Saint Louis University students continue to excel in national competitions. Three of her senior architecture students again grabbed first place in Alterchitecture, a design competition organized by the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) Student Auxiliary - U. P. Diliman chapter where 30 architecture schools nationwide competed.

The SLU team bested, among others, the University of Sto. Tomas, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Mapua Institute of Technology and the Bataan Peninsula State University, in that order. The top five entries were given the opportunity to present their work during the awarding program.

Jenik Leonardo, Ryan Lloyd Valencia and Gabriel Bucad were awarded at the U.P. Diliman Theater lobby last February in the presence of other equally talented student competitors. They were awarded Php 40,000 plus a trophy and certificates for their innovative design of a call center. Architect Dulthe Carlo Munar was their adviser.

A lot of interesting entries were submitted and it is amazing how creative minds managed to come up with innovative and impressive ideas.

It can be recalled that earlier in October 2011, particularly during the World Architecture Day program, a team of SLU architecture students was awarded as the champion in another national level design competition sponsored also by the UAP together with the Department of Education. The competition called for the best designs for a DepEd school building prototype.

Alterchitecture

Now on its second year, Alterchitecture is an ideas creation competition for architecture students where they can show their skills and knowledge by coming up with groundbreaking designs of innovative architecture. It seeks to develop the prospective range of sustainable design possibilities with regards to Filipino living conditions and the urban environment.

The set of criteria for judging was stiff. Innovation or how well the design introduced fresh concepts and solutions in terms of building program and spatial organization is 40%, sustainability or how the design effectively provides green and sustainable features apt for the Philippine tropical setting is 30%; aesthetics is 20% and presentation or how well the design was visually-communicated is 20%.

Alterchitecture 2011 focused on Business Process Outsourcing particularly call centers which has become a growing industry in the country. Call centers have proven themselves as an invariable element to the range of occupations in the Philippines as an asset to business as well as a source of job opportunities.

Call centers are, however, commonly located in high-rise structures which in turn foster a stressful environment. Also, new and urgent requisites for urban design are needed in order to satisfy social risings such as the green movement and the digital revolution. Thus, the challenge for the students was to generate green and sustainable designs and ideas that would dynamically solve the current state of the call center business.