Adamson University Student Center
Adamson University, Ermita, Manila
The task was to renovate an existing bungalow steel structure and reuse it as a venue for students, student paper and student government. The existing facility already caters to student organizations but the floor area needs to be increased to accommodate more people. The university envisions the new facility to be modern, functional and efficient but not to stand out from the rest of the buildings. With a tight budget in mind, the solution is to design a multi-level facility that will attempt to re-use any availale material withing the existing building
Key Points:
Zero Waste – materials that can be reused will be re-used. This includes all steel and wood elements found withing the existing facility. The roofing material and truss structure was dismantled and stored. This will be re-constructed later as the roof of the new structure. The one-meter high perimeter wall was retained and a new structural skeleton was built inside the perimeter. This will save on building new masonry walls to envelope the facility.
Natural Lighting & Ventilation – the facade was done using glass curtain wall framed with steel attached to the structural frame resign on the one-meter high wall of the periphery. This transparency will allow light to penetrate deep into the building eliminating the need for electric lighting during its daily functioning hours. The curtain wall uses awning windows to ventilate the interior and enable cool air to pass through the building. The old gable roof will be installed inverted forming a V-shaped roof or “butterfly roof.” This will allow for increased ventilation and help in the overall passive cooling of the interior.
Conceptual Sketches:
