College of Architecture and Fine Arts

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    STARTING F.R.E.S.H. A system approach on revitalization of the community center in Barangay Coral, Mapandan Pangasinan
    (2021-09) Ele, Fortunato F. Jr.
    As the office of the smallest political and administrative government in the Philippines, the barangay hall is considered as the heart of the community. As a community center, it is sometimes adjacent to a day care nursery, health center and multi-purpose complex thus becoming a social venue not only for administration but also for education, health, and recreation activities. Although much of these roles are dependent on a Community Center, the planning and design of this structure and its ancillaries are overlooked, if not totally neglected, most of the time. Various issues and environmental challenges tend to inhibit the function of these facilities which in turn limits its capacity to serve the community to its full extent. Problems like improper site allocation, poor space planning, lack of formal character, and even worse, is the fact that building standards are sometimes compromised. These are just some of the physical problems, not to mention "insufficient" funding and environmental challenges the barangay complex is facing throughout its building cycle. A community center essentially caters to its people and is a network of spaces that accommodates the community's ever-changing needs. A new systems approach would be valuable in its planning and design, as it requires different functional and responsive facets to be more accurate in solving and addressing the problems of the community. To support this, an analysis of similar cases locally and internationally was conducted, as well as getting the expert opinion of key individuals from urban planning and local government units was also established. In addition to these methods, a survey was also conducted in Coral which will serve as the "pilot barangay" in order to identify and assess the needs of the community. And by using these data we can generalize, as well as to pinpoint the issues of the community center. Overall, the barangay hall lacks functionality, identity, and a targeted approach on the community's needs. This is reflected through the case study, survey results, and interviews. The systems approach enables the researcher to holistically tackle the specific needs of the barangay constituents, especially when there is a variety of what should be addressed in their community. As the results reflect the aforementioned conditions, trends, and practices of the barangay hall, one must note that these are overlapping aspects that a holistic approach could address. Through this, a set of guidelines would be created so that it may be used for other barangay complexes with similar overarching issues. It is evident from the data that there is a pressing need for the Coral Barangay Hall's revitalization on two levels:(1) design and appearance, and (2) facilities and functionality_ What barangay Coral has is good - but if could be better! An improved and standardized set of guidelines would be the best way to approach this, as the required coordination between the LGU and its people would make the design and plan more targeted to the needs of the community members. The researcher recommends and proposes an all-new approach/guideline in the form of the F.R.E.S.H. acronym: a Functional, Responsive, Earth-friendly, social vibe, and a Healthy + safe community center. These considerations would be important in the establishment of these infrastructures to better future-proof and cater to the needs of the community's members. Because successful community centers result from the right combination of a number of inter-woven factors that reflect the needs and circumstances of their local community. And these guidelines highlight that there is no single or simple recipe for success, but rather a variety of approaches which need to be assessed in planning for and delivering community centers. The researcher hope that these guidelines provide useful criteria for evaluating these options and help to ensure that future community centers can achieve best practice outcomes.