05/10/2026
Metro Manila’s rapid urban development has brought with it a housing crisis, among many other challenges.
We’ve seen how the housing crisis affects our communities. We’ve seen the makeshift homes, the informal settlements, and the people living without secure housing, trying to build a life with what they have. It has become a norm when it shouldn’t be.
Housing is a human right, not a luxury.
The government plays a huge role in addressing this crisis, but as architects, we must also ask ourselves: What can we do about it?
Reading the article from UIA brought the works and words of Shigeru Ban to mind. The 2014 Pritzker Laureate is best known for his innovative use of paper tubes in building temporary shelters for refugees and people displaced by disasters.
In an interview with Nippon.com, he said,
“After I became an architect, it seemed to me that people in my profession did too little to benefit society. After all, most of our work is for the privileged class. ”
In his work with refugees, Shigeru Ban used his experience and knowledge as an architect to design for people in need.
Read the full interview here: https://www.nippon.com/en/people/e00071/
In the Philippines, architecture is still often perceived as a luxury. However, access to it shouldn’t depend on who can afford it. If housing is a human right, architects should not limit their work to the privileged class.
So, a thought for World Architecture Day:
How do we make architecture accessible?
What can we, as architects, contribute in addressing this housing crisis?
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