PALAWIT: Design for a Community Park Made from Utilized Eco-Bricks Out of Single-Use Plastic in Meycauayan, Central Luzon

• Main Authors: Lagat, Ashley Corrine L., Marquez, Johannes Bizet I., Miranda, Sophia Beatriz A., Usisa, Mahria Criszel D.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: architecture; eco-bricks; sustainability; community park; Polyethylene terephthalate; Architecture; Arts and Humanities
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2022/arts_daa/2
• Institution: De La Salle University

During the pandemic, the Philippines' consumption of single-use plastic skyrocketed. Concerning this issue, Meycauayan, Central Luzon, emerged as the most polluted city in the Philippines as of 2020 (IQAir). Due to the plastic pollution load of local factories, the water quality in Bulacan's Marilao-Meycauayan-Obando river system (MMORS) has also become a great concern according to Pleto, Arboleda, Simbahan, Migo; 2018. The National Recreation and Park Association discussed how parks and protected open lands can help Meycauayan City not only reduce and resolve pollution, but also (1) improve water and air quality, (2) protect groundwater, (3) prevent flooding, (4) provide vegetative buffers, and (5) provide a place for people to reconnect with nature and engage in outdoor recreation. These occurrences prompted the researchers to come up with an eco-friendly design solution that uses sustainably sourced building materials that employs sustainably produced building materials to help reduce a structure's environmental impact on a community park and reduce plastic pollution in the city. This research paper utilized a qualitative method where data was collected by conducting interviews online for the convenience of both the researchers and the respondents which are composed of professionals in this chosen field, environmentalists, local professional architects, and building engineers with experience with eco-bricks. A schematic design is created, which includes the main layout of the community park, as well as its fundamental scales and forms, done by both traditional and computer-aided rendering.