WILLIAM Ti Jr., principal architect of WTA Architecture and Design Studio, is a strong believer in what is called social architecture, which he said was “about helping to build communities.”

“It’s about creating hyper-local communities and facilities; barrier-free spaces that allow for freedom of movement; social-scale infrastructure that helps connect our communities; [and] social responsiveness that embraces architecture’s role in nation-building,” he explained to Build & Design.

These ideas about social architecture are always embedded in any project Ti and his team undertake. One such project is the award-winning Batangas Forest City, or BFC. The masterplan for this project was a finalist at the World Architecture Festival 2022, a Best of the Best winner in the Urban Planning Concept category at the Iconic Awards Innovative Architecture 2022, and a winner in the Urban Design category of the Design Studio Mag Award 2022.

In its citation, the Iconic Awards jury lauded BFC for its “vision of modern urban planning, which reconciles residential space and nature, which reconciles residential space and nature and, as a result, creates a high standard of living.”

“The fact that the focus of the planning was not just limited to living, working, leisure and recreation, but also took the subjects of industry and agriculture into account, just shows how holistic the thought behind it was,” it said.

Forests real and imagined

To be built in Batangas City, Batangas province, BFC draws inspiration from Lothlorien, the magical realm of the elves in J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy classic The Lord of the Rings, and from Forest Park in Portland, Oregon.

“These two places, fictional and real, respect and embrace the forest as a vital part of people’s daily lives. In both Middle Earth and our world, both cities are viewed as progressive and vibrant centers of knowledge,” Ti said.

“I believe that Tolkien’s world and much of fantasy and science fiction are gateways to new systems and ideas that can enrich our daily lives. They allow us to imagine how things can be different and better. They almost serve as simulations for what we can do in our world,” he added.

BFC will rise on 300 hectares of land, over which Mount Banoy holds dominion and through which the Calumpang River runs.

Although much of this land has been deforested and converted into agricultural land, there remains a patch of forest that will be the beating heart of BFC.

BFC, Ti said, will embrace an existing 88-hectare riparian forest that forms the gateway to Banoy’s woodlands.

The project’s goal is to build communities within the forest, with social connectivity and a nature-oriented designed environment as its defining qualities. It creates a link between the mountain and the river.

“Many of the streams and tributaries that form the Calumpang River originate from the mountain and pass through our site,” Ti said.

“By celebrating these natural features and utilizing the banks of the river and streams, we show how these natural features can be a vital asset and be preserved for the benefit of the residents. It links not just the mountain with the river physically but links them with the people as well. The city now becomes an urban ecosystem linking both montane and riparian ecosystems,” he added.

Ti points out that the development emphasizes not just the retention, but the growth of forested land as a strategic resource for and one of the amenities of BFC. Other amenities shall include arboretums; greenhouses; spaces for urban camping; gardens, parks, aviaries and ponds; and art pavilions.

Areas of interest

Once fully developed, people will walk under BFC’s wide arcaded walkways planted with trees. An electric tram is planned for, as well as a shuttle service, to let people move freely from BFC to Batangas City. Inside BFC, it will take five to 10 minutes to get from one area of interest to another. Such areas are plentiful: a café district, university, information technology park, stadium, artists’ village, art school, convention center, hospital complex, assisted-living village, farm estates and coffee farms.

“The forest park acts as the center of the development, with various public spaces geared toward utilizing and maximizing this feature. The forest also allows us to form a rich context for the development of various agro-industrial technologies that can be utilized to take advantage of our climate and geography. Various schools and training centers will be set up to form a knowledge center as the nucleus of Batangas’ future growth,” Ti said.

BFC is envisioned as the new uptown of Batangas City and the people that will populate it will be those from the surrounding towns, as well as urban centers, who desire to live closer to nature. It is meant to provide locals with a better alternative to migrating to Metro Manila.

WTA says on its website that it seeks to redefine the role architecture plays in our society and focus on creating a positive social impact.

“We believe that architecture is the single greatest expression of culture and the most visible manifestation of our communities,” Ti said. “We do architecture because we want to make our cities better than how we find them. Architecture is not just about buildings; it’s about the future form that our society will inhabit.”

He cited WTA’s work on emergency quarantine facilities during the coronavirus pandemic as one that best translates this philosophy. The firm spearheaded this project from March to June 2020, during the pandemic’s height.

“Architecture allowed us to respond quickly to the challenges of the pandemic, and we were able to build over 1,500 beds in [the] Greater Manila [Area] and share our ideas with friends to build over 6,000 beds in the region,” Ti said.

Since its establishment, WTA has become renowned for its practice of social architecture and innovative approach. It being one of four awardees in the Architecture and Allied Arts category of the 15th Ani ng Dangal of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in February attests to this.

“Architects have a social responsibility as the primary caretakers and shapers of our built environment,” Ti said. “We must act and serve as a vital part of our global village called Mother Earth.”