- Henning
- Larsen
Our proposal reinvents the Bahay Kubo – a type of stilt house indigenous to the cultures of the Philippines. Taking the form of four contemporary Bahay Kubos the Senate Building proposal floats above a shaded and sheltered plaza creating a sense of national community and an openness that invites the public closer to the political process.
“The Bahay Kubos symbolize the unity of the nation with an iconic form that every Filipino citizen can relate to. By reinventing this climate enduring building typology, which has gathered people from all across the Philippines for centuries, we celebrate the Filipinos’ humanist vision and their common sense”, Partner and Design Director at Henning Larsen’s Hong Kong office Claude Bøjer Godefroy states.
The close connection to Filipino culture is also visible inside the building where walls and facades are inspired by traditional Filipino weaving crafts.
The Senate building will be the first building to shape the future Navy Village in Taguig, Manila. Our design proposal sought to add value to the new district by offering both urban and green settings as well as the public, commercial and cultural programs.
“It was essential for us that the new Senate didn’t solely become a building for the political establishment but also a public destination giving social and community strengthening spaces back to the city of Manila and the country as a whole,” Godefroy explains.
The Senate Building proposal is designed with landscape architects SLA and engineering firm ARUP.