Reaction Paper 02: Heritage and Sustainable Architecture

“Heritage and Sustainable Architecture” This topic in the webinar widens out our
knowledge and perspective about the old structures that we study on our previous years
in architecture with the help of the speaker Ar. Rajelyn J. Busmente, from United
Architects of the Philippines and Green Architecture Advocacy Philippines.

Based on Ar. Busmente, she clearly refreshes our memory by showing the
existing plans, openings, internal arrangements, and restraining elements of our old
churches and heritage houses. She also lectured us about how can we identify and
evaluate an old churches, towers and residential building. We are all enlightened as she
shows the flowchart of the FaMIVE procedure which will be a great tool in identifying
and analyzing the seismic vulnerability and post-earthquake damage to historical
buildings. Exploring the structural details and the flow of the floor plans of the previous
cultural houses like “bahay na bato” and many more houses is really informative
because as she lectures, I am imagining how the people interact and utilize the spaces
and they even created a secret space to hide the maid’s room or show them depending
on the events by using double façade or what they call “volada”. Some architects here
in the Philippines still uses the old architectural features and even combine with the
modern design and materials in order to maintain the Filipino ambiance depending on
the structure that they will build.

Seeing our heritage houses, churches and other structures really brings us the
feels of what it looks like living in the past, a question from Ar. Johnus Mirazol was
raised and he ask the opinion of Ar. Busmente if she approves to restore heritage
houses or she will just be going to preserve it, she answered that if you are going to
restore an old house, the essence of the building will be gone because you just
replaced it with new materials and it will not look and feel the same anymore, so her
opinion is to preserve our heritage houses. As she explains her reason, I agree on what
she said because in that way, we are giving respect on the legacies our ancestors had.
Those old houses that exists until now are proof that they were sustainable and
combining with the modern technology, we can build better structures.