Storm-Surge Ready Dwellings

Project designs by Arch Marvin Mijares.
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Storm surge in Metro Manila? In coastal towns probably but not in the middle of this metropolis. Right? In cities near the bay probably, like Navotas and Malabon, but not in Quezon City or Makati. But we forget that once upon a time, Marikina was severely hit by deadly floods during Ondoy--and Marikina is far from any sea or bay.

The Philippines is an archipelago, and as such, being surrounded by large bodies of water, it's not hard to imagine how even its central plains lying far from bodies of water are prone to storm surges. Crisscrossing the central plains are rivers and creeks which can swell incredibly in extreme rains and drown entire towns, districts and even cities, catching us all by surprise.

Multi-Level Dwellings

In light of recent catastrophic events affecting even inland cities, it is high time to seriously consider storm-surge factors in building design. Preventive measures are always lots better than remedial measures. Let's not wait till it's too late. Often, safety measures are formulated only when mass destruction and death have occurred. Before the worse happens to you, your family or your property assets, re-think about the structure of your residence.

Multi-level dwellings are highly recommended to render dwellings storm-surge ready. Two to three level houses--better if 4 floors or 3 with a rooftop--provide escape to higher levels easily possible during a rapid storm surge. Occupants can seek quick refuge on the upper floors while buying time for rescue to arrive in time. Take one residential area right in the middle of Quezon City, for instance--Parkway Village.

During Ondoy, the residents were too confident that no flood of incredible proportions would hit them. After all, they were in the inner land where no huge body of water was close by. But the unimaginable happened. At 10 am, flood waters suddenly rose from the streets at a very rapid pace, taking only a few seconds before the ground floors of residences were submerged under water.

Soon, the waters were reaching the second floors, and then the roof tops--all within minutes. One-storey residences didn't stand a chance. When we inspected the area after the typhoon, the most horrifying stories were from residences with one-storey height.

As relevant today in construction design as seismic analysis is, should be storm-surge consideration. And the best option here is multi-level houses which are storm-surge ready dwellings, without compromising aesthetics and economics.

The multi-level residences above were done by our friend Arch Marvin Mijares. For similar designs and construction or price estimates, please use the Contact Form on the sidebar.

A Modern Concept of Shelter

House designs by Arch Marvin Mijares.

A concept of shelter today is protection, derived from the root word "shell." Before anything else, residences as shelters should provide safety and protection, not just posh design. First of all, there are the elements to protect inhabitants from, like sunlight, rain, wind, storm, and pollution, to name some. Second, protection from criminal elements. Third, privacy protection. And fourth, protection from social discrimination. Complete aesthetics, after all, is protected beauty.

Protection from the Elements

The Philippines, being along the equator, is a frequent path of tropical depressions and storms, and more recently, super typhoons. Moreover, being in the tropics, we are often hit by severe sunlight plus dryness in summer which often result to drought. In addition, recently we saw how severe flooding and earthquake can likewise devastate structures  Architectural shelter design should then give allowances for these factors to provide a concept of shelter.

Protection from Criminality

Houses, big and small, should consider criminality factor in design. And we should bear in mind that the bigger and more attractive the design, the more prone it is to criminality--robbery, intrusion, kidnapping, abduction, hostage-taking, and the like. This is not anymore something outrageously unlikely in our times. These things happen and building planning have a hand in their prevention. Aside from securing openings with sturdy covers, locks, and decorative steel grills, planners should also start considering "inhabitant orientation."

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Inhabitant orientation is the system of positioning inhabitants inside a structure in such a way that they find themselves often facing approaches and accesses to where they are instead of having their backs on them. For instance, residents washing dishes in the kitchen or washing clothes in the laundry area should always have a good view of people coming into their area instead of having their backs turned and not knowing what's happening behind them.

Privacy Protection

Inhabitants should always feel secure and safe from public view or scrutiny when doing something of utmost private in nature. Walls, roofs, and closing options on openings should take care of this need, as well as CCTV cams and hidden security gadgets, which can also help secure residents from criminal elements.

Social Discrimination

Finally, a concept of shelter in the modern sense should also talk about creating an apt or relevant design quality for the shelter that makes its inhabitants safe from social prejudice or ostracism. A house or office design incongruous to the context of its neighborhood will expose its inhabitants to possible criticism and banishment. Thus, shelter should be presentable enough to the community it belongs to.

To have your house or office designed aptly and relevantly to its immediate milieu and to the times, inside and out, consult our friend Arch Marvin Mijares using the Contact Form on the sidebar. Please see his projects via the video above, which is also a sample of the video service we offer for your special events.