UNIVERSITY OF BATANGAS

A Proposed Coconut Research Facility in San Juan, Batangas

A Research Paper

Presented to

Ar. Ronald Allan P. Gunda, UAP, RMP

Bachelor of Science in Architecture

University of Batangas - Lipa Campus

In Partial Fulfillment

Of The requirements for the Subject

Research Methods for Architecture 1

By:

Exconde, Mae Gelline J.

BS Architecture 4A

December 09, 2022

 A Proposed Coconut Research Facility in San Juan, Batangas

CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

1.1 Introduction

Coconut is one of the most useful palms in the world every part of the
coconut tree has its usefulness. Coconut provides almost of the basic needs
of humankind such as food, shelter, medicines, fuel, drink, furniture, decorative
materials, cosmetics, and many others. Hence, it is popularly known as "Tree of
Life," from the roots to the leaves of the tree are potential raw materials for
almost everything. Coconut farming in the Philippines provides a livelihood for
approximately one-third of the population. The coconut industry is one of the
country's major pillars in employment generation and foreign exchange earnings.

However, local production problems, the expansion in coconut hectarage of

neighboring countries, and recent developments in biotechnology research on
other competing crops that have high lauric oil content might affect its long-term
sustainability and viability. In order for the Philippines to be globally competitive,
the country must exert all efforts to increase coconut productivity, lower the cost of
processing copra, coconut oil, desiccated coconut, and other coconut products,
improve the quality of copra and coconut oil, and develop downstream high value
coconut products through technological developments.

In the past decade, there has been a big focus on modernizing and
optimizing the coconut industry, with an eye to truly supporting the local economies
and producers directly involved in coconut cultivation. These initiatives have
included planting new trees, using larger tracts of land used for coconut farming,
shifting the focus from raw coconuts to value-added processing, and making use
of the sunlight that filters through the trees to plant intercrops.

2|P age
 A Proposed Coconut Research Facility in San Juan, Batangas

1.2 Background of the Study

The coconut has versatile uses and applications in the culinary and
industrial fields. Coconut is famous for being used in a whole way for food and
manufacturing uses. Coconut growers use the entire coconut tree and what it
produces for their products. The yield from a coconut tree is high in terms of profit
margin since the entire tree and what it produces is used for products. This also
makes harvesting coconut trees an attractive thing since there are many potential
revenue streams possible from coconut. With many coconut products the
individuals and companies growing and producing coconut have the ability to sell
coconuts to many different industries. Coconut trees also produce a lot of different
coconuts throughout a year which is attractive to both farmers and companies.
Coconuts are natural products and therefore are influenced by growing conditions,
seasons and crop health. Coconuts are desirable though since a tree produces a
lot of coconuts throughout the year and these coconuts are turned into usable
products.

With the rise of technology, processes such as cold pressing and flash
processing allow growers to preserve coconut products quick and without a lot of
expenses. Harvesters usually grow their coconuts and send them to a packaging
and preserving facility they either have themselves or work with nearby.

The water, meat and pulp from coconuts is delicate and must be pressed
and handled right after coconuts are opened. If this is done then coconuts can be
processed quickly. Once coconuts are processed they are shipped immediately to
manufacturing facilities or the actual pressed products such as oils and waters are
shipped to stores.

Additional technology is required to process other parts of coconut trees

such as timber and shells. These technologies are usually either located where
coconuts are harvested or sometimes the materials such as timber is sent directly
to manufacturing facilities where coconut timber is manufactured into different
products.

3|P age
 A Proposed Coconut Research Facility in San Juan, Batangas

According to different studies and research, the coconut industry is doing

well and the demand for coconuts increases. The potential health benefits of
coconut products traditionally is why the coconut industry does well, and the ability
for coconut flavors to work well with food also is why coconut has such a demand.
Additionally, according to research and studies there are potential health benefits
from coconut that people want in coconut. The health and home products from
coconut also keep coconut in demand and popular.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

The problems for this study included major problems and minor
problems which were structured to further offer insights to the major
problem.

1.3.1 Major Problems

1. What will be the planning of the project that will achieve organized
circulations of the spaces of the research facility?

2. What are the following possible positions will offer inside the
facility?

3. Will the users feel secure of themselves in this kind of approach?

1.3.2 Minor Problems

1. What would be the best building style that will suit the project?

2. What are the required facilities of the project?

3. What are the aspects to consider in maximizing the use of natural

ventilation and cooling?

4|P age
 A Proposed Coconut Research Facility in San Juan, Batangas

1.4 Significance of the Study

Through this study, the proposed research facility can benefit the following:

Users

The facility will be beneficial to farmers to provide good and stable source
of income since the main product in this facility are coconuts. It is also one of the
opportunities to lift the farming process of the local farmers. Farming creates more
jobs, beginning with farmers, and continuing with farm equipment makers, food
processing plants, transportation, infrastructure and manufacturing.

Community

The facility will be beneficial to the community since this will provide different
kind of products and materials that are necessary for their daily needs. It is an
essential product in the life of humans. With several advantages of its own, coconut
is used in a lot of dishes.

Future Researcher

Finding innovative and sustainable solutions to issues of research facilities

through vertical development will serve as a prototype concept for future
researchers to consider more sustainable and new ways of designing buildings
and structures in the current setting, particularly in an urban setting.

1.5 Goals and Objectives

This study aims to provide a research facility that will be used machinery
and equipment to improve or develop new tangible goods or materials or to
improve or develop the production processes.

1.5.1. Objectives

5|P age
 A Proposed Coconut Research Facility in San Juan, Batangas

To be able to design a research facility that will give enough space and
soothing ambiance for the users.

To properly locate the public and private areas within the project to avoid
user conflict.

To develop more necessary products that will be useful for each individual’s
daily needs.

To provide a research facility that can accommodate all the users’ needs.

1.6 Scope and Limitations

The study focuses on the proposed research facility which includes

physical, environmental, social and economic aspect of the project.

This study comprises the following:

1. Architectural Planning and Design

2. Structural innovation

3. Site Planning

4. Economic Feasibility Study of Project

5. Project Cost and Return of Investment

The Scopes of the development of the project are the following:

1. Working facilities

2. Office Building

3. Production spaces

4. Parking Area

5. Research processing area

6. Green spaces

6|P age
 A Proposed Coconut Research Facility in San Juan, Batangas

1.6 Definition of Terms

Coconut – the large, oval, brown seed of a tropical palm, consisting of a hard shell
lined with edible white flesh and containing a clear liquid. It grows inside a woody
husk, surrounded by fiber.

Farming – the activity or business of growing crops and raising livestock.

Farmer – a person who owns or manages a farm.

Research facility – used machinery and equipment to improve or develop new

tangible goods or materials or to improve or develop the production processes.

Production – the action of making or manufacturing from components or raw

materials, or the process of being so manufactured.

7|P age
 A Proposed Coconut Research Facility in San Juan, Batangas

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

One such project pertains to the reinvigorating of the Philippine coconut

industry through coconut somatic embryogenesis technology. The project aims to
mass-propagate plumule-derived outstanding coconut varieties/hybrids in eight
tissue culture laboratories through somatic embryogenesis in order to augment the
replanting of senile palms, typhoon-damaged and CSI-infested palms.

Other equally important projects implemented at the Center are those on

the improvement of coconut varieties through genomics, genetics and molecular
breeding; the use of coconut genetic resources for high value and emerging
products; development of coconut synthetic variety and isolation of superior
breeding populations for coconut seed farm establishment; and the establishment
of GMA FV1 coconut seed farm in a farming community using genetically
enhanced parental lines.

In the extreme extremity of Batangas Province is a town, San Juan. The

coolness of the climate, the fertility of its soil and the rich flood plains of its rivers
render extensive farming possible. Agriculture, as the chief industry, is carried on
extensively. In every nook and corner of the town, visitors will see rice fields, sugar
fields and coconut groves. For plant adaptability, the town is divided into two great
sections: the eastern and the western sections. The eastern section of the town is
a saucy region. Here, coconuts thrive fast they have been grown more or less than
twelve years. When coconut groves were yet very few, it seemed that coconut
cultivation would be a failure due to the coconut beetles, monkeys and wild boars,
but as coconut groves grew in vast extent, it was realized that coconuts would be
a great financial source. Today, nearly the eastern section of the town is wholly
covered with coconut groves. With few intervals of rice and cornfields, they line
from the north along the Makaking Ilog to the south along the Laiya Mountains.

8|P age
 A Proposed Coconut Research Facility in San Juan, Batangas

Coconuts were planted in rows seven to eight meters distant. The seeds
are first allowed to germinate. If the seedlings are already about one and a half
foot tall, they are transplanted to the field where they are placed in holes. There
was a superstitious belief in connection with the planting. At first, with some
seedlings, some puppies were buried. In so doing, the people believed that the
plants would bear many fruits and would not be destroyed by wild boars. Now that
the coconuts are growing luxuriously and extensively, this practice and belief is no
longer followed. It is said that the coconut fruits of San Juan are one of the best
kinds, and some even say that they are larger than those of Tayabas. At present,
San Juan is the only town in the province of Batangas where coconuts are
produced in large numbers. Coconuts yield more money than any other crops of
the town.

Between the coconut groves, there are some rice fields and corn fields.
Within the groves are planted also several kinds of plants, such as jack fruits, ilang-
ilang, pineapple, etc.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using coconuts?

Coconut carbon is microporous, meaning it has millions of tiny pores all over
it. This porosity can work against coconut carbon, as it doesn’t deal well with large
molecules. In applications where large molecules are present, carbon made from
a different source has to be used.

There are far more advantages to using coconuts as a raw material than
disadvantages. Its microporosity lends itself well to gas applications. The coconut
shell husk is also very hard and durable meaning it’s less likely to degrade during
the many thermal processes it goes through to become activated carbon and,
therefore, heavily reduces waste. Palm trees take in a lot of CO2 from the
atmosphere to create the coconut. This not only reduces the amount that we
breathe in, but also means the fixed carbon content is relatively high. This means
you end up with a large yield of activated carbon and very little waste or by-product.

9|P age
 A Proposed Coconut Research Facility in San Juan, Batangas

Is it good for the environment to produce carbon from coconuts?

It has actually been shown that creating coconut carbon has what we call a
negative CO2 impact. This means that, even after the various thermal processes
the coconut goes through, there is a net reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere. This
has been shown now in two studies. As mentioned above, the farming and
harvesting of coconuts generates little to no waste too. It’s a good raw material to
choose if you are invested in taking good care of the environment.

How do we create carbon from a coconut?

Activated carbon is made from the shell husk of the coconut, all the other
parts are used by different industries. The coconut falls from the tree, is stripped
of all its other components and the husk is leftover. Then, it is either purchased by
commercial charcoal operations or it goes back to the farmers to be used in
cooperatives. If this happens, the farmers will often burn the husk in steel drums
and then use the charcoal to cook with. If it’s being sold to commercial charcoal
operations then it is burned on a larger scale and for a longer time.

As with all of our processes, we are working towards making this process
as environmentally friendly as possible. We currently have several EcoGreen
Furnaces in place and are looking to implement them with as many of our suppliers
as we can. These specially designed furnaces ensure that no heat is wasted and
that any nasty gases are burned off and not released into the environment.

Once it’s been burned, the shell looks almost exactly the same as it did
previously it’s just a little lighter in color. We then crush it to make it the right size
for whichever application it’s needed for. After crushing it needs to be sieved and
then the final stage is washing. This isn’t needed for every application, however,
some customers may require high purity carbon, so we’ll wash it with water or acid
to remove soluble compounds.

10 | P a g e
 A Proposed Coconut Research Facility in San Juan, Batangas

Batangas pursues coco industry revival

One of the sites is located in Palico, Nasugbu which is a land owned by the
Wounded Soldiers Cooperative. It was planted with 100 dwarf coconuts and
another 100 of the tall variety.

Another site is in Reparo, Nasugbu wherein Bea Roxas of Kanya Kayawan

Inc. willingly offered around 10-40 hectares of land as potential coconut seed
garden site which could eventually become an additional source of high-yielding
coconut varieties in the future. Meanwhile, the last site is a six-hectare land planted
to 600 coconuts owned by the family of Gavina Catapang in Bilaran, Nasugbu.

11 | P a g e
 A Proposed Coconut Research Facility in San Juan, Batangas

CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter contains of the research design used by the researchers, the
respondents and the instrument used. It also deals with the different procedure
and technique used by the researcher in gathering the important data needed to
accomplish the study.

INPUT

 Formulation of the thesis problem

 Gathering supplementary data and review
 Technical site investigation
 Project requirement and specifications

THROUGHPUT

 Recall analysis
 Information and data analysis
 Synchronizing data
 Data general summarization

OUTPUT

 Architectural planning and design solution

 Planning and design development
 Conclusion of the study recommendation

12 | P a g e
 A Proposed Coconut Research Facility in San Juan, Batangas

Research Generation

The researcher was able to gather data by using a variety of user regarding
the project's profile and space needs. Site inspection through research was done
to evaluate the location's suitability for the project and its physical state. In order
to understand more about the location, the researcher also conducted interviews
with local residents.

Library Research

A few books that pertain to the project were used by the researcher to
conduct study. These published sources are connected to the project that is being
proposed. The researcher is helped in minimizing the planned project by a number
of case studies, related publications, theses, and magazines that provide data and
information.

Internet

The researcher was helped in finding relevant literature and case studies
for the suggested project by using the internet, which is the most cutting-edge and
contemporary method of searching. The researcher looked at a lot of websites that
were relevant to the planned research facility.

13 | P a g e