Studio Tacloban: Study Centre

Architecture students Ivar Tutturen, Trond Hegvold and Alexander E. Furunes have initiated and built a study centre in Tacloban, the Philippines, in collaboration with NGO Streetlight and the local community. Completed in summer 2011, the study centre serves children in the seawall slum community of the city of Tacloban, and was built by the architects and local families.

The architects, who form design and make group Studio Tacloban and integrate non-profit studio Workshop, promoted a series of workshops — drawing, making and testing, devised in collaboration with Streetlight's nurse Nerren Homeres — which sought to use the architectural process as a tool to allow parents to improve earning conditions for their children.

The mothers assumed responsibility over the centre's interiors, and the fathers — many of which work in the local cement factory — committed to building the centre itself. Materials and skilled labour were sourced locally, "to help strengthen local businesses, local knowledge and craft," state Ivar Tutturen, Trond Hegvold and Alexander E. Furunes. The architects left halfway through the building process, and the centre was taken over and completed by the local families. "The building has now become a manifestation for the children of how much their parents care about them and their future," state the architects.

"What we wanted to achieve was a charged space for the people that use the building. This is why we involved the mothers, fathers and children in the process," continue Tutturen, Hegvold and Furunes. "This space is created by them and evolves with them. The aim was to develop a space for social awareness and a belief for the future, and by the end of the process the building became a symbol of change manifested through the effort and love of the parents for their children." The centre is now in full use, and Streetlight continues to promote workshops to help parents collaborate with children in their education.

Tutturen, Hegvold and Furunes are currently in the Himalayas, collaborating with Indian charity Nanhi Dunya in the renovation of the Chandar Nagar school.

Alexander E., Furunes, Trond Hegvold and Ivar K. V. Tutturen (Studio Tacloban): Study Center
Location: Tacloban, Philippines
Completion: Summer 2011
Organization: Streetlight
Architects: Alexander E., Furunes, Trond Hegvold and Ivar K. V. Tutturen (students at NTNU)
Collaborators: Streetlight, Nerren Homeres, the children, mothers, and fathers of the seawall community and other local engineers and material suppliers
Area: 46 square metres
Cost: 8,160 euros (60 000NOK)