CEBU, Philippines - According to international statistics, the Philippines is a country most prone to natural disasters. Thus, Filipinos need all the preparedness they can muster in order to survive every calamity that comes their way.
Last year the Visayas area suffered from two major disasters, one right after the other - a deadly 7.2-magnitude earthquake (in Bohol, 15th of October) and the typhoon Yolanda (in Samar-Leyte and neighboring areas, 7th and 8th of November), the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record.
In response to natural disasters that hit the Asian region these past few years, a new style of architecture has developed in Japan. One of the major needs in disaster-stricken areas is often emergency shelter. Temporary shelter should be quickly available, easy to assemble; with sustainable energy, adapted to the climate of the area, with sanitary provision and access to potable water supply, even without functional infrastructures. The shelter is only transitional, and are reusable and re-stockable.
Such kind of shelter is the subject of an architectural exhibit titled "Japanese Sustainable Emergency Architecture for Disaster," to open on September 20 at the Jose R. Gullas Halad Museum, at corner V. Gullas-D. Jakosalem Sts. Various miniaturized samples of shelter designs are on display, to educate viewers on how architecture can be made to effectively respond to disaster situations.
JRG Halad Museum is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays. (FREEMAN)