Long Studio

How do you soften a street with Architecture?

You don’t hide behind walls. You negotiate the boundary.

In 103 sqm., Benedicto Residence does this through material conversation. Concrete establishes weight and permanence. Wood slats interrupt that weight with warmth and light, humanizing the street edge. A perforated ground screen creates a threshold, neither fully public nor fully private. The facade becomes a series of negotiations between the building and its neighborhood.

Every surface is relational. Nothing apologizes for existing. This is how constraint forces authenticity.

𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Hospicio de San Juan de Dios

The 2,800 sqm hospice emerges through community participation and material generosity. Donated materials, volunteer effort, local support. The architecture itself has become part of the act of care it will eventually shelter.

A building that is relational, adaptive, and rooted in the specific needs of those it serves.

A Space for Care and Contemplation

The project draws from the architectural language of the existing hospice facility while introducing a courtyard-centered environment for care, prayer, residence, and quiet reflection.

Organized around a central courtyard, the hospice integrates a chapel, infirmary, and residential space for the brothers into a connected and contemplative environment. The development spans approximately 2,800 sqm in Bustos, Bulacan.

The Hospicio de San Juan de Dios is more than a place for treatment. It is a space for dignity, compassion, and quiet presence, sustained by the community that continues to support it through time. Beyond shelter and care, it becomes an environment for healing, prayer, and reflection, where architecture gently supports both spiritual life and human connection.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗰𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲: Fragmented Development, Environmental Deficiency, and Weak Resilience Planning

𝟭. 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘀
- fragmented planning and lack of long-term vision
𝟮. 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀
- limited public gathering areas and poor environmental quality
𝟯. 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸
- poor local risk assessment
- lack of disaster risk reduction plan
- absence of a comprehensive land use plan
- low resiliency ranking (225th)

The Bocaue Public Market and Fish Port in Bocaue, Bulacan can be reimagined as a communal space that enhances people’s quality of life. Moving beyond the typical image of public markets defined by G.I. sheets and steel, the project envisions a more sustainable and people centered environment that not only integrates nature into the design but also creates spaces where people can gather, interact, and enjoy. More than its social value, the proposal also emphasizes resiliency through long term planning, ensuring the architecture remains adaptable and functional over time by addressing social, economic, and environmental factors.

The proposal reimagines the market and fishport as an urban connector, cultural destination, and gathering place. Instead of being seen as a symbol of pollution due to its deteriorating condition, it becomes a celebration of community, commerce, and local identity.

What if the Bocaue Public Market and Fishport could be more than a place of trade?

The project began as a “what if” exploration of transforming the Bocaue Public Market and Fishport in Bocaue, Bulacan into an integrated communal space. The idea is rooted in the belief that public markets are more than places of trade. They help build communities and support local economies, as emphasized by the Market Cities Program.

One of the key issues identified was the lack of public open spaces in the town. The existing market and fishport mainly function as congested transactional areas, and the town also has a low level of resiliency in its disaster risk reduction planning.

It is intended to serve as a "prototype" for the entire Bocaue River in terms of planning on how riverside residents may enjoy the riverfront while also being protected from natural calamities like floods by providing a resilient esplanade.

House Extension.

Hospital Garden: Proposed level 2 General Hospital in Pura, Tarlac

Tarlac is the most multi-cultural of the provinces in the region for having a mixture of four distinct ethnic groups: the Kapampangans, the Pangasinans, the Ilocanos, and the Tagalogs. It is also known for its fine food and vast sugar and rice plantations in Central Luzon.

The concept aims to envision and take inspiration from its natural resources and beautiful natural landscapes, both of which can aid in holistic healing. A biophilic design that amplifies their culture’s richness in greeneries, a province that is close to nature.

Architectural Design & Visualization: Mark Angelo Mendoza, Christian Alison Biagtan