Project Initiation and Funding

The project was initiated by the Sheryl Lynn Foundation in collaboration with Rural Development Initiatives in Leyte (RDI). The construction was funded by The Sheryl Lyn Foundation and Mayor Richard Gomez, Ormoc City Government. 

On behalf of The Sheryl Lynn Foundation and Ormoc City Government, Native Narrative has been leading this project from the beginning of brief development, conceptual design, through to final design stages and overseeing the construction. Native Narrative are giving all services free of charge. 

Location, size and construction cost

With the size of 63 SQM, this prototype is the largest of the 3 disaster resilient learning centers prototypes that Native Narrative have developed.

The total construction cost was 10,500 GBP. The site sits between a busy national highway, a rich tropical forest, a church and a health center. 

Design

The building is reduced to a backdrop where color variation is created by children and the rich tropical context. Sliding timber doors open the building and visually connect it to the grand tropical forest landscape. The sliding door’s geometry is echoed in the plywood furniture backrest.

Context

Located in the “Pacific Ring of Fire” the Phillippines is highly vulnerable to typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic activities, floods and tsunamis. The country ranks as the third most disaster-prone country in the world based on the 2015 World Risk Index. Each of the Learning Center Projects are constructed Typhoon and Earthquake resilient. 

Bespoke woven seating covers made from recycled t-shirts

Weaving using recycled t-shirts is often used in the Philippines but reserved for making doors mats only. Applying it as seating covers is the first of it’s kind. Native Narrative wished to not only celebrate the weaving method but also raise the status of recycling, as foreign and new is often preferred over local and used.  Read more about our collaboration with the local weaver here. 

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