Bulacan State University

College of Architecture and Fine Arts

AR: 451/454D

Major Plate No. 03: ANYO+BUHAY (ANYUHAY): An

Adaptive Reuse Toward Structural Rebirth.

“ECO HUB: AN URBAN LINEAR PARK AND ECO-

COMMUNITY HUB FOR SOCIO-CULTURAL
PRESERVATION OF OLD PACO BUILDING”

Submitted by: Clemente, Miguel Irvin L.

Submitted to: Dean/Ar. Ma. Teresa V. Gopez
 I. Introduction

As we look back to the historical days of yore of our country, we cannot deny the fact that we

are still reminiscing what was left and forgotten, the things that would always still remind our

hearts to that certain memory. It shows[past] how it mirrors and reflects the olden days of living,

way of culture that transcends, that give us a subtle reality of what have made us on who we are

today as a human, or even a society. “History is important because it allows us to understand our

past, which in turn allows us to understand our present,” nevertheless, the past itself together with

history can only take place due to contemporariness. History implies everything that is not

contemporary and devoid of the present.

At first glance, the contemporary is what pertains to the present, and in linear time, the present

is what happens last. The contemporary is simply some sort of chronologically the current. But

also in the present works are produced that could hardly be called contemporary. The way how we

perceive the so called ‘modern’ is eventually a great emblem to reconnect it with the roots of our

past. Because history itself is accessible and generous to be in lined with present and future era.

That if both past and contemporariness will reconnect and vividly bring the essence of ‘growth’ or

‘life’ the ‘socio-cultural significance’ of places, buildings or things we can create a new footnote

to our histories, helping to identify our places, building connections with other people in terms of

culture and camaraderie.

Socio-cultural space is a defining conceptual characteristic of global society. Through the

looking depths of our country’s history, it is indeed rich in culture and built environment. The

concept of “socio-cultural space” combines two components: the idea of space and the idea of

incarnation of spirituality — culture, science and education, law and values of society and the

individual. The concept of “socio-cultural space” contains a part of the social; and can be a part of
the cultural — at the intersection of the social and cultural space. In the socio-philosophical

understanding the concept of “socio-cultural space” has limits and some values and norms. It is

also important relationship groups embodying social, cultural and personal aspects of the

interaction of the participants. That if we may adapt its concept and place it to our very owned

heritage buildings like Paco railway station for its adaptive reuse, it will give us a new, creative

and alternative functions for the said building. While preserving its magnificent history and

reconnecting it to the contemporary world, to evolve and transcend to a much better use.
 II. Background

Heritage sites are arguably the physical component of a city’s identity. The lived-in

architecture, the strategic locations and the uses of these buildings reveal unique stories telling of

how our city came to be and can offer predictions of where it might be going. These features add

character and beauty to our city, fostering a sense of home and community, and serving as a

reminder to each of us that our city’s history belongs to all of us together. Just as these magnificent

buildings have been passed down to us, we must preserve them for future generations.

Memories of the past are important for us to create a more beautiful future. Remnants of

structures rebuilt are enough for people to be reminded of its rich history, and create boundless

memories in the present. An adaptive reuse is a way of preserving old buildings and creating new

meaning out of them; retaining its historic and remarkable features as an advantage to a new

purpose it will be serving for the next generation. It is an artistic approach in breathing new life to

structures instead of completely demolishing them.

The American colonization in the Philippines from 1898-1946 brought about cultural and

structural changes in the country. Americans aimed to improve railroads, and railways, hence, the

construction of one of the most iconic structures in Manila, the Paco Railway Station. Paco

Railway Station is managed by the Philippine National Railways (PNR). Built originally across

Plaza Dilao in 1915, its façade is still intact this time. However, it was partly demolished due to a

discontinued mall construction. Up until today, the public and private sectors have continuous

efforts in rebuilding and giving new life to the train station.

 Now, we encourage you to take our challenge of conservation in an artistic way. There are no

limits expanding your creativity—extend, build over or under, use different perspectives; all these

are welcome in this year’s competition.

ArchiNEXT 2019 will be taking inspiration from the Filipino term “banyuhay” meaning

metamorphosis, and transform it into “ANYUHAY”, from “anyo” and “buhay”, which will give

significance to the new form of life. —ARCHINEXT COMPETITION 2018.

II.A Preservation Guidelines (NHCP)

The National Historical Institute (NHI), in its contributing efforts towards our national

recovery through cultural development, has put emphasis on historic preservation with

community-based orientation so that the following fundamental and universal principles and

guidelines would serve as models in our individual set-ups.

 Planning for the conservation of historic towns and urban areas should be preceded

by multidisciplinary studies.

 Conservation plans must address all relevant factors including archaeology, history,

architecture, techniques, sociology and economics.

 The principal objectives of the conservation plan should be clearly stated, as should

the legal, administrative and financial measures necessary to attain them.

 The conservation plan should aim at ensuring a harmonious relationship between

the historic urban areas and the town as a whole.

 The conservation plan should determine which buildings must be preserved under

certain circumstances and which, under quite exceptional circumstances, must be

expendable. Before any intervention, existing conditions in the area should be

thoroughly documented.

 The conservation plan should be supported by the residents of the historia area.

 The conservation plan has been adopted, any necessary activity should be carried

out in accordance with the principles and the aims of this Charter and the Venice

Charter.

 Continuing maintenance is crucial to the effective conservation of a historic town

or urban area.

 New functions and activities should be compatible with the character of the historic

town or urban area.

 Traffic inside a historic town or urban area must be controlled and parking areas

must be planned so that they do not damage the historic fabric or its environments.
III. Problem Identification

“To preserve, always remember: a significant portion of the structure must be retained”-

Archinext 2018. The design challenge is to take the provocation of conservation in an artistic

way. There are no limits expanding the creativity—extend, build over or under, use different

perspectives; requiring for any type of facility a clever mind can create. For whatever purpose

it may be serving the next generation, and it only requires retaining the structure’s facade.

The old Paco station was now completely abandoned. But its cultural essence, and

aesthetical quality still remains on its beautifully designed walls and intricately captured

details. The design problem calls for an ‘adaptive reuse’ of Paco Railway Station which will

exemplify a creative mode of conservation, fulfilling its rich historical context that will give

the heritage structure a newer and alternative functions other than a railway station Today,

there is a growing awareness that adaptive reuse can enhance property value through

conservation of its facade and conversion and retention of its function.

 IV. Purpose and Rationale

The purpose of the project which is the “ECO HUB: A LINEAR PARK AND ECO-

COMMUNITY HUB FOR SOCIO-CULTURAL PRESERVATION OF OLD PACO

BUILDING” will give a sustainable and ingenious rebirth to the station and adding a central hub

and a green way park that will provide the Paco community a place to breathe, leisure and interact

with its different facilities.

The first building which will use the façade of the Old Paco Station, is the proposed herbarium

which houses the use of medicinal plants for prevention and treatment of diseases: it ranges from

traditional and popular medicines of every country to the use of standardized and titrated herbal

extracts. Generally cultural rootedness enduring and widespread use in a Traditional Medical

System may indicate safety, but not efficacy of treatments, especially in herbal medicine where

tradition is almost completely based on remedies containing active principles at very low and ultra-

low concentrations, or relying on magical-energetic principles The said community garden will

also provide a generator that converts plant fluids to eco-fuel as one of the income generateting

activities of Paco community.

The following building is the Community Hub that provides multiple spaces clustered

together on one site servicing the neighborhood Paco for future planning approach is reflective

and responsive to the hole community.

 Create a sense of belonging and community

 Allow different people to meet and interact

 Create an important focal point for community activity

 Bring people together and build a sense of place

 Increase efficiencies in the built form and services

 Provide better return on infrastructure costs as they enable multiple service providers to share

facilities over an increased span of hours

A community hub may include all or some of the following:

 Library

 Community hall and performance space

 Meeting spaces

 Kindergarten

 Improve access to a more comprehensive range of services and community activities

 Family support, playgroup and toy library spaces and parenting information

 Maternal and Child Health services

 Senior’s center

 Consulting services

 Outreach support services

 Community garden

 Customer services and community information

 Computer and other IT facilities for communities

 School and before and after school care/ vacation care

 Children’s health services

 Recreation and open space

 Neighborhood House program

Importance of Community Spaces

Social sustainability draws from a variety of underlying ideas and principles. The
following provides guiding principles with respect to planning, design and locational
requirements for community infrastructure.
Community infrastructure or facilities are physical buildings and spaces that are publicly
accessible and offer opportunities, programs and services for a range of affordable, locally
appropriate, recreational, social, developmental and cultural activities.
Outcomes for social sustainability relate to:

Access and equity

 Advocate for housing mix and choice – with an adequate proportion of affordable and
adaptable housing opportunities – to meet the needs of a diverse and balanced population and
respond to changing demographic requirements,
 Convenient and equitable access to local facilities and services at the neighbourhood level,
 Advocate for locally available and appropriate employment opportunities,
 Access to opportunities for lifelong learning and training;
 Connectivity with the surrounding district and access to services, facilities and resources in
the wider region – particularly by public transport,
 Integration with the surrounding area – social as well as physical – to promote social
cohesion and inclusiveness and ensure fair access to resources.

Health and well-being

 Appropriate urban design features and built form to create a healthy, supportive, safe, high
quality and attractive environment,
 Providing pedestrian friendly, walkable neighbourhoods that encourage an active street life
and healthy lifestyles,
 Providing meeting and gathering spaces,
 Providing access to a network of open space and recreational opportunities,
 Providing access to a range of social, recreational and cultural facilities that utilise resources
efficiently, have flexibility to adapt to changing needs, and allow for sustainable
management and maintenance arrangements.

Identity and expression

 Creating memorable and distinctive places and spaces that give rise to a sense of place and
identity for the community,
 Creating opportunities for cultural expression that promote creativity, place-making, civic
pride and celebration of the community,
 The recognition, interpretation and understanding of natural and cultural heritage,
 Developing community life and connections with others.
 V. ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS

PACO RAILWAY STATION AS RAILS WITH TRAILS

A rail trail is the conversion of a railway side track into a multi-use path, typically for

walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding and snowmobiling. The characteristics of abandoned

railways—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various

developments. The term sometimes also covers trails running alongside working railways; these

are called "rails with trails". Some shared trails are segregated, with the segregation achieved with

or without separation. Many rail trails are long-distance trails.

A rail trail may still include rails, such as light rail or streetcar. By virtue of their characteristic

shape (long and flat), some shorter rail trails are known as greenways and linear parks.

GREEN WAY PARK/LINEAR PARK

Linear park is a park in an urban or suburban setting that is substantially longer than it is
wide. Some are rail trails ("rails to trails"), that are disused railroad beds converted to recreational
use, while others use strips of public land next to canals, streams, extended defensive
walls, electrical lines, highways and shorelines. They are also often described as greenways. In
Australia, a linear park along the coast is known as a foreshore way. A greenway is "a strip of
undeveloped land near an urban area, set aside for recreational use or environmental protection".
However, the term can in fact include "a scenic road.
VI. Contents
A Concept

ECOTECHNOLOGY

” …putting its old use back together, transforming it to another dimension.”

Ecotechnology - not to be confused with ecotechnics - is an applied science that seeks to

fulfill human needs while causing minimal ecological disruption, by harnessing and

manipulating natural forces to leverage their beneficial effects. Ecotechnology integrates two

fields of study: the 'ecology of technics' and the 'technics of ecology,' requiring an

understanding of the structures and processes of ecosystems and societies. All sustainable

engineering that can reduce damage to ecosystems, adopt ecology as a fundamental basis, and

ensure conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development may be considered as forms

of ecotechnology.

Ecotechnology emphasizes approaching a problem from a holistic point of view. For

example, remediation of rivers should not only consider one single area. Rather, the whole

catchment area, which includes the upstream, middle stream and downstream sections, should

be considered.

Construction can reduce its impact on nature by consulting experts on the environment.
 Sustainable development requires the implementation of environmentally friendly

technologies which are both efficient and adapted to local conditions. Ecotechnology allows

improvement in economic performance while minimizing harm to the environment by

 increasing the efficiency in the selection and use of materials and energy sources,

 control of impacts on ecosystems,

 development and permanent improvement of cleaner processes and products,

 eco-marketing,

 introducing environmental management systems in the production and services

sectors, and

 development of activities for increasing awareness of the need for environmental

protection and promotion of sustainable development by the general public.

Mimicry of nature is an old idea. Many inventors have modeled machines after animals

throughout the centuries. Copying from nature has distinct advantages. Most living creatures now

on the Earth are the product of two billion years of evolution, and the construction of machines to

work in an environment resembling that of living creatures can profit from this enormous

experience. Although the easiest way may be thought to be direct imitation of nature, this is often

difficult if not impossible, among other reasons because of the difference in scale. Bionics

researchers have found that it is more advantageous to understand the principles of why things

work in nature than to slavishly copy details.

FORM CONCEPT

Amaryllis is the only genus in the subtribe Amaryllidinae (tribe Amaryllideae). It is a small

genus of flowering bulbs, with two species This is one of numerous genera were once abundant in

PACO during the Japanese and American era, with the common name "lily" due to their flower

shape and growth habit. However, they are only distantly related to the true lily, Lilium. In the

Victorian Language of Flowers, amaryllis means "pride"

B. Site Analysis

Paco Railway Station is located at the heart of Manila, Paco, formerly known as Dilao,

is a district of Manila, Philippines located south of Pasig River that has a population of 64,184

people in 13,438 households. It is a place where urban sprawl is really at high expectancy. The

said district focuses on physical regeneration of neighborhoods, particularly slum clearance and

housing, 'regeneration' offers a more radical vision of an integrated approach to economic,

social/community and environmental aspects of urban change.

The Old paco building was once an emblem of Neoclassical style in terms of

Architecture, that is also rich in context in terms of history and function. It was built on 1900’s

situated on Plaza Dilao, one of the oldest building built by the United States government 1898-

1946. During 1996, the station was partly demolished and destroyed by a developer, to build a

market or “Train Station for All”, but the National Heritage Advocates prevent it from its total

destruction so that the future generation can see how majestic and rich our country during that

time. And lastly, it was the first railway station in South East Asia, and 2nd in Asia.

The major problems that the site faces are congestion, noise pollution and the

possibility of being demolished due to man-made and natural calamities. It was sadly squeezed

between the major traffic roads of Quirino Ave. And Quirino Ave. Extension, and the noise coming

from railway at the back of the building is also causing disturbance to the site due to noise and

pollution. In terms of air quality on the site per se, is cool due to abundance of trees and wide array

of plants on the site’s premises due to the soil condition on the site is healthy and fertile. However,

the outside community is suffering from warm to extreme heat of temperature due to scarcity of
trees and paved road surfaces. And lastly, the site is not a pedestrian friendly location, due to the

railway system, and systems of roads making it not safe to walk along the paco community.
 VII. Building

Mixed-use development of a community provides more than one use or purpose within a

shared building or development area. Projects may include any combination of housing, office,

retail, medical, recreational, commercial or industrial components. Regardless of the form it

takes, mixed-use development is an integral part of most communities, creating unique places

where people can live, work, play and meet everyday shopping and lifestyle needs within a single

neighborhood. Increased development at the neighborhood level makes economic sense, which,

in the final analysis, will be the determinative factor in deciding whether this development is a

viable planning theory. The green way park and community hub, will exemplify how the

neoclassical arch’l type of the building is reconnected to the modern use of today with its

community engaging, historical context, sustainable and innovative design. It’s a building for

all, not only for the preservation of old Paco building but also for the conduciveness of the

community through adaptive reuse and firm conceptualization of its design processes. That bring

people together where they can have a place to go to interact, while waiting for the train to arrive

or just passing by the station.

HERBARIUM A botanic garden is a strictly protected natural urban green area, where a

managing organization creates landscaped gardens and holds documented collections of living

plants and/or preserved plant accessions containing functional units of heredity of actual or

potential value for purposes such as scientific research, education, public display, conservation,

sustainable use, tourism and recreational activities, production of marketable plant-based

products and services for improvement of human well-being.

COMMUNITY HUB which provides multiple spaces clustered together on one site

servicing the neighborhood, a sustainable park for Paco for its future planning approach that is
reflective and responsive to the whole community. It’s a socially interactive building from the

solemnity of its uppermost floor down to a socio-interactive, economical and hub for everyone.

COMMERCIAL BUILDING, the last building will be the commercial building designed

with a neo-modern style, imitating the central façade of old Paco station, as a mimicry of its

beauty and style. The said building will house different retails, food hubs and other merchandise

to answer the needs of the users of the said development.