FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY

Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

Nicanor Reyes St. Sampaloc Manila

STORM AND FLOOD RESILIENT BIOPHILIC HOUSING

Tuguegarao, Cagayan

In partial fulfillment of the requirements

RESMAR: Research Methods For

Architecture

Researcher: BLANCFLOR, RYAN LUIS C.

Section 2

Adviser:

SARRAGA, VERNA LUCIA

PANLILIO

DATE:

NOVEMBER 17, 2022

 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

Nicanor Reyes St. Sampaloc Manila

RESEARCHER WORK INFORMATION

Information from the researcher's study relates to housing design. According to

Architectureonweb (2022), housing design is the branch of architecture that
focuses on the study and creation of livable spaces, or dwellings. As a result, there
are numerous variables that need to be considered while designing a home, many
of which have only tangential connections to architecture.

The project is located at Tuguegarao, Cagayan. The project will be residential in

use and occupancy. The project will be a housing development that will be resilient
to events like floodings, typhoons and storms while providing biophilic design to
the housing development.
 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

Nicanor Reyes St. Sampaloc Manila

The site itself is located at the residential zoning of Tuguegarao, Cagayan. It is

also within the area which experiences low to moderate floodings. The lot itself is
82,695.72 m² or 8.27 hectares.

Figure 1https://tuguegaraocity.gov.ph
 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

Nicanor Reyes St. Sampaloc Manila

RESEARCH/CREATIVE WORK INFORMATION

The Philippines is known to be hit by typhoons every year due to its geological
location which is stated by (PAGASA, 2022) that due to its geographic location,
which frequently results in heavy rainfall, flooding over wide regions, and high
winds that cause severe damage to crops and property, the Philippines is
vulnerable to tropical cyclones.

This is one of the factors contributing to the likelihood of these events in many
locations, including Tuguegarao, Cagayan. This has an impact on areas like
Tuguegarao by flooding and damaging the homes and buildings in the storm- or
typhoon-affected areas.

To counter these effects people are starting to make changes on how their
buildings and residence will look like and function. Urban property owners who live
in flood-prone areas might consider turning their ground floors into commercial
spaces and transferring the main living areas up higher. according to Ivan Cortez,
coordinator for the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) Many residential
districts experience regular floods, so it is advised that these homes be upgraded
to add another story or commercialize the ground level. (Cudis, 2022)
 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

Nicanor Reyes St. Sampaloc Manila

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Cagayan Valley is known to be as stated by

(Visaya, 2020) that due to its susceptibility
for flooding and role as a catchment area for
tributary water, experts consider it to be one
of the most vulnerable areas in the area
during the rainy seasons. This makes
Cagayan to be prone to floodings and
effects of typhoons. An example of this is
the severe flooding within Tuguegarao,
Cagayan. Because typhoon Ulysses is
causing the Cagayan River to overflow this
resulted in one catastrophic event where
many homes are flooded and destroyed.

Due to the city of Tuguegarao

being near the Cagayan River
as seen in figure 1 it shows
how Tuguegarao has a high
percentage of its land to be
flooded when it is hit with
rainfall. Every area of the city
Figure 2PHOTO FROM DPWH.gov.ph
of Tuguegarao is prone to
flooding with its homes not designed in a way to counter act this very scenario.

Another reason for the floodings within the area of Tuguegarao, Cagayan is due
to the mountains surrounding Cagayan strip of its trees which protects its lands
below these mountains. In addition to illegal logging, farming in slopes and
mountains, particularly yellow corn farming and the use of pesticides that destroy
all flora and deteriorate the soil, pose a threat to trees and forest areas (Visaya,
2020). Overall, with the trees being chopped down there is no protection that will
lessen the impact of rainfall within the area.
 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

Nicanor Reyes St. Sampaloc Manila

RESEARCH DESIGN

The Research will be qualitative in nature as the research will is about designing
a housing that will be biophilic in nature but is resilient to natural calamities such
as flooding, rainfall, typhoons, storm surges and others. To gather data for the
research, the research will gather information by means of observation and
interview of the selected site. The researcher will look upon how storms surges
and flooding affect the overall area and what are the causes of it within that said
area. The researcher will then consider designs that will counter act these natural
disasters with the use of the data gathered.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

An area in the Philippines called Cagayan Valley has recently seen storm surges
and typhoons. Since 2019, five typhoons that didn't land but were near Cagayan
valley have had an impact, totaling four (worlddata.info, 2022). As cities and
municipalities like Tuguegarao are vulnerable to flooding during storm surges and
the country's rainy seasons, these typhoons had a significant impact on Cagayan.
Because Cagayan is a catchment area for water, flooding affects cities and towns
there as well. Due to its propensity for flooding and use as a collect basin for water,
experts have established that this city, the provincial capital of Cagayan, is among
the most susceptible in the area during the rainy season. According to (Visaya,
2020), due to its flood-prone nature and use as a catch basin for water from rivers,
this city, the provincial capital of Cagayan, is one of the most vulnerable in the area
during the rainy season. With these disasters, floodings, and hazards happening
to Cagayan, many families are losing their homes, property, and lives due to
buildings and structures within the area being not designed to be resilient to
flooding.
 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

Nicanor Reyes St. Sampaloc Manila

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The goal of this research is to design a storm and flood resilient house that is also
biophilic in nature within Tuguegarao, Cagayan. The research will follow three
research questions that will guide the designer in the design process.

• Research question 1: what design can be provided to create a flood and

typhoon resilient homes.
• Research question 2: will the comfortability of the home be affected by the
flood and typhoon resilient design?
• Research question 3: how can the design help lessen the effect of carbon
footprint by its users and how can it improve the environment around it?

These questions are focused on improving the homes of the people of

Tuguegarao, Cagayan. It also considered possible effects of the design on the
user and the environment around it.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goal of this research is to create a design that will help counter the effects of
a storm and flood on homes. The design must provide a resilience to floodings,
strong winds, rainfall, and others that are seen within storms. Aside from providing
resilience and protection for its users the design must also implement biophilic
design. The reason for adding biophilic design is to overall connect its users with
nature and even help users to lessen their carbon footprint.

Overall, the main goal and objective of the project is to create a biophilic housing
structure within Tuguegarao, Cagayan that will be resilient to floodings and storms,
the project also aim to lessen the effects of this storm related disasters to homes
to further protect the possible users of the project in the future.

RESEARCH FOCUS

The research focuses on creating a housing development that is biophilic in nature

but focuses on making the structure resilient to floodings, storms, and typhoons.
 FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

Nicanor Reyes St. Sampaloc Manila

The designated location for the project will be located within Tuguegarao, Cagayan
as the city is well known to be greatly affected by floodings, storms, and typhoons.

References
arkitectureonweb. (2022). Housing Design. Retrieved from arkitectureonweb:
https://www.arkitectureonweb.com/en/housing-design

Cudis, C. (2022, april 18). Retrieved from Philippine news agency:

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1172342

Googlemaps. (2022). Retrieved from

https://www.google.com/maps/@17.6040387,121.707155,3430m/data=!3m1!1e3

PAGASA. (2022). ABOUT TROPICAL CYCLONES. Retrieved from pagasa:

https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/information/about-tropical-
cyclone#:~:text=The%20Philippines%20is%20prone%20to,destructions%20to%20crops%20and
%20properties.

Visaya, V. (2020, november 18). Severe flooding shows Cagayan Valley environmental risks. Retrieved
from inquirer.net: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1361922/floods-show-cagayan-environmental-
risks

worlddata.info. (2022). Typhoons in the Philippines. Retrieved from world data.info:

https://www.worlddata.info/asia/philippines/typhoons.php#:~:text=Typhoons%20occur%20ver
y%20often%20in,does%20not%20end%20until%20November.

WorldWildlifeFund. (2022). Effects of Climate Change. Retrieved from World Wildlife Fund:
https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/effects-of-climate-change