Green designs rule Nippon Paint Young Designer Award 2014

MANILA, Philippines - A proposed residential house that not only uses rainwater for its water supply, but also converts it into electricity bagged the top prize in the recent Nippon Paint Young Designer Award (Interior Design category) 2014.

Kristine Caballes, an Interior Design student of University of San Carlos Cebu, bested 119 (Interior Design) contestants from various colleges and universities with her winning design, which was inspired by the Philippine climate, geography and the persistent water and energy crises felt in the country.

For months now, the Philippine grids have been registering insufficient capacity, resulting to frequent power outages. And with the onset of El Nino, water shortage is not a remote possibility. To address these problems, Caballes presented her “green home” design to the esteemed judges — the who’s who in the fields of interior design and architecture in the country — which effectively utilizes rainwater as the main source of energy and water supply.

For this ‘green’ house, Caballes proposed the use of piezoelectric materials as a potential replacement for the traditional roof.

“This house features a butterfly roof, which is made of piezoelectric plastic polyvinylidene fluoride, which is connected to a rectifier that is assembled from diode that converts the AC power generated to DC power that is then stored within a capacitor,” Caballes explained. The stored electricity powers an LED light. And so when the rain hits the surface of the roof, it causes mechanical stress, which in turn, translates into an alternating current.

“The draped roof of the house directs rainwater towards the cistern tank.  The rainwater collected can now be used for domestic use like flushing the toilet, gardening, doing the laundry or even washing cars,” Caballes enthused.

Natural lighting and ventilation is part of Caballes’s “green” house design, through the use of Weather Shield clear glass jalousie and skylight windows. Hydroponic plants and a vertical green wall garden are likewise incorporated in the interior design.

Caballes walked away with P50,000 in cash and a  six-month paid internship contract under Lor Calma & Partners, plus a fully-paid trip to Japan for the Japan Learning Program, an exclusive workshop crafted especially for winners featuring internationally renowned speakers in the fields of architecture and interior design. She also got an additional P5,000 as her design was also named “Best Green Innovation.”

“At first, I was hesitant to join the competition because I was scared I might not be able to live up to my family and my mentor’s expectations. But I want to be part of the solution to some of our country’s problems and I want my parents to be proud of me so I gamely took the challenge. The hard work and sleepless nights were all worth it,” enthused Caballes. Well, dreams do come true to those who work hard while they dream. 

Joining Caballes on the winners’ podium is Jason B. Labacanacruz of the Technological University of the Philippines, who won the Gold Award in the NPYDA Architecture category for his “Indayog ng Kulay Housing Project” entry.

Labacanacruz’s “Indayog ng Kulay Housing Project” makes use of recycled container vans (for stable low-cost housing) to reduce the use of natural construction materials like wood.

“Scenes of devastation and death caused by Typhoon Yolanda inspired me to create a housing project that would minimize the destructive impact of natural and man-made calamities like flooding,” explained Labacanacruz. 

“Indayog ng Kulay Housing Project” resembles a condominium building that is connected — via a covered walkway — to the market and other commercial establishments. The parking area is located on the ground level, while the residential units are located on the third floor and up. During heavy rainfall or typhoon, the residents can go on with their daily lives without having to wade in flood waters. 

“The festive colors that swathe the building echo the Filipino spirit,” noted Labacanacruz. Kristine Caballes  and Jason Labacanacruz  are the first Filipino winners of the Nippon Paint Young Designer Award (NPYDA).

First launched in 2008, the NYPDA started off with just Malaysia and has now expanded to nine other countries including the Philippines and Hong Kong this year.

“We are amazed with the diverse and creative entries submitted by Filipino interior design and architecture students. It just goes to show the rising awareness as well as the strong passion that today’s generation have for creating green communities and sustainable living,” said Gladys Goh, group general manager, Nippon Paint Malaysia Group.

Using this year’s theme “Re: Think. Re: Create Our Community, Our Home” as their guiding principle, Caballes and Labacanacruz indeed push the boundaries of future living by creating homes and communities that are environment friendly and sustainable for both young and old, from every walk of life.

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For more info, visit www.youngdesigneraward.ph.