By Arch . Stephanie N . Gilles , UAP , ASEAN Arch , PIEP
Coinciding with the week of the ASEAN Summit where the Philippines played host to delegates from other ASEAN member states , the 1st ASEAN Architects Congress was held on April 26-27 , 2017 at the City of Dreams Grand Ballroom and SMX Convention Center , respectively . This Congress was not just a first in the Philippines but was also declared the first for the entire set of ASEAN Member States ( AMS ), as adopted by the ASEAN Architects Council .
This two-day event was hosted by the Professional Regulation Commission ( PRC ) through its Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture ( PRBoA ) and the ASEAN Monitoring Committee on Architectural Services of the Philippines ( AMCASP ). It was jointly organized by the Philippine Association of the Professional Regulatory Board Members , Inc . ( PAPRB ) and the United Architects of the Philippines ( UAP ).
On the first day , 39 Filipino ASEAN Architects and 9 Foreign ASEAN Architects participated . ASEAN Architects Council Chairman Tateng K . Djajasudarma from Indonesia gave a powerful keynote speech , pushing the ASEAN Architects to prove and show the world that amidst the pessimistic tendencies of going back to protectionism movement , an anti-thesis to the objective of fostering Mobility and Collaboration , the focused determination of ASEAN Architects can reach this goal . In the interest of having more Filipino ASEAN Architects next year , a total of 63 Observers and Guests responded to the invitation to witness this pioneering event . The presence of 9 Foreign ASEAN Architects representing Indonesia , Malaysia and Singapore , paved the way for the promotion of intra-ASEAN mobility of professionals as they mingled , networked and set an eyeball to eyeball meeting with each other . A parade of talents from Architecture students of Adamson University came in the form of a cultural show blending native songs and dances .
The second day of the Congress , participated in by 43 ASEAN Architects and 16 Guests , coincided
RIGHT : The ASEAN Architects Council Chair Tateng Djajasudarmagestures during his keynote speech on Day One of the ASEAN Architect Congress ; BELOW : ASEAN Architects converge on the first day of ASEAN Architects Congress , held at City of Dreams Ballroom , Pasay City ; BELOW-LEFT : Awarding of Distinguished ASEAN Architects on the second day held at the SMX Convention Center , Pasay City , April , 27 , 2017 .
with Day 1 of the 43rd United Architects of the Philippines ( UAP ) National Convention ( NATCON ), both held at the SMX Convention Center , giving the Filipino and Foreign AAs alike the privilege of getting involved in the UAP NATCON as well . To facilitate getting to know each other more especially in the field of the Architecture Profession , a Business Matching session was conducted . ASEAN Architects were divided into 4 fields of interest , namely ( 1 ) Hospitality and Resort
( headed by Jose Mari Cañizares ), ( 2 ) Commercial , Malls and Retail Architecture ( c / o Dennis Villanueva ) , ( 3 ) Conservation Management , Historical Structures and Sacred Architecture ( moderated by Stephanie Gilles ) , and ( 4 ) General Practice of Architecture . The participants of each group were asked to fill up an information sheet with their contact information and subjects of interest for collaboration . A Collaboration Agreement Template of ASEAN Architects between ASEAN Member States ( AMS ) was drafted
by Architects Abelardo Tolentino , Robert Sac , and Fidel Jose Siapno consolidating inputs from several other Filipino ASEAN Architects , as discussed in a previous meeting .
Council Chairman Tateng Djajasudarma of Indonesia commended the Philippines for an excellent move that raised the bar for other AMS to follow . It is his earnest desire for the professionals to share their ideas and reminded everyone to think out of the box . Everyone was also reminded by Arch . Larry Ng Lye Hock of Singapore that with good architecture , passion , and enlightenment , our respective cultures and creativity for each ASEAN Member State shall be duly recognized . Arch . Amer of Malaysia expressed that , as of the moment , his country sets their local Architects as top priority , only after then do the ASEAN Architects follow suit .
The first ASEAN Architects Congress was made possible , significant and relevant through the participation , interaction , and passion of everyone involved . Special thanks are in order for the members of the Organizing Committee of this pioneering endeavor ,
UNITED ARCHITECTS OF THE PHILIPPINES
The Integrated and Accredited Professional Organization of Architects
To be continued on Page 15
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