Learning Center in Village Concepcion, Ormoc City, Island of Leyte, Philippines

After running architectural practice for nearly 2 years in rural Philippines, the Scandinavian Design studio Native Narrative have designed a serie of after-school facilities whereas the Concepcion Learning Center Project is one of four after-school facilities that have been constructed during 2017/2018. Five more are scheduled to be constructed during 2019. 

In close collaboration with the local government and a local NGO in Ormoc City the brief has been to integrate; a library unit, a reading area, a study space, a performance practice area, two washrooms, an informal teaching environment and a performance stage within the 9 x 7m footprint, the standard size of a Filipino classroom. The space can be understood as a informal learning environment that encourage children in the age of 4-17 to play and study after school, while at the same time providing a safe meeting spot for children during calamities.  

Context

Located in the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ makes the Phillippines highly vulnerable calamities such as typhoons, earthquakes, floods and tsunamis. Latest was the 110 villages that Ormoc consist of hit by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 where over 6000 people died.   The project collaboration is a response to the newly approved Children’s Emergency Relief Protection Act in the Phillipines, that increases the accountability of local and national agencies to prioritise the protection and development of children by establishing child-friendly spaces. In order to enhance a typhoon and earthquake resilient structure, the column layout is kept simple and symmetric, while the structure itself is made of reinforced concrete with hollow block walls.