being hostaged because of a mobile radio he
allegedly failed to return before retirement. He said he did not receive the radio
except on paper when he signed a memorandum receipt before actually
receiving it.

The retired fireman said the BFP took seven months to give him the exact
amount after he threatened to sue the officials.

They only came up with the P29,000 cost of the now obsolete radio
(TAITORCA) when I threatened to sue, the retiree said.

A fireman died in 2008 while on duty but his heirs have not received his
benefits until now, the source said.

1.1. Bureau of Fire Protection Benefits / Project Realization

The Bureau of Fire Protection, like the Armed Forces of the Philippines
and the Philippine National Police, serve with lives in line for the sake of civil
welfare as equals with each other.

Yet in line with this recent issue regarding loss of provision of benefits, the
proponent approached a comparison of benefits of these government
branches to further widen the proposal possibilities. The researchers
evaluation is described in the table below:

BUREAU OF FIRE ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL

PROTECTION PHILIPPINES POLICE
1. Retirement 1. Old Age Pension; 1. Old Age Pension;
Benefits; Veterans, 65 years Veterans, 65 years
depending on year old and above, are old and above, are
of service. given P5,000 per given P5,000 per
2. Hospital
month for life. month for life.
benefits; if person 2. Pension for 2. Pension for
is cased through spouses of spouses of
service. deceased war deceased war
3. Burial services; if
 person is cased veterans; Surviving veterans; Surviving
through service. spouses of spouses of
4. GSIS Benefits
deceased war deceased war
veterans are given veterans are given
P5,000 per month for P5,000 per month for
life. life.
3. Death Pension; 3. Death Pension;
Benefts are Benefts are
awarded to surviving awarded to surviving
members of the members of the
deceased veterans deceased veterans
family. The veteran family. The veteran
must have died in must have died in
line of duty; or the line of duty; or the
veteran is a disability veteran is a disability
pensioner who died pensioner who died
from a disability or from a disability or
sickness related to sickness related to
service. service.
4. Disability Pension; 4. Disability Pension;
This is a monthly This is a monthly
pension given to pension given to
veterans disabled in veterans disabled in
the line of duty, the the line of duty, the
amount of which amount of which
depends on the depends on the
veterans disability veterans disability
rating. rating.
5. Hospitalization 5. Hospitalization
Benefits; War Benefits; War
veterans are veterans are
accorded free accorded free
hospitalization and hospitalization and
medical care at the medical care at the
Veterans Memorial Veterans Memorial
Medical Center. Medical Center and
6. Educational
is discounted on
Benefits; School
commercial hospitals
fees amounting to a
depending on
maximum of
degree of
P36,000 per
hospitalization.
academic year for a 6. Educational
two-year, four-year, Benefits; School
 fees amounting to a
maximum of
or fve-year course
P36,000 per
will be shouldered by
academic year for a
the government.
two-year, four-year,
Each veteran is
or fve-year course
entitled to only one
will be shouldered by
educational benefit.
the government.
7. Burial Assistance;
Each veteran is
P10,000 of a
entitled to only one
veterans burial
educational benefit.
expenses will be
7. Burial Assistance;
shouldered by the
P10,000 of a
government.
veterans burial
8. Loan Assistance;
expenses will be
AFPSLAI, a
shouldered by the
cooperative for
government.
veterans offer loan
Loan Assistance;
assistance with
AFPSLAI, a cooperative for
automatic deduction
veterans offer loan
to pensions or
assistance with automatic
salaries.
deduction to pensions or
salaries.
Given this numbers, the proponent foreseen to widen benefits of the
Bureau of Fire Protection through architectural solutions. As you can see on
the table above, AFP and PNP has free hospitalization in the Veterans
Memorial Medical Center, the proponent foreseen that provision of hospital
benefits may be possible also if a specialized hospital for the Bureau of Fire
Protection is present, therefore the study.

2. Justification of Needs and Demands

The proposal aims to meet present needs and demands such as the
following:

1. Provision of a specialized hospital for the Bureau of Fire Protection to

widen firemens benefits.
2. Contribute to the local medical service by providing a hospital
specialized for burns.
3. Research Topic Background

Proposal of the First Tropical Earthscraper

An Earthscraper is multi-story structure, though not seen on the skyline,

because it expands going down. Technically, this is the complete opposite of a
skyscraper, hence earthscraper.
 In Mexico, A team of Mexican architects have designed a 65-story glass
and steel earthscraper pyramid to sit in the middle of Mexico City's most
historic plaza a 300-meter deep office and living space.

Figure 3.1. (Source:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/27/tech/innovation/earthscrapermexicofantasyreality/index.html

To conserve the numerous activities that take place on the 190,000

square-foot plaza throughout the year -- including concerts, protests, open-air
exhibitions and military parades -- the void will be covered with a glass floor
that the teams Head Architect believes will allow the life of the "Earthscraper"
to blend with everything happening on top.

4. Envisioned Development / Development Proposal

The project envisioned is an earthscraper in the heart of the Metropolis

that specializes in burns and serves as one of the benefits of the Bureau of
Fire Protection volunteers, officers and firemen.

Also, since earthscrapers are advised to have earth lobbies to maintain

air quality, the proponent envisions the project to incorporate nature and a
natural environment to progressive healing, also harnesses water, air quality,
and sunlight to lessen electrical and water consumption passively and less
actively.

5. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Goals
The main goal of the study is to propose a facility to serve mainly the
firemen, volunteers and officers of the Bureau of Fire Protection and also
specialize in burns to further widen the countrys medical capabilities.
Objectives
Design a hospital facility for the BFP and burn patients.
Prove the possibility of a habitable and usable tropical earthscraper.
Design a passively-efficient structure through harnessing of natural
factors passively and less actively.
 Contribute to research a more intensive study of the possibility of
earthscrapers and the incorporation of nature towards progressive
healing.

6. REFERENCES

George Webster, f. C. (2011, October 27). Could 'Earthscraper' really turn

architecture on its head? Retrieved from CNN:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/27/tech/innovation/earthscrapermexicofantasyreali
ty/index.html

gov.ph. (2014, April 4). Philippine government pensions for war veterans.
Retrieved from gov.ph:
http://www.gov.ph/2014/04/04/philippinegovernmentpensionsforwarveterans/

MagmaNews. (2017, February 14). Fire Officer 1 (FO1) Qualification, Req'ts,

Salary and Benefits. Retrieved from MagmaNews:
http://www.magmanews.com/2017/02/howtoapplyfireofficer1bfpqualificationsreqt
ssalary.html

Resurrecion, V. (2010, January 25). Firefighters call on BFP to release benefits.

(P. Global, Interviewer)