ESDICUL, MARIA CHIARA MAE M.

4AR8
LIKHA: An Eco-Friendly Elementary School
I. INTRODUCTION
Generally speaking, a school is an institution intended to give
learning spaces and learning environments for the students.
It is often called "a building with four walls - with tomorrow
inside. More than just acquiring the fundamental abilities to survive,
or adapt a good conduct, it is a place where the young begin to
envision a dream of who they want to be in the future: a designer, a
specialist, a scientist, and so on.
While they are still young, they are taught to be samples of good
moral values with a strong sense of patriotism, and through that, they
learn how to care for each other, for the environment, for the country,
and Gods gift to us: nature.
LIKHA, which means creation, aims to be an eco-friendly
institution that promotes sustainability, and aims to teach the students
to be true stewards of the environment, and to learn to care for, and
preserve it.
II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The Philippines, being in the Pacific Ring of Fire, is prone to
natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, and, volcanic
eruptions. Due to this, massive destruction of buildings happens
during, and after almost every calamity that strikes the country. This
only shows that the Filipinos have yet to take in the significance of
taking care of the environment.
This project adresses the overall problem of the Philippines when
it comes to resilient and sustainable design; A lot of schools, especially
public schools, have very low quality structures that only last for a
short amount of time. When a calamity strikes, these structures are
gone in less than a few days after the calamity. Another common

problem of this is the lack of funds to provide a much more sturdier

structure. Since not all schools can provide for the expensive materials
for the construction of the building, but in reality, there are a lot of
alternative ways (Reusing of old wastes, and recycled materials), and
the proper use of materials can still make up for the lack of funding.
III. PROJECT GOALS
1. Raise awareness of local, and global Green and Sustainable
initiatives
2. LIKHA aims to provide a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and open
learning environment for the students
3. Expanding of recreational and educational opportunities
III. PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Based on Project Goal #1 Promoting and using of the best
methods when it comes to designing green and sustainable structures
so that future Architects, Planners, and Designers can continue this
practice towards a much better, green, and sustainable future
Based on Project Goal #2 Obtain information on the sites
potentials, and study the lifestyle of the people residing within the area
Based on Project Goal #3 Improve the existing features of the site
that are benificial to the people residing in the area

IV. DESIGN OBJECTIVES

1. Sustainable
Optimizing the sites potential. The sustainability of a structure
starts with proper site selection. The location affects a wide range of
environmental factors that affect the structure
Reduce, control, and treat surface runof
o Stormwater collectors, and filtering of surface runoff
o Use pervious paving materials
Control Erosion
o Use of vegetation, grading, and stabilization techniques
o Stormwater collecting system

o Use of vegetations to reduce runoff

Reduction of heat
o Maximizing the use of existing trees and other green
landscaping
o Pavements are made with low reflectivity materials, and
covered walkways
o Green roofing with materials that hve high reflectance and
high emissivity to reduce energy loads, and photovoltaic
materials.

Optimizing energy use. Since the Philippines is generally a hot

country, maximizing the suns heat and energy is a good way to
optimize the use of solar/heat energy
Passive solar design
o Orient, size, and specify openings, and locate landscape
elements according to the sites orientation
o Big trees for protection during the summer
o Insulated walls, and roofs
Renewable Energy Sources
o Maximize the use of photovoltaic materials, and energy
sources like geothermal energy
Recycled water
o Collect graywater for the condensation of the HVAC
systems
o Collect rainwater for on-site activities like for flushing the
toilets
Flexibility of a workspace
o Provide individual concentration. As much as elementary
students want to play and communicate with each other,
every once and a while, a student still needs to be able to
self reflect by himself/herself
o Different zonings of interactive needs, and quiet needs
o Supporting stress reduction, and relaxation
o Support mobility by providing multiple spaces for individual
and groupwork

2. Accessibility
Providing equal access to ensure that all individuals can make
use of the building facilities, transportation, and services. Accessibility
starts with the planning and program flow of the layout design, and

critical descisions are made during the first phase of the planning
because from there, it creates a big impact on the cost of providing
equal access. A sample to this is the orientation of the plan whether or
not it is needed to provide ramps for access.
3. Security
Buildings are supposed to be generally safe, but since this is an
institutional structure, with children residing in it, it is a must to
consider the occupants safety, and health
Occupant safety and health
o Prevent the use of slippery flooring
o Isolate the electrical and mechanical facilities from the
areas with interactive activities
o Eliminate the use of hazardous materials
o Provide adequate natural and artificial illumination for
exterior and interior areas
o Provide good indoor air quality and adequate ventilation
o Use padded walls in certain areas where interactive
activities are prominent
4. Natural Hazards
The Philippines, being located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, is prone
to natural calamities that can cause the total destruction of some
structures in the country
Earthquake proofing
Use of earth bags as load-bearing design because it is adaptable
to the movement of the ground and is a good alternative for
earthquake proofing materials
Storm shutters installation to prevent the window glass from
breaking if a storm comes in
5. Providing a comfortable environment
Schools are basically the second homes of the students, and to
make them even more at home, it is better to design a structure that is
comfortable in nature
Acoustic design
o Reduction of the sound reverberation inside the rooms by
the usage of sound absorbing materials
o Isolate the utilities area to minimize the background noise
of the utilities

Quality Thermal and Ventilation Comfort

o Maximize the sites natural ventilation
o Large openings for natural wind and light ventilation