Contributors

Aimeelou is a Cagayan de Oro city-based architect and an active officer of UAP CDO Bay Area Chapter. Coming from a family affiliated with the Philippine Culture and Local History in Mindanao, she has interests in history, anthropology, performing arts, graphic design, and illustration. Stumbling on a German version of Tadao Ando’s book of sketches sparked her love for architecture. Since then, she continues to gain experience exploring and learning more about design and other operations within the field of architecture. In her senior year, she was awarded Best Thesis in the Architecture Department for her undergraduate thesis, Visage of the Lumad: Proposed Northern Mindanao Lumad Heritage Center. In 2013, she graduated from Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST) with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree. Before becoming a registered and licensed Architect in January 2016, she was an apprentice to Ar. Edwin Uy and Ar. Jonathan Sogoc. She was a freelance architect for many years before becoming a College Instructor for the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) in Cagayan de Oro City under the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA). She is currently the Cluster Head for the History and Theory of Architecture subjects in the Department of Architecture for the Undergraduate Program Bachelor of Science in Architecture.

Allan Silvestre

Allan is the Project Architect of Poblacion Market Central. He joined PCTAN Architects and Associates in 2012 as an intern. At 22 years old, he gained his professional license that elevated him to Junior Architect. He is also a corporate member of the United Architects of the Philippines – Davao Alpha, as well as the Philippine Institute of Architects firms in the Philippines, Archion Architects. After leaving Archion in 2020, he joined the government workforce as an architectural design consultant for the governor of Marinduque, where he was exposed to different public officials in the province and provided architectural advice and solutions to selected projects. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree at the University of the Philippines-Diliman to expand his knowledge so that he can share his learnings to new generations of Architects.

– Davao Section. Currently, he is one of the company’s Associate Architects. Outside of his project work, Allan is a homebody who loves reading books, doing handicrafts and a certified plant lover.

Anthony Demin Sarmiento, is a graduate of Architecture at Mapua Institute of Technology, and is having his graduate school in Urban Design at the University of Santo Tomas – Graduate School. He also studied at Bamboo U, Bali, Indonesia a university specializing in Bamboo Design and Construction. Ar. Sarmiento is a registered and licensed Architect, Environmental Planner and Master Plumber. He is an active officer of the United Architects of the Philippines and a member of the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners, he also holds an International Associate membership at the American Institute of Architects. He had worked with the architectural office of Arch. William V. Coscolluela and Ar. Felino Palafox Jr. who has been his mentors. At present he is the principal architect of Genius Loci Architects, an architecture and parametric design consultancy firm. Also, he is passionate about architecture education and research as he currently teaches at the National University College of Architecture. He also speaks Deutsch (German) and Nihongo (Japanese). He is a professional watercolor artist and a violinist.

Justine is an architect who hails from Cebu Institute of Technology-University. She is part of Zubu Design Associates where she handled the Cor Jesu Oratory project. As part of the team handling Cor Jesu Oratory during the contract documentation of the interiors and construction supervision phase, she is proud to have worked with and collaborated with the other designers, contractors, and suppliers throughout the project. For Justine, it was a humbling experience to have been part of the collaboration team to design, plan, and execute the structure up to its inauguration day and even during post-construction.

Bryll is a licensed Architect, Master Plumber, and a qualified Safety Officer. He is a member of the United Architects of the Philippines Manila Centrum Chapter and currently an architectural private practitioner, and a parttime professor at the National University – Baliwag campus. He obtained his bachelor’s degree at National University-Manila in 2016 and became a design architect at one of the premier architectural

Trained in Bali under Elora Hardy and BambooU, he extends his passion and knowledge of Bamboo to support his advocacy of a sustainable Philippines. He believes that by spreading what he learned means that giving the Filipinos to thrive in more ways than one. He shows how diverse Bamboo can be in terms of design, while demonstrating how to care for it and get to know its properties so we may be able to utilize all its strength while overcoming obstacles that may come with working with it. His holistic approach to training allows for participants to fully understand the scope of the Bamboo, while his love for it and our nation fuels passion and eagerness to learn.

Contributors

Gerard Lico

Gerard Lico is a Professor and Director of the Research Office at the College of Architecture, University of the Philippines Diliman. He practices architecture as a heritage conservation professional and designer of institutional buildings. He is a prolific author of publications on Filipino architecture and cultural studies, curator of architectural exhibitions, and director of documentaries on Philippine architecture.

He has been involved in the conservation of landmarks such as the Manila Metropolitan Theater, the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, and the core buildings of the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman. He also served as a consultant of conservation planning initiatives for other local and national heritage sites across the country. Apart from presently serving as Consulting Architect for the City of Valenzuela, he heads a multidisciplinary, research-oriented design consultancy practice.

Gianfranco Galagar

Gianfranco Galagar is a UAP architect who has been working in Hong Kong for the past four years and has worked in various offices on projects with a focus on social agenda. His twoyear involvement with Avoid Obvious Architects provided him experience for a more bottom-up approach to the practice. He was part of the team that designed K-Farm, a public urban farming educational and wellness park that won the American Institute of Architects Urban Design Honor Award and Sustainability Award. He was also involved in the writing of Adventures in Architecture for Kids, a book that introduces architecture and design thinking to children through design exercises in the hopes that these future generations will lead the future with a designer’s mindset. Currently, he works at Domat Community and Architecture, a not-for-profit practice which aims to work with people who cannot usually afford architectural services.

Gloryrose Dy-Metilla

Rose is an architect and the Director of Swito Architectural Designs and BalayBalay3D Architecture. She is a product of University of the Philippines Mindanao – BS Architecture in 2009 wherein she garnered the Best Thesis Award and shortly after she won the Red Point National Thesis Award, an award given to exemplary undergraduate Architecture thesis in the Philippines. In 2018, she finished the Design Summerschool from the College of Architecture and Urban Planning in Tongji University, Shanghai, China, and then her Masters in Urban and Cultural Heritage from the Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne, Australia with an Australia Awards Scholarship. Currently finishing her Doctor of Philosophy in Management at the University of Mindanao.

She has been a United Architects of the Philippines North Davao Chapter President 2015 - 2016, Balangkasan Chair for Area D in 2016, and Editor of Area D Committee of UAP Journal under the Commission on Professional Development 2019 -2020 and a member of the International Council on Monuments and Sites or ICOMOS.

Currently, she is the founding partner of Swito Designs Architects. A studio is focused on Cultural Sensitivity in Design and Urban and Cultural Heritage. The firm is currently working on the Department of Tourism Region XI Cultural Complex and Bangsamoro Ministry of Interior and Local Government Infrastructure Projects and international projects.

Apart from being an architect, she is also the Editor in Chief of Filipina Architect Resource Magazine, an online magazine she created during the pandemic.

Louie Nandro M. Vito is a Filipino Architect from San Mateo Rizal, Artist, Educator and a community Architect with specialization in Wellbeing Architecture by designing holistic approaches for the people who really matter most. He also specializes in Creatives and in handling corporate Events.

He has experience working in various Local and international companies for more than a decade and doing community service as a Consulting Architect for some Local Government Units in Luzon.

He is an active member of Rotary Club San Mateo Central, National Real Estate Association of the Philippines and United Architects of the Philippines, and became the President for UAP QC Elliptical Chapter in the year 2012 as the young President of the record.

A faculty instructor at Central Colleges of the Philippines for a year and for National University Manila for almost Nine Years and a pioneer for National University Fairview for two years.