One of the 12 entries to the "Salog kan Buhay" contest for the Best Conceptual Design for revitalizing Naga RIver

1. ARCH. OLIVER V. GULAPA
NAGA CITY
0927 805 9000 ▪ 054 473 5678
ovgulapa@yahoo.com

17. THE DESIGN LIMITATIONS
UNITY OF DESIGN
AS A BASIC ELEMENT OF DESIGN, CONCEPTS WILL NOT ONLY
EXIST ALONG THE RIVER BUT MAY BE ADAPTED BY THE WHOLE
CITYSCAPE ITSELF. MINIMAL AND GENERIC ELEMENTS MUST
BE UTILIZED.
NATIONAL LAWS
THE OBLIGATORY CONSIDERATIONS OF DESIGN.
CREATION OF CITY ORDINANCES
THE BASIC LIMITATIONS OF DESIGN AND RIVER
PRESERVATION FOR A LONG TERM ARCHITECTURAL
PROGRESSION

18. DESIGN LIMITATIONS
SUSTAINABILITY
A BASIC CITY MAINTENANCE AND ECONOMICAL
CONSIDERATION
IMPLEMENTABILTIY
BOTH LONG TERM AND SHORT TERM WILL BE CONSIDERED
ECONOMY
VALUE ENGINEERED OPTIONS TO MEDIUM RATED DESIGN
HISTORY & LEGACY
THE BASIC INSPIRATION OF DESIGN: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL.
THE RETENTION AND RECREATION OF OUR ORIGINS.

53. IMPLEMENTABILITY OF DESIGN
STRUCTURALLY SAFE. AS PART OF THE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS, EXISTING
STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS ARE MEANT TO CARRY HIS OWN INTENDED AND EXISTING WEIGHT.
FURTHER ADDITIONAL ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS OR WEIGHTS MUST BE DESIGNED TO ITS
MINIMUM WEIGHT WITH STRENGTH OF THE MATERIALS IN MIND. CONSULTATION TO RESPECTIVE
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES LIKE THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS (DPWH) IS A
MUST ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF ADDING WEIGHT TO THE BRIDGES AND SLOPE PROTECTION.
ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE. HONESTLY BEAUTY SOMETIMES COMES WITH A COST;
THAT IS WHY PEOPLE INTEND TO REFUSE TO HIRE A GOOD DESIGNER. BUT THAT IS A FALSE
DOCTRINE. IMPLEMENTATION CAN BE DONE IN A PROGRESSIVE MODE. THAT IS WHY THERE IS A
MASTERPLAN. TRYING TO IMPLEMENT A BIG DEVELOPMENT IN ONE SETTING MAY NOT BE
IMPLEMENTABLE AT ALL ESPECIALLY IN A THIRD WORLD LIKE OURS. THIS ONE MAY TAKE A LONG
JOURNEY, BUT WE NEED TO START WITH A SINGLE STEP, AND WE NEED TO START IT RIGHT SO THE
COST IS CONTINUALLY WORTHWHILE. ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE IS A MATTER OF COUNTING THE
COST AND USING IT WISELY.
ARCHITECTURALLY RIGHT. AT A STROKE OF A PEN ANYBODY CAN SAY THAT “I HAVE
CREATED A DESIGN”; SUBJECTIVE, YES, BUT NOT ALL DESIGNS ARE ARCHITECTURALLY RIGHT. THEY
MAY JUST HAVE BEEN DONE VIA IMITATION, AFFORDABILITY OF DESIGN, AND PREFERENCES OF A
PERSON. UNDERSTANDING THE DEPTH OF OUR HISTORY CAN ACTUALLY BE EXPRESSED THROUGH
THE SAME DEPTH OF ARCHITECTURE.
CONCLUSIVELY, COST IS ONE FACTOR TO CONSIDER BUT RIGHTEOUSNESS IN
STRUCTURE AND ARCHITECTURE OUTWEIGHS ANY OTHER CONSIDERATIONS.
LONG TERM PROJECTION. ALTHOUGH WE ARE THINKING OF AN “INSTANT
IMPLEMENTABILTIY”, A MASTERPLAN CAN DICTATE A LONG TERM ADVOCACY OF ARCHITECTURE
TO DICTATE UNIFORMITY OF CONCEPTS OF STRUCTURE IN VICINITY WHICH THROUGH A LOCAL
ORDINANCE CAN PUT THE RIVERSIDE OF THE NAGA RIVER INTO A WELL-DIRECTED UNIFORMITY IN
ARCHITECTURE. IMAGINE ANOTHER “VENICE” IN THE MAKING… OR EVEN LOCALLY OUR VERY
OWN INTRAMUROS WHICH HAS ISSUED A SUCH ORDINANCE THAT EVERY CONSTRUCTION THAT
WILL TAKE PLACE WITHIN THE TERRITORY OF THE INTRAMUROS WALLS. THIS IS NOW UNDER THE
POWER OF THE LOCAL OFFICIALS WHO CAN ACTUALLY BRING THE BEAUTY OF THE CITY INTO ONE
BEAUTIFUL DIRECTION.

54. NAGA SMILES TO THE WORLD
FOR NAGA TO BE GLOBALLY ACCEPTABLE, SHE MUST BE
GLOBALLY BEAUTIFUL. LET NAGA NOT BECOME A PLACE
WHERE THE WORLD LAUGHS AT BECAUSE OF MEDIOCRITY
BUT RATHER WHERE THE WORLD SMILES AT. IF NAGA WILL
BE SERIOUS ABOUT THIS REALITY AND CONTINUALLY BE
TRUE TO HERSELF, NAGA CITY WILL EVENTUALLY SMILE TO
THE WORLD.