THESIS PROPOSAL WORKSHEET
Problem that can be solved by Architecture
• Vulnerabilities of coastal communities to
natural disasters and climate change effects.
-Coastal areas and islands will be particularly
hard-hit by the combination of rising sea
levels and more intensive oceanic storms
such as typhoons and hurricanes
General Idea/ Architecture as Solution
Disaster resilient housing for communities living in the
coastal areas of the Philippines
Description of the Solution
A housing project that capitalizes on next-gen or off-
the-shelf materials which increase disaster resiliency
of the structure and utilizes stand-alone renewable
energy systems, such as solar energy and tidal energy,
which make the structure sustainable
Basis of the Problem (State the source)
• Communities that dwell mainly in coastal or
riverine areas are the ones mainly affected by the
disastrous events accompanied with biophysical
changes like erosion. The lives and the livelihood
of those communities are threatened by the
disasters. The level of the sea is increasing
continuously and it even reached record highs in
2012. The sea level is expected to increase even
more over the next century. This is brought by the
fast rates of ice loss in polar regions such as
Antarctica and Greenland caused by thermal
expansion due to climate change.
• Almost 70 percent of the 1, 500 municipalities in
the Philippines are threatened by the continuous
increase of sea level. This makes the Philippines
vulnerable to climate change and its
consequences. Climate change is also a major
factor that cause the frequent natural disasters in
the Philippines. This will give coastal
communities the need to relocate.
Sources:
Bronen, R. (2015). Climate-induced community relocations: using integrated
social-ecological. Ecology and Society, Vol. 20, No. 3.
Give2Asia. (2014). Disaster Preparedness and Resiliency: The Philippines.
Retrieved from Give2Asia: http://www.give2asia.org/disaster-
preparedness-and-resilience-philippines/
Position/ Hypothesis/ Initial Theory
The continuous rise of sea level, which caters higher
disaster risk for coastal communities, is inevitable.
Coastal communities’ vulnerability can be treated with
adaptive housing.
The best approach to the problem of increasing sea level
is a replicable buoyant housing with integrated pneumatic
pistons which can hold the structure in place and at the
same time harvest and store energy from the rise and fall
of tides even in a disastrous situation.
Project Objectives
The goal of the project is to provide coastal communities
vulnerable to high disaster risk with adaptive housing. In
accordance to this, the formulated objectives are:
• To lessen the casualties and damages in
coastal areas when a disaster occurs
• To harness energy from the tides of the sea and
the storm surges during a typhoon
• To provide the coastal communities a better
quality of life and social experience
 Scope and Limitation
The project will focus on developing an adaptive
dwelling designed for families with a maximum of six
(6) members. These adaptive dwellings utilize
renewable energy systems that harness energy from
the sun and tidal waves. These systems will then
provide the energy demands of each unit. The project
will also focus on experimental materials that might
add to the disaster resiliency of the housing units. The
design will be able to withstand the project targets the
communities that live in stilt houses above the ocean
water. The dwelling units are arranged in accordance
to the preferred social layout of the community, or the
most appropriate layout depending on the area, to
promote interaction and social cohesion among them.
The project is limited to stilt housing community only
but is open for further development that includes
communities in the foreshore areas.
Significance of the Project
The project calls for climate action and clean energy. It
can be a pioneer of this type of housing in the
Philippines which promotes resiliency and
sustainability.
This project will help in reducing casualties and
damages in coastal communities in case of a disaster.
It will provide families living in coastal areas a dwelling
with sustainable features that can reduce energy
consumption
This project will also contribute to further studies of
stand-alone renewable energy systems that harness
solar and tidal energies to maximize its full potential in
conserving energy by incorporating it with the design
of the dwelling.
This project can also cater other researchers who are
in search of disaster resilient materials and its
application.
Researchers who conduct research on coastal housing
or communities will also benefit from this project and
will be able to use the information about the
demographics in the area.
Future researches who wish to improve the project will
also benefit. It can be used to start another project or
study related to the project with the same objectives.
In this way more communities will benefit from the
existing study. It can also help in exploring the potential
of this type of project.
Name/ Section: Elbert Renand T. Orgil | 4AR-15
Titles of Initial Sources (APA FORMAT)
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http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/publicaffairs/biy
ahengtotoo/301843/despite-marine-riches-bohol-s-
fishermen-struggle-to-survive/story/
Bronen, R. (2015). Climate-induced community relocations:
using integrated social-ecological. Ecology and
Society, Vol. 20, No. 3.
Campos, M. (2010). Adaptation of Fishing Communities in
the Philippines to Climate Change.
Cepeda, M. (2015, May 16). 8 guidelines to make small scale
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https://www.rappler.com/move-
ph/issues/hunger/93404-fao-guidelines-small-scale-
fishing
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Philippines: Vulnerability, Capacities, and
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Give2Asia. (2014). Disaster Preparedness and Resiliency:
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http://www.give2asia.org/disaster-preparedness-and-
resilience-philippines/
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Climate Change and The Coast: Building Resilient
Communities . CRC Press.
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Science Making Hurricane-Proof Construction
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https://www.archdaily.com/884949/the-cutting-edge-
materials-science-making-hurricane-proof-
construction-possible
Rosenfield, K. (2013, Augut 26 ). TEDx: Brian Healy
Proposes to Reactivate Boston’s Harbor with
Floating Communities. Retrieved from ArchDaily:
https://www.archdaily.com/420615/waterfront-
architect-brian-healy-speaks-at-tedxboston
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