Medium-Rise Housing for

University of the Philippines-Diliman

Architectural Program

Programmed by
Eugene Fernando F. Belmonte
2012-44571

Submitted to:
Prof. Emilio U. Ozaeta

26 February 2014

Description of Client
The client for this project is the University of the Philippines Diliman. The proposed
housing project will be model units for the future housing inside the campus. This mediumrise type of housing will be utilized as housing for the faculty and staff of UP Diliman. The
faculty members that will be chosen to reside in these units would come from different
colleges in the university. In addition, these faculties and staffs also come from different
fields and different lifestyles.

Description of the Research Site

The research site is the premises of the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Specifically, the research observations and interviews focused in the housing communities or
clusters within the university campus. The research also includes students, passersby, and
other people that are concerned with these housing communities.

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Figure 1. Faculty and staff housing in orange
Source: upd.edu.ph

Description of Project Site

The site is within the vicinity of the University of the Philippines Diliman. The site of
the project is the property bounded by Roces St. to the West, M. Viola St. to the North, G.
Apacible St. to the East, and P. Valenzuela St. to the South. The site is a single empty
rectangular property with grown tree all over. The site is a sloping property where its higher
side is along the P. Valenzuela St.
The site is near various landmarks of the university. To the south of the site are the
U.P. Tennis Courts, Shopping Center and parking area, University Cashiers Office, and U.P.
Consumers Cooperative. To the southeast of the site is the University Health Service. The
remaining area around the site, to the east, west and north, are currently housing communities
for the faulty and employees of the university. These are composed of row houses, for
housing on the west of the site, and bungalows for those in the north and east of the site. Part
of the row houses, especially along the J.P. Laurel St. is converted into eateries. Other
landmarks accessible from the site are the track oval, the Church of the Holy Sacrifice, and
Post Office.

Figure 2. The site and nearby landmarks

Source: maps.google.com

Diwa ng Lunan of the Area around the Site

The diwa ng lunan of the area was determined based on the present conditions of the
research area, specifically Area 2. In addition, selected similar housing communities were
also observed to expound further the information regarding the development of the design for
the housing project.
Ocular inspection of the site provides the basic or surface information about the diwa
ng lunan of the community. The trees growing around the vicinity of the site gives a
province-like feel of the community. This is a crucial part of the community because these
trees provide a sense of privacy for each household. In addition, it also provides a snese of
separation from the city-like feel of the rest of the campus and the noise of vehicles along
Commonwealth Avenue.

Figure 3. The area filled with trees

The community of the faculty and personnel residing in the provided bungalow
houses are not much for social interaction. From the interviewees information, they
mentioned the kanya-kanya of each household when it comes to security, and lifestyle.
Even to the case of the housing of Hardin ng Doa Aurora, similar case happens. The owners
rarely get to interact with each other. According to the informants, the rare case of gathering
only happens during New Years Eve. On the other hand, the exclusivity or the privacy of
each household is caused by what three interviewees mentioned pride. Owners get to stay

in these houses for a very long time. However they do not show any effort to interact with
other people. They are only familiar with the faces around them, but not know them deeply.
Most would consider these housing as convenience because of its accessibility to their
basic needs, and work. This is the primary reason by the residents on why they choose to stay
in the campus. The location of a site is actually a transition point from the public areas of the
university to the more private housing communities. On the southern portion of the site are
the Shopping Center, the Consumers Cooperative, and the Cash Office. Nearby also are the
University Health Service, the Church of the Holy Sacrfice, and the Post Office. These
structures can already provide for the daily needs of the people that will live in the area.
When it comes to security, these areas have experienced multiple robberies at
different times in the past. This is why the new residents in the place, install fences around
their property. The number decreased because of the control and management by the UPD
Police.

Figure 4. A common bungalow with fences

The houses found in Area 1 are typical bungalow houses. Majority of these houses are
not developed in the facade elements. Because of this, the houses still look similar to one
another. They have a common design originally, but because of the personalization done by
the owners, differences in the form and in the interior of the houses emerged. They can only
modify the house on the ground floor. They cannot add another floor. The occupants would

reside in these houses for a very long time; however they can manage to stay in these houses
that are in state of disrepair. They are contented to live in these houses not because they like
the appearance of the house itself but by the convenience brought by its proximity to their
needs.
Some property owners converted their houses into boarding houses. Because of the
lack in student housing, some students seek for boarding houses to stay in for the year.
Accepting bed spacers or boarders would cut the expense of paying the rent for the faculty
housing. This is the reason why they do this. Given the ample space for each household, a
single owner can accommodate students.
The community has no identity. This is only dictated by the people who chose to live
and stay within the area. These people come from different lifestyles and preferences outside
the campus, and they would find difficulty interacting with the new faces around them. In
case especially of the professors, they do not share a common thought or belief. This can
create conflict among them. Another issue that can be pointed out from the interviews is the
differences in their degrees, whether they have a PhD or MA. This also gives them a
preliminary judgment on their neighbours.
Differences in their personalities also matter. In addition, because of the randomized
selection of the occupants for the housing project, it cannot be predicted the type of persons
that will reside there. There might be a combination of socially active residents, and they may
actually interact with each other. However, on the other hand, there might be combinations of
much private personalities. Because there would be a minimum of 96 units, which is a quite
big number, the diwa ng lunan that is to be considered should be a multitude of personalities
for each household. This also should be applied throughout the whole project site, because
one cannot choose what they would get.
The site is a proposed housing. The diwa ng lunan will only depend on the residents
that would occupy these buildings. It is crucial that any possible forms of identity will be
considered. Because of the new building type that would be introduced in the project site, this
will have a new impact to the surrounding area or communities. The housing will have its
own identity. It is not like the bungalow houses or the row houses that currently present in the
surrounding area. The proposed housing will be a medium-rise building, probably similar to
that of the Hardin ng Doa Aurora.

Figure 5. A medium-rise building housing of Hardin ng Doa Aurora

Besides the fact that a new identity would be created within the premises of the
existing communities of Area 1 and Area 2, the created buildings should also respect the
state of the surrounding environment. These areas are filled with trees and vegetation.
Because of this, the created diwa ng lunan should also include these factors in order for the
new buildings to blend with the rest of the community. Also, because of its higher elevation,
it is inevitable for it to stand out from the rest of the area. Because of this, the design should
not over-emphasize the building.

Performance Requirements
The following are the spaces required for the housing for the faculty in UP Diliman.
In order to properly carry out the design for the housing project, certain factors are also
considered. These also will address the needs of the future residents of the housing.
Each housing unit will contain the basic housing requirements. These are the living
area, dining area, kitchen, toilet and bath, service area and the bedrooms. There will be two
types of housing units. One is a two-bedroom type, and the other is a three-bedroom type.
These two types of units will depend on the household size of the facultys family.
The minimum floor area for a two-bedroom unit would be 68 square meters, while for
a three-bedroom unit the minimum would be 90 square meters. The whole property block
should be able to contain at least 96 residential units. The building would be limited only to 4
storeys.
Aside from these housing units, open spaces would also be considered. These open
spaces will also be utilized for different functions such as parking area, gathering area,
garden, and other functions the residents may desire. Open spaces also affect the ambience
inside every unit. These spaces provide breathing into the structures. As the present situation
of the site, vegetation, especially trees, are growing around the place including the rest of the
housing communities.
Circulation of the vehicles and the users within the area and in connection with the
sites surroundings should also be considered. This has to be designed to be effective and
favorable for the users. For example, the ease of access to the Shopping Center should be
available. The same applies for the nearby areas.
Various needs for the propertys welfare should also be considered. One is the
security. The housing units should be positioned to limit the passage of strangers into the site.
Fences can also be provided. Waste disposal and water source should also be addressed.
Aside from the above mentioned conditions of the housing units, there are also other
factors that would complete the buildings as model housing for the university. The simplicity
of form should be considered to minimize the construction costs of each housing unit.
Because this proposed construction of the building will be executed repeatedly, the design
should be simple yet aesthetically pleasing. On the other hand, the building should not be also

excessive in its design elements. The housing should be appropriate to the existing
neighbourhood around the site.

Behavioral Analysis
Based on the acquired data, the residents of the housing communities, especially those
with professors as inhabitants, leave in the morning and return in the afternoon. This is
generally the reason why at most times of the day, there are only few people that would be
observed in the research sites. On a similar case, for those unit owners who decided to turn
their acquired units into boarding houses or bed space for students, these students also leave
in the morning or in time for their classes and return after their classes.
However, a very unique case of the row houses can be found along the J.P. Laurel St,
which they turn into businesses, specifically food-related and laundry. They turned their front
yards as their business. These serve as food hubs for the students and provide a variety of
choices. These row houses are generally owned by employees under UP administration. They
are not professors which leave by the day, and they have family members living with them.
They can be considered the most active in the whole housing community, which can be
observed through the number of students and other people visiting the place.
Back to the housing for the professors/faculty, some also have their properties
converted into boarding houses. They do this particularly to cut the expense of paying for the
rent of the housing unit. On the other hand, the maintenance of the housing facilities is mostly
left to the UP administration. Because of this, it is also observable that the facade of these
bungalow houses are still the same even before. Most of these occupants only try to improve
the interiors. However the occupants may choose to improve the housing conditions with the
consent from the administration, which is totally an expense for them.
From the interviewed persons from the housing communities that are scope of the
research, the word kanya-kanya emerges. Furthermore, they explained that people in these
housing areas are generally unacquainted with each other. Although they are familiar with
their neighbours, they rarely get to interact with each other. Families with children are
another different case. These people get to interact with each other, especially when
playtimes or breaks.

Generally there would be a variety of behaviour of the people in these housing

communities. Because they come from different lifestyles and preferences, they choose to
make the place adapt to their behaviour regardless of the similarities set upon them by the
type of housing and the surrounding environment.

DESIGN CONCEPT
Bamboo
Bamboo is the design concept for the proposed housing project for the faculty of UP
Diliman. This grass has the characteristic to describe the diwa ng lunan intended for the
community that will be created. The three major characteristics of bamboo that will be
guiding principles of the design are versatility, flexibility, and resilience. Although these three
are correlated with each other, we will be able to see how these three characteristics function
separately.
Versatility is defined as adaptability in function. The proposed design will be versatile
enough to adapt the different requirements of the users that would occupy the buildings. For
example, some would not really interact with others in the neighbourhood, but what if it
would evolve over time and finally have close relations with each other? This is how the
housings versatility would function. Similar also is to the needs of the users for parking area
while other members only prefer to walk. The whole structure would appear to be
multipurpose in some areas to give way to the immediate needs of the current users.
Flexibility is defined as bending without breaking. This characteristic will be seen in
the presence of the medium-rise building in the area. The design should be flexible so that it
would not break the current situation of the area around the project site. It would appear like
whether the new building is built or not, nothing much changes with the environment around
it. An example for this is making the building blend with other houses in the area and
maintaining the environment around it by providing trees and vegetation.
Resilience is defined as ability to recover from stress. This is not only for
environmental devastation but also for users manner of usage. The building should be low
maintenance in order for the administration to cut cost for the maintenance. In addition, the
building should also be restored easily after every term of usage/residence.
Aside from these three main characteristics, further analysis would lead us to the
minor elements that would also be compared to the desired diwa ng lunan of the housing
community. These include the variety, clustering, segments, being one with nature.
The variety refers to the two choices in the unit types. Two-bedroom units will be
separated from three-bedroom units. This would allow differences in the appearance of the

two building types. Basically they would only differ in the design elements and minor forms
present in the structure.
The second one is the clustering of the building. Similar to the way bamboos grow,
the buildings will be grouped into threes, particularly two two-bedroom unit buildings and
one three bedroom units (Figure 6). This would enable different unit types to experience a
common ground or atmosphere at a given location. This also may encourage interaction for
those belonging to one cluster.

Figure 6. Clustering
The form of each of the building will mimic the segments of the bamboo plant. One
building would resemble a shoot of a bamboo. Each cut would be a single unit. This also is
a metaphor of singularity of the unit, a separation from other units if the user chooses to. The
exterior staircase would appear like the emerging branches of the bamboo. Overhangs may
mimic the leaves of the bamboo.

Figure 7. Form
The overall appearance of the housing will appear like a forest, with individual
buildings clustered as trees or shoots. These clusters would have enough separation from each
other to provide individuality and privacy. In this way also, the buildings can blend with the
trees.

Figure 8. Forest-like appearance

From this formation of the buildings, it would provide accessibility from different
sides of the property. This would also regulate the circulation of the users into the site. The
clustering would provide the necessary security for the buildings. The clusters would serve as
the wall backing for the possible case of robbery.
The materials however will not be bamboo. The sole purpose of the concept is only
limited to the functionality of the structure. The building would still be made of concrete and
only design elements would mimic the features of the bamboo plant.

CONCLUSION
There is no significant identity in the housing communities in the University of the
Philippines Diliman. However, there is variation in the type of household in each housing
unit which can provide a support in the development of a new housing project for the faculty.
Because of this, a design was created in order to serve the different needs of different users
that would occupy these building.