NDMU Architecture Students Explore Sustainable Design and Bamboo Innovation at 1st Mindanao-wide Bamboost Forum

Members of the United Architects of the Philippines Student Auxiliary – Notre Dame of Marbel University (UAPSA–NDMU) Chapter, together with the NDMU Architecture Faculty, took part in the 1st Mindanao-wide Bamboost Forum: The South Cotabato Experience, held last August 7, 2026 at The Farm, South Cotabato — a gathering that drew around 400 builders, growers, innovators, researchers, community leaders, development partners, and policymakers from across the region. The forum served as a platform for shared learning on bamboo's growing role in sustainable design and community development.

For the NDMU Architecture delegation, the forum offered more than a glimpse into an emerging material, it opened a window into how local resources, innovation, and community-centered thinking can converge to shape more resilient built environments. Discussions on bamboo's potential, from its cultivation to its application in contemporary construction, gave students a deeper appreciation of how sustainable materials can inform design decisions that respond directly to the needs of local communities. Students also had the opportunity to meet Christian Salandanan of Sangay Architects, one of the forum's featured speakers.

The experience also underscored a broader lesson for the young architects-in-training: meaningful transformation in the built environment rarely comes from a single innovation or institution. It grows out of collaboration among growers, researchers, policymakers, and future practitioners alike — each contributing a piece toward a more sustainable and resilient future.

With most of the delegates being 5th year students currently navigating their thesis journey, the forum came at a timely and meaningful point in their academic path. Exposure to real-world applications of bamboo, alongside conversations with practitioners already advancing the material in contemporary design, offered fresh perspectives and possible directions for their own thesis explorations, particularly for those looking into sustainable materials, resilient design, and community-based architecture.

Being present at forums like this reminds NDMU's future architects that good design begins with listening, to the land, to local knowledge, and to the communities they will one day serve. As they continue their architectural education, experiences such as this encourage them to look closely at homegrown materials and community-rooted solutions, carrying forward a design mindset that is not only sustainable and resilient, but genuinely responsive to place and people.