the in-between

Arcdes 06

Urban Planning Baseco, Manila

Illustrations by Juliana Luna Designed by Juliana Luna, JM Satur, Matthew Mina, Miguel Soliman

The project site, BASECO, is regarded as one of the biggest slums in the Metro Manila area. It was formerly a shipyard located by the mouth of Pasig River, which flows from Laguna Bay Lake to Manila Bay. Its low elevation makes the site vulnerable to flooding during storm surges and heavy rain. BASECO is disorganized, vulnerable to crime, and dilapidated. the proposal, ‘in-between,’ has the goal of bringing new urban quality by formalizing the residential area without compromising the baranggay’s identity and vitality.

A janapada is a kind of pathwalk that can be traced back to ancient civilization. It's concept of an elevated sidewalk accessible even during high tides is what we incorporated in our flood intervention system. The idea is to fight flood by letting it in and making room for it that can be enjoyable and beneficial for the residents. Baseco was revamped to be accessible and dignified.