By Sofia Baldonado
With the recent international concern on global climate change, architect Isabel Asuncion promotes sustainable architectural practices to architecture students in the De La Salle University– Dasmariñas (DLSU-D) College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology Student Government (CEATSG)’s three-day convention.
At the architectural convention on April 19 titled, “CEATCON: Constructing a Better Tomorrow (Engineering and Architecture Conference)”, guest speaker Asuncion highlighted that aside from being stewards in building communities, architects should also be in charge of sustaining the natural environment.
“You (architects and architecture students) are also stewards of the natural environment, you need a lot of integrity, you need to have very sound values because it’s a place [that] can easily be corrupted,” Asuncion stressed.
Asuncion was also quick to share her observation on the extent of applicability of the sustainable designs proposed in international criteria.
“10 or 15 years ago I attended the leadership in energy workshop, and I [found] that a lot of the international criteria for sustainable designs [are] very applicable to the first world, not so much to us.” the architect stressed.
She shared some sustainable architectural practices stating, “You (Architects) need to be very practical. You need to look at materials, there are many materials that [claim] themselves to be sustainable… You also need to look at embodied energy, meaning, you need to look at how it was produced, how much energy was put into its production, and how long it will last… no one really talks much about that,”
Furthermore, the architect shared her experience seeing the popularity of the Narra wood as a representation of a “status symbol” among clients despite its endangerment state in the country, and extinction in others.
“It doesn’t prove your worth whatever type of wood you have. Deforestation is a big [concern] because you [can] really disrupt the whole ecosystem, it becomes exponential,” Asuncion added.
When asked about how architects can act upon and contribute to preventing climate change, she ended her statement by mentioning her concerns for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“On the bigger picture, I don’t know how architects can pressure government agencies. For example, tayo kasi our biggest problem is deforestation… So I think [we should] pressure DENR to watch the forests better.”
To know more about the details of the three-day conventions of the CEATCON, click the CEATSG announcement on their official Facebook page linked below. https://www.facebook.com/ceatsg/posts/pfbid02hr2Sn26VV9Kuxa1W7aGxhodc21K3F3bYCW24nsVaLbWJ7M142Vz7R3u59f3GiYj6l
