BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

"While we are requiring our national athletes to excel in competitions and bring honor to the

country, they should also be adequately supported." (Angara, 2015)

Despite the passion and determination of Filipino athletes towards sports, the Philippines still

lack in providing sports facilities that will help in catering and nurturing the talents of our competitive

and well-driven athletes. Their maximum potential is not being reached due to lack of opportunities

and proper training facilities that are being offered to them. Since then, only the Rizal Memorial Sports

Complex remained to be the only training center for our national athletes. However, the 10-hectare

Rizal Memorial Sports Complex is now already congested and is not suitable for the training of the

athletes.

Sentro Banyuhay will be the answer to the needs of every athlete here in the Philippines. Its

name was derived from the Tagalog term for metamorphosis, “banyuhay”. Metamorphosis, according

to Oxford dictionary, is defined as the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult

form in two or more distinct stages. As its name implies, it will become a Center for Transformation

for both aspiring and emerging athletes of the Philippines. It will aid in developing the skills and talent

of Filipino athletes that wasn’t given priority for the past years. This project will be the first training

community complex for the nation’s emerging and retired athletes. It is envisioned to provide equal

opportunities and maximize every talent each Filipino athlete has. It will be a firm support to the

needs of every athlete making them consistently competitive on the global sporting scene.

The project will provide housing for the families of the national team, especially for those who

live from provinces and far from the area, and also for the retired athletes. In addition, a temporary

housing will be provided to serve as quarters for developing athletes while they are being trained. It

will house the local athletes that merely given an opportunity to showcase their skills and athletic

talents, helping them to grow from grassroots to elite level and compete in the global stage in the

future. Another temporary housing will also be provided to cater foreign athletes during pre and post

Olympics. Aside from permanent and temporary housing for athletes, proper facilities and modern

amenities furnished with state-of-the-art training equipment and technology will also be provided to

nurture and provide the needs of every athlete helping them to strengthen and boost the athletic spirit
physically and mentally among them. This community complex will not only transform and develop our

athletes’ skills and talent but will also help in building camaraderie between them. It will help in

building team cohesiveness and unity that is also an important factor in producing globally competitive

athletes.

Certain design approaches will be implied on the project to achieve its goals and objectives,

which includes kinetic architecture and smart architecture. Kinetic Architecture lies in creating spaces

and objects that can physically re-configure themselves to meet changing needs, whereby an

adaptable architecture is formed. It is a concept through which buildings are designed to allow parts of

the structure to move, without reducing overall structural integrity. Smart architecture, on the other

hand, is a concept that is currently popular in the sustainable design and smart home organizations,

where smartness often refers to the ability to passively or actively regulate a variety of environmental

parameters including energy efficiency. It offers an integral solution to a variety of design challenges:

the environmental problem, the optimal use of space and other resources, a functional utilization of

materials and technology, and aesthetics. Smart materials like kinetic tiles and other energy-

harvesting and piezoelectric materials will be introduce to maximize the functional capability of the

structure making it more responsive to the needs of the users.

Taking advantage of a country’s passion and magnifying it for the world to see is a huge step

for the development of the country. Capitalizing on what the people love could produce national

satisfaction and financial growth. It is a long-term and sustainable support for Filipino athletes to

perform well in international tournaments and represent our country with pride and honor. Hence, we

must prepare our athletes for the pressure of competing on a global scale and do all that we can to

provide them the necessary tools and skills to ensure victory.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The state of sports development in the country has been neglected for the past years as

shown by dated and rundown sports facilities such as the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, which was

built 89 years ago, and the Philsports Arena, which is now 43 years old. Filipino athletes seriously
need proper facilities and training community that will foster the housing and leisure needs of the

athletes.

With the absence of advancement and innovation in responding to the needs of Filipino athletes, the

researcher would like to give possible design solutions to the following:

 Lack of housing community for Filipino athletes that will serve as their quarters while

being trained

 Incapability of most athletes from provinces to showcase their skills and athletic

talents considering that they cannot provide their basic needs on their own when they

migrate for extensive training

 Lack of housing and basic support for retired athletes that brought pride and honor for

our country

 Absence of state-of-the-art training equipment and technology that will meet the

changing needs of the Filipino athletes

 Lack of well-planned spaces and facilities that not only respond to the needs of the

athletes but also help build camaraderie and sense of community among them