Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Sumacab Campus, Cabanatuan City
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

PAGLINGAP: Redevelopment of the Cabanatuan American

Memorial Park with the Integration of Biophilic Architecture

An Undergraduate Research Study

Presented to:
The Faculty of College of Architecture Nueva Ecija University of Science and
Technology
Sumacab Campus, Cabanatuan City

In Partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Science in Architecture
Research Methods for Architecture

Prepared by:
Rolf Deronn Ringor
BSAR 4-C

Submitted to:
Ar. Ana Roberta Burgos
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Introduction

As cities continue to develop and sprawl to accommodate increasingly

dense human populations, there is growing concern about the degradation of

urban green spaces. (Wu, 2010; Xu et al., 2018).

Urban green spaces such as public urban parks were designed to provide

large open green spaces within cities, which can help mitigate the negative effects

of industrialization. Most developed countries have recently realized the

significance of the multi-functional use of public parks in the sustainable

development of cities. Nonetheless, many public parks already exist in

underdeveloped nations but are underutilized or abandoned due to a lack of public

awareness, poor upkeep, a lack of security and suitable amenities, and a lack of

sports and social activities. (Abdelhamid & Elfakharany, 2020).

In Cabanatuan City, there are some known existing urban parks that can

be accessed by the public. The Plaza Lucero, on Del Pilar Street, Cabanatuan

City, The Freedom Park, on Burgos Avenue, Cabanatuan City, and The

Cabanatuan American Memorial Park (C.A.M.P), on Brgy Pangatian, Cabanatuan

City. Each park holds great historical significance that is valuable to the city.
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
However, despite this, not every park is well maintained and, thus, recognized.

An example of this

was the Cabanatuan American Memorial Park (C.A.M.P), located on Brgy.

Pangatian, Cabanatuan City.

C.A.M.P is a memorial park dedicated to the survivors of the Bataan Death

March and the prisoner-of-war camp (POW) in Cabanatuan City during World

War II as a remembrance of their courage and perseverance after what they went

through. Although the partial area of the memorial park is maintained, its public

park area for visitors is neglected; poor landscaping, and the lack of trees, thus

hindering the residents and visitors to experience a connection with nature. Due to

this, the value of the park was not well-founded. The public, especially tourists,

are not engaged to visit it because of the lack of public amenities and features that

the park should offer, such as recreational and sports facilities, event halls, public

restrooms, a landscape garden, shadings, and more. The structures in the park

have been partially destroyed and have not been restored. As a result of these

major problems, the park is not visually appealing.

These issues, such as the park’s absence of facilities and amenities,

unattractive aesthetical features, poor landscaping, and vegetation, and lack of

human-nature interaction shall be addressed to increase the resident’s engagement

to visit the park, thus, increasing the park’s contribution not only to the barangay

but also to the city itself in social, environmental, governmental, and historical

aspects.
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

The redevelopment plan “PAGLINGAP: Redevelopment of the

Cabanatuan American Memorial Park with the Integration of Biophilic

Architecture” is proposed to serve as a feasible solution to the identified

problems of the park. It aims to provide a public urban park that incorporates

biophilic architecture to increase the human-nature interaction that people can and

should experience in a green open space. It also aims to cater to the different

needs of every resident and visitor whilst preserving and promoting the cultural

and historical significance of the Cabanatuan American Memorial Park.

Statement of the Problem

Public Urban parks provide access to recreational opportunities, increase

property values, spur local economies, combat crime, and protect cities from

environmental impact. This study generally aims to determine the effectiveness of

the redevelopment of the Cabanatuan American Memorial Park with the

integration of Biophilic Architecture. Specifically, this study aims to answer the

following questions:

1. Why it is necessary to redevelop the Cabanatuan American Memorial Park

based on the quality of its:

a. Accessibility and Usability

 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
b. Maintenance and Cleanliness

c. Landscaping and Vegetation

2. Would the biophilic approach for the Cabanatuan American Memorial

Park redevelopment provide solutions to the existing problems in the park

such as:

a. Absence of Facilities and Amenities

b. Unattractive Aesthetical features

c. Poor Landscaping and Vegetation

d. Lack of Human-Nature interaction

3. Would the execution of the PAGLINGAP: Redevelopment of the

Cabanatuan City Urban Park with the Integration of Biophilic

Architecture offer benefits to the residents of Brgy. Pangatian in the

following aspects;

A. Social

B. Environmental

C. Economical

D. Historical
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NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

Hypotheses of the Study

1. It is necessary for the Cabanatuan American Memorial Park to be

redeveloped based on the quality of its accessibility and usability,

maintenance and cleanliness, and its landscaping and vegetation.

2. The biophilic approach for the Cabanatuan American Memorial Park

redevelopment would provide solutions to the existing problems in the

park such as the absence of facilities and utilities, the unattractive

aesthetical features, and the poor landscaping and vegetation

3. The execution of the “PAGLINGAP: Redevelopment of the Cabanatuan

American Memorial Park” would provide benefits to the residents of

Brgy. Pangatian in the following aspects such as social, environmental,

governmental, and historical.

Definition of the Project

The project "PAGLINGAP: Redevelopment of the Cabanatuan

American Memorial Park with the Integration of Biophilic

Architecture" is a redeveloped and reimagined public urban park that

aims to cater to the needs of the public in terms of social, environmental,

 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
governmental, and historical aspects. The park will offer multi-functional

amenities and facilities such as a function or event hall, an accessible

playground, sports facilities and courts, food parks, and more facilities that

are focused on solving the existing problems of the park and therefore

improving the park’s quality. The project will feature the integration of

biophilic architecture as the design concept to be used. The utilization of

this design concept was to improve the resident’s overall health and well-

being through the human-nature interaction in the park for each visitor, by

allowing a direct experience of nature in the built environment such as the

provision of plants, water landscapes, and any other aspect that provides

direct contact with elements of nature.

Goals and Objectives

The objective of this study is to come up with a feasible design

solution for the existing problems in the park. It will also improve the

park’s property values, boost local economies, prevents crime, safeguards

cities from environmental harm, and promote the historical significance of

the site to the public.

Furthermore, the research aims to address the following objectives:

1. To identify the current condition of the Cabanatuan American

Memorial Park
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

2. To investigate if the Biophilic Architecture Approach would provide

solutions to the existing problems of the Cabanatuan American

Memorial Park

3. To analyze the benefits of the execution of “PAGLINGAP:

Redevelopment of the Cabanatuan American Memorial Park” to the

residents of Brgy. Pangatian in the following aspects such as social,

environmental, governmental, and historical.

Scope and Limitations

Scope

This study will only focus on redeveloping the existing Cabanatuan

American Memorial Park in Brgy. Pangatian, Cabanatuan City. It intends to

provide architectural solutions that would solve the existing problems of the park

thus, making the park more beneficial to the people and to the environment.

Furthermore, the researcher aims to study how the integration and

application of Biophilic Architecture in the redevelopment of the park would

affect the park’s benefits to the public, environment, and government.

 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

Limitation

The study focused on evaluating the results of the execution of

PAGLINGAP: Redevelopment of the Cabanatuan American Memorial Park with

the Integration of Biophilic Architecture opens a new opportunity to improve the

Socio-Economic status of the city and the Lifestyle of its residents. The proposed

project is limited to the vicinity of Brgy. Pangatian, Cabanatuan City. The

respondent’s profiles are limited to the barangay’s residents from teens (13 to 19

years old) to late middle age (45 to 64 years old). The data-gathering methods to

be utilized are surveys and interviews. The accomplishment of interviews will be

implemented through the utilization of phone audio recordings and video

recordings, using the interviewer guide, and the surveys would be implemented

both personally and online through printed questionnaires and Google forms that

contain the researcher’s questions.

Significance of the Study

The execution of the study entitled “PAGLINGAP: Redevelopment of

the Cabanatuan American Memorial Park with the Integration of Biophilic

Architecture” would be instrumental to the following;

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NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

To the community of Cabanatuan City.

The result and findings of this study are beneficial to the community of

Cabanatuan City as it would greatly elevate the Socio-Economic status of the city,

therefore providing greater quality of life for the community’s residents such as

better job opportunities, greater income due to the increased tourism, healthier

physical and mental health, and other opportunities that could further improve the

resident’s lifestyle.

To the administration and the regional authorities of the Philippines.

The redevelopment of the Cabanatuan American Memorial would pose an

opportunity for tourism growth, along with improved tax revenue and personal

income, increased standards of living, and more employment opportunities, thus,

providing another pillar of strength to the Philippine Government. Especially to

the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) through the

improved economic state. Department of Tourism (DOT), through tourism

growth. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Department

of Education (DepED), and The Commission on Higher Education (CHED),

through the provision new learning opportunities the students, owing to obtaining

a better cultural heritage, and other private sectors.

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NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

To future researchers.

This research is prepared and developed to provide and serve as a

reference to future studies that correlate with the integration of Biophilic

Architecture.

Definition of Terms

1. Amenities – The additional useful features of the park such as playgrounds,

courts, benches, food parks, and more that focus on providing comfort to the

park’s visitors.

2. Biophilic – An Architectural Approach that focuses on how nature in any

form could interact with humans. It is usually done by incorporating nature

into establishments used by humans

3. Facilities – Places or Equipment that offer significant opportunities for the

visitors of the park of different generations with respect to their mental and

physical conditions to converge or bond.

4. Feasible- It is about how possible it is to do the proposed plan for the park

5. Integration – The process of incorporating the Biophilic Architecture

Approach to the redevelopment of the Cabanatuan American Memorial Park.

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NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
6. Landscape- The natural and physical attributes of the land of the park such as

the shape of the lawn, and placement of plants, bushes, and trees.

7. Lifestyle – The way how the residents of Brgy. Pangatian lives. Their daily

routine, habits, moral standards, and other attributes reflect their values and

attitudes.

8. Recreational – The activities that are done for the sake of enjoyment and

other mental, and physical benefits without force or under no obligation.

9. Redevelopment – The process of redeveloping the existing park into a better

version

10. Socio-Economic Status– The status of a person based on his/her income,

educational attainment, employment, and more factors that affect one’s ability

to afford to live.
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

References:

Abdelhamid, M. M., & Elfakharany, M. M. (2020). Improving urban park

usability in developing countries: Case study of al-shalalat Park in

Alexandria. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 59(1), 311-321. Retrieved from:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110016819301905

Vasquez, A., & Wood, M. (2022). Urban parks are a refuge for birds in park-

poor areas. Retrieved from:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.958572/full

Ellis, D., & Schwartz, R. (2016). The Roles of an Urban Park System. Retrieved

from: https://www.worldurbanparks.org/images/Documents/The-Roles-of-an-

Urban-Parks-System.pdf

Urban Growth. (2021). Biophilic Design: What Is It and Why Is It Important?

Retrieved from: https://www.urbangrowth.london/blog/biophilic-design-what-is-

it-and-why-is-it-important#:~:text=Biophilic%20architecture%20also%20has

%20significant,by%20opting%20for%20biophilic%20architecture