Bayanihan in Mindanao

RESEARCH QUESTION: How can architecture improve the quality of life and empower abused women and children through life skills and training opportunities that a Bayanihan* can create? [*In the Philippines, the act of Bayanihan is Filipinos’ way of helping one another. It also comes from the Filipino word, bayan, which means town or community. During bayanihan, Filipinos do acts of service or share their resources to those in need.] AIMS & OBJECTIVES: The aim of this project is to design not just a place for refuge but also a place with an adequate environment that gives education and opportunity for abused women and children in Mindanao. The project will also include a self-managing system that can educate and support women by using local resources to create a community that is adaptable and reasonably self-sufficient, whilst reducing the impact that people can have on the environment