Natcon Directory | Page 62

UAP NATCON 41 JAMES GALIAS JAO, fuap, piid An alumnus of the London School of Economics with a Master’s degree in City Design & Social Science, Ar. James Jao is a pioneer of green architecture and sustainable living in the Philippines. His eco-initiatives have been integrated into his portfolio of works that include urban and master planning and residential, academic and leisure projects. He is also an interior designer and the President of the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers for 2015-2017. His architectural designs are widely publicized in Philippine design & lifestyle magazines, the latest of which is the iconic residential masterpieces the ‘Kite House’ & ‘Stiletto house’ both of which are located in Cebu. Ar. Jao had created life-size, three-dimensional models of the Eco House which were exhibited at the Manila Construction Show in SMX Convention Center in 2008 the LuzViMinda Eco House, in 2009 the Eco Jao Bahay Kubo - a carbon neutral house model, both of these became a headline in the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper & in 2010 the James Hardie Eco House. In 2014 a few months after the typhoon Yolanda hit the eastern Visayas islands in the Philippines, he launched the ‘Star Rise Eco House’ & ‘Diamond Eco House’ model of an affordable climate resilient housing that can withstand magnitude 8 earthquake & 320kph typhoon. He was the Philippines’ representative to the Asian Productivity Organization conference in Singapore in March of 2013. He constantly updates his knowledge on green design and architecture by attending international seminars held in London- the EcoBuild Expo, in New York- the Greenbuild & the World Architecture Festival in Singapore, among others. Edilberto F. Florentino, fuap, apec ar., asean ar., piep, likha awardee 60 Ar. Edilberto F. Florentino, one of the principal architects of E. Florentino3+ Associates, is a product of the Mapua Institute of Technology, which recognized him as the Outstanding Mapuan in Architecture in 1992. Later, he attended postgraduate studies at the University of the Philippines, as an honorific scholar crossenrolled in Civil Engineering on Structural Sciences. He was Member of the Board of Architecture from 1993-1994 and was chosen the Outstanding Professional of the year 2002 in the field of Architecture by the Philippine Regulation Commission. Today he is an Accredited Arbitrator and Mediator of the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission. Ar. Florentino is past Chancellor of the College of Fellows of UAP. As President of the League of the Philippines Architects, he was part of the Negotiating Panel that formed the UAP; he is a Past President of UAP-Quezon City Chapter and has been continuously involved in legislation for the profession, having worked towards the legislative approval of “Architecture Act of 2004”. Aside of being an architect of note, he is also a registered Environmental Planner, and holder of fourteen (14) approved patents on building technology. Having received numerous awards and citations, in 2006 he was bestowed the UAP Likha Gold Medal, the highest award given to a UAP member, and in 2012 the Gawad Gintong Likha at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.