In
the aftermath of super Typhoon Haiyan that devastated huge parts of
Central Philippines, a post-disaster rehabilitation program is set to
take on the enormous task of rebuilding. The Leapfrog Project,
initiated by Filipino-American architect Lira Luis, is now organized
to respond to the call of rebuilding. It rallies a number of Filipino and international professionals from various industries and sectors to collaborate and team up for the noble
mission of helping Tacloban rebuild with resilience and serve as
model of post-disaster reconstruction to the rest of the country and
perhaps, the world. Through a Philippine-based online crowdfunding
campaign, donors from around the world contributed to the core target
of 10 randomly scattered Living Ball installations, enabling
the Leapfrog Project to reach 100 percent of its first milestone goal. The
installations will symbolize the vision for a future city development
where each piece demonstrates resiliency in rebuilding (e.g.,
bio-mimicry, living skins, etc).
The
Living Ball installations—a derivative from the Living Wall project
of Archt. Luis, is intended to light up the city as it begins
rebuilding. It’s inspired by the Japanese Marimo ball, a rare
growth form of the species where the algae grow into large green
balls. In collaboration with some professors from the University of
the Philippines Marine Science Institute, one installation would
explore using a bioluminescent plankton native to the Philippines
that likely ‘glow’ when disturbed, allowing for controlled
lighting. Another installation would explore the use of photo
luminescent paint that produces an eight-hour afterglow requiring only 10
minutes of solar irradiation even on a cloudy day. The paint is made
from natural light-storing mineral crystals that are non-radioactive,
toxic-free, and can be recharged an infinite number of times.
The
ultimate objective of the Leapfrog Project is to transfer the
attention received from this unique architecture installation into a
fundraising effort to build and replace the 10 structures, a
template for rebuilding the city of Tacloban. The final structures
will be determined and built based on the needs of the selected
recipient community. By doing so, we are enabling an effort to
leapfrog into innovation for sustainable development that engages
different schools of thought in design, science, business, and
technology, and at the same time, contributing towards a more caring,
charitable, and vitality-enhancing experience and cultivation of a
generative space that allows them to flourish in their current and
future endeavor.
Collaborators leapfrogging to action
*A press release furnished by ALLL for immediate release.
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