Design Against The Elements (DAtE)

Design Against the Elements is an initiative that covers a wide range of disciplines and areas of expertise. As in all major efforts, it takes the time, effort, financial resources, and influence of many individuals, organizations, corporations, and government offices to make the project a success.

The Design Against the Elements initiative is driven by the following groups, and more project partners are joining the group daily.

Partners
City of Quezon City Quezon City is the largest city and is the third biggest local government in the Philippines. It is the most competitive city in Metro Manila and has been cited as one of the top 10 Asian Cities of the Future in 2008, ranked no. 7 among more than 200 Asian cities by the Financial Times Magazine of UK and AsiaBIZ Strategy Ltd., of Singapore. The United Nations and the World Bank have highlighted the city’s success. According to World Bank, Quezon City is one of the cleanest and richest cities in Asia. The Asian Development Bank of the Philippines recognizes the example of Quezon City to be emanated.Quezon City is envisioned as a paradise of the productive man, the changing business landscape shows a movement beyond the factories and sweatshops of old into creative, progressive, and vibrant communities and business centers.
Climate Change Commission The Climate Change Commission was created to coordinate, monitor, and evaluate the government’s programs and actions to mitigate and adapt to the effects of Climate Change. Its mandate is provided by the Philippine Climate Change Act of 2009, which was signed into law on October 23, 2009 and seeks to mainstream climate change into the formulation of government policy by setting up a National Framework Strategy and Program on Climate Change. The law is meant to enable the country to better respond to disasters spawned by climate change.
MyShelter Foundation MyShelter Foundation is a non-stock non-profit organization that aims to create a system of sustainability and replicability through its capability-building and employment generating projects. MyShelter empowers its beneficiaries and uses their energies as the greatest force for their upliftment. Among its previous projects are the 25 Earthen Schools in Surigao, Coral Walls development, and the innovative peanut shelters for peanut farmers and processors. MyShelter Foundation is the pioneering force behind the Design Against the Elements project.
United Architects of the Philippines The United Architects of the Philippines is recognized as the integrated and Accredited Professional Organization of Architect (IAPOA) in the Philippines. It is the only organization with the right to represent Filipino architects in the Philippines and internationally. As the country’s prime professional organization of architects, the UAP is strongly committed to social responsibility and has taken an active role in various socio-civic programs and projects. The UAP aims to be responsible to the needs of its professionals, the profession, and the professional product while preserving the UAP-IAPOA’s larger, enduring role as a vanguard of architecture profession where knowledge and innovation are created, transmitted, and preserved; and to be actively seeking balance in all of these roles, even in the face of the uncertainties and the rapidly changing forces that surround the Filipino architects. The UAP is taking the lead role as the project manager and official competition organizer for Design Against the Elements. UAP is a member institute of ARCASIA (Architects Regional Council Asia), a regional organization of 16 institutes of architects in Asia, and is the Philippine national section of UIA (Union Internationale des Architectes), and international organization of 110 institutes of architects worldwide. The UAP has been awarded the Most Outstanding Accredited Professional Organization (APO) by the PRC for four consecutive years already.

Philippine White Helmets The Philippine White Helmets is a joint government, civil society and private sector humanitarian and peace building group supervised by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs – Office of UN and Other International Affairs / Philippine Mission to the UN in Geneva. The White Helmets are mandated by the United Nations though UN General Assembly Resolution 49/139-B (1994). Domestically, the PWH assists in providing and coordinating local and international humanitarian assistance to calamities throughout the country, and is currently engaged in relief for the Ondoy and Pepeng Crises in Luzon.