Sky City: A Mountain for the City and Not a City for the Mountain

De Lasalle College of Saint Benilde

Project idea

The City of Catbalogan is the capital of Samar Province. It is western seacoast of the province at coordinates of 11°4636.83” N and 124°5306.63” E. It is approximately 800 kilometers south of Manila, the national capital, and 107 kilometers north of Tacloban City – the regional capital at present.

Blessed with geographical advantages of being the center of commerce and trade for the whole island of Samar, the City’s current Central Business District (CBD) became filled with business establishments that resulted to the rapid increase in the cost of doing business in the City.

To counter these spatial inadequacies, we came up with the solution to develop the adjacent mountain top into a new weather and climatic proof “SKY CITY” that will be the new location of the LGU Government Center and almost
all other infrastructures.

The SKY CITY Project is a 440 hectare compact Ultra Urban Model in a contiguous rolling land mass situated atop the City of Catbalogan with an elevation of more or less 120 meter above sea level.

In the advent of this new climatic phenomena wherein the occurrence of extreme typhoons and flooding cause severe infrastructure damages and disruption to business operations, the proposed SKY CITY is an urgent and
timely solution for our LGU’s spatial scarcity problem and our neighboring LGU’s alternative activity centers of goods and services during harsh times. This was manifested during the Yolanda (Haiyan) aftermath wherein the City was the nearest stand-alone center of basic supply and services.

Project description

The uniqueness of this project, aside from its natural ambience and terrain, is the concept and reason behind. Journey or "BYAHE” represents the life of the people of Catbalogan as well as the “ups and downs" of Samar, that have resulted in tragedies. The need to get back on their feet again is vital.

Thus, the designs of our structures are mainly composed of angular lines and uneven curves to showcase the concept of Journey or "BYAHE". We believe the best feature we incorporated in "SKY CITY" can end inevitable aftermaths, rather than provide care and support for the unending cycle of catastrophic events.

Bioclimatic design capitalizes on the characteristics of the site (climate, vegetation, topography and geology of the soil) in order to minimize the energy needs of the building and to create a more comfortable environment (hygro-thermal, acoustic, natural light) adapted to the ways and lifestyles of the inhabitants. In addition, special attention is paid to respect the existing landscape and integrate the building within it.

Technical information

In our proposal in SKY CITY we gonna have a proposal for water collection that provides the whole SKY CITY water supply. From within the Brgy Territory of the Sky City which is Brgy. San Andres: which are: San Andres Falls and Rain Fed and Small Spring water sources.

The Odin energy tower is came from the Korean investors that they introduced in the Local
Government Unit in Catbalogan city.

Advantages & Benefits
- Stable generation of power with breeze blowing at as low as 3.5 m/s
- Capability of power generation even in high wind blowing over 25 m/s due to secure fastening at both the top and the bottom of a turbine
- Not affected by frequent changes in wind direction
- Unlimited capability of capacity design by changing the size of the wind capture area and the number of floors
- Supporting smart grid by using ESS (Energy Storage System) and EMS (Energy Management System)
- Making little noise or vibration because the turbine is installed inside the tower and spins by the difference in wind pressure
- Generating power with wind speeds below 3.5 m/s and over 25 m/s, which existing power systems are unable to use
- Generating power independently on each floor so that the system continues to operate, even if partial failure occurs

We also have a research about surface erosion control because our site is in the top of the mountain.

Geomats are anti-eroding biomats or bionets that are purpose-made synthetic products for the protection and grassing of slopes subject to surface wash. Geomats provide two main erosion control mechanisms: containment and reinforcement of the surficial ground; and protection from the impact of the raindrops. Geogrids made of Geosynthetic materials

Project Deliverables:
- Concept Board
- Site Plan
- Innovation
- Perspectives
- Section & Elevation
- Haiyan (Yolanda) Victims
- Walkthrough
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFIdnvzsrgY

Co-authors

Ken Villamor
Princess Quintos
Maria Theresa Esporlas