This document discusses Justin Cua taking the ARSERCH (Research Methods for Architecture) class, which many architecture students fear as it is their first experience with thesis-style work. It introduces the professor, Ferdinand Isidro dela Paz, who has extensive experience in research and prefers a casual relationship with students. Some potential topics that interest Justin for his thesis are then outlined, relating to Chinese architecture, urban design, and public housing in the Philippines.
This document discusses Justin Cua taking the ARSERCH (Research Methods for Architecture) class, which many architecture students fear as it is their first experience with thesis-style work. It introduces the professor, Ferdinand Isidro dela Paz, who has extensive experience in research and prefers a casual relationship with students. Some potential topics that interest Justin for his thesis are then outlined, relating to Chinese architecture, urban design, and public housing in the Philippines.
This document discusses Justin Cua taking the ARSERCH (Research Methods for Architecture) class, which many architecture students fear as it is their first experience with thesis-style work. It introduces the professor, Ferdinand Isidro dela Paz, who has extensive experience in research and prefers a casual relationship with students. Some potential topics that interest Justin for his thesis are then outlined, relating to Chinese architecture, urban design, and public housing in the Philippines.
Research Methods for Architecture (ARSERCH), a class that many
architecture students from Benilde fear, is the class I am taking this term. From accounts of the 118s ARSERCH, it sounds scary because this is every student first taste of what thesis will be like. I do not believe that researching in architecture is tough or uneasy; it’s the idea of thesis is what looms over everyone’s heads. We all have heard of stories of people repeating ARCDES9 because the panels rejected their ideas while others just dropped the course mid-way. Things like those scare us of what our academic future holds for everyone in my batch and the batches to come. The professor who is accompanying my class through this journey in researching is Ar. Ferdinand Isidro dela Paz, also known as Nandy. Sir Nandy prefers to be called Nandy without the “sir”, he believes that there is no need for formalities between a professor and a student. He graduated at University of Santo Tomas in the Bachelor of Science in Architecture on March 1992. He then pursued his masteral at University of the Philippines on Urban and Regional Planning Coursework (Urban Heritage Studies + Campus Planning) from June 1996 to March 2006. At the same university, he followed through with another masteral from June 2006 to March 2016 which is on Archaeology Coursework (Urban Heritage Conservation + Generational Studies). And as the Nandy who loves to learn new things was not contended with just those three degrees and went ahead to have a masteral in International Business (Organizational Creativity + Business Model Innovation). He now practices “urban archaeologist with a passion of Architecture”. And he is also the director of design in Foundree, a progressive learning center for architecture and the built environment. Taken from Philippines Star (August 3, 2019)
With Sir Nandy’s long portfolio of experience with researching. This
reflects his way of teaching ARSERCH and this makes everyone in my class enthusiastic for the subject. In ARSERCH we are tasked to do research on our thesis with that here are topics I would find interesting to explore for my thesis: Chinese Architecture (fengshui), Urban Design and its scope on Philippine Public Transportation, or Public Housing in the Philippines. All these topics are very broad and may sound like an arduous task. However, I do believe I have the set of skills in research to overcome this. From the beginning, I was not so experienced in research, but it was through my past experiences that help honed it. Thanks to my former ARCDES classes; they taught me to research critically and carefully. For ARCDES1 under Ma’am Agustin, I researched on biomimicry and the cognitive and mental function of a child. The reason behind this was we were told to design a pavilion in the middle of a village in Nuvali, Laguna. In Nuvali, it’s very common for families to be living here, thus I thought of children. If one creates an environment safe and fun for children this will attract other older age groups as well. The biomimicry inspired by a mangrove was later adapted to the design to bring awareness to everyone on what’s happening in our environment. This is one of the many great projects from ARCDES I am proud of being tasked to design, develop, and research on. Bibliography
Dela Paz, F. (2023, January). Ferdinand de la Paz’ Educational Background
Foundree launches progressive learning hub with the biggest names in
architecture. (2019, August 3). Pressreader.com. Retrieved from https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/the-philippine- star/20190803/282286731881770.
arknaku. (2023, January). Ferdinand Isidro dela Paz. Instagram.com.