"In the past, I thought rural people should learn more about architecture... I realized that there are actually many practices and ingenuities in the rural areas that manifest through their buildings, which we could also appreciate and learn from."
These are the words of architect Mary Catherine Diaz, who, quite passionately so, devoted herself to spearheading barriotecture, a movement that places relevance on innovation and the architectural values of people who reside in rural areas.
Architect Diaz is an architecture graduate of UP Mindanao and a Master of Architecture graduate of the University of Sto. Tomas. She was involved in several planning, construction, and architectural projects and is now based in Davao City. Now, she works as an architect at Swito Designs Inc. and a lecturer at the University of Mindanao. She became part of several architectural projects in Davao, such as Our Lady of Mt. Apo Church and Cultural Hub Region XI.
Aside from all that, her passion for advancements in rural architecture as a concept is especially noticeable in her blog, Barriotecture.
In her blog, she published about the repercussions of too much focus on urbanization, significant theories on urban and regional planning, and, of course, barriotecture. Which leads us to the question: why exactly is Architect Diaz so ardent about spreading the agenda of a concept such as barriotecture?
Well, the architect was quite familiar with barrios, as she grew up in a province and was able to see and appreciate the positives of the lifestyle. In one of her blogs, she wrote a vehement article about the misconceptions of the term barriotic and presented a different perspective on the topic.
A more accurate definition of the term, presenting it as a mentality and a character.
Architect Diaz views barriotic as a sustainable lifestyle, one with close ties to nature and a reflection of people’s appreciation and innovation of its resources. Not ignorant or inferior as other connotations of the word might suggest, but one of the outgoing and carefree lifestyles. As a mentality, barriotic was depicted as one that evokes the essence of community. As a character, it is one of innovation and self-sufficient ideas.
Contrary to what others might consider non-progressive and baduy, barriotic merely denotes a different perspective, one that architect Diaz resolved to communicate. It should not be considered non-progressive, as it can be the basis for plenty of sustainable architecture if more people bother to look.
"I believe that by having the [Barriotecture Movement], promoting the beauty and ingenuity of rural architecture and construction will help people become more open-minded and appreciative not just of the rural built environment but also of the rural culture and the rural people."
Architect Cat Diaz saw the discrimination against rural architecture and made great efforts to make people see that it is anything but non-progressive and baduy. If that’s not an example of a passionate, dedicated architect who places great value on their roots, then what else could it be?
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