1998-1999 CEBU - Waterfront Redevelopment
Aerial view of Cebu Waterfront development project
Master Plan
Proposed Plaza Carbon
Introduction
Cebu, the oldest city in the Philippines, was chosen because it has all the ingredients for a wonderful urban development and design project. It is user friendly and has an interesting historical, economic and social dimension.
THE PROJECT examined the idea of rebuilding the city's links with the waterfront, to create a viable, imaginative scheme attractive to investors, while respecting the area's heritage and structure.
In executing our work we were extremely conscious that the Philippines is not the wealthiest country in South East Asia, and that our plans had to down to earth, practical and affordable. On the other hand, inspiration is also a practical and necessary quality of all developments. Our mission has therefor been to create a plan that is no t so real it is boring, yet not so visionary it is unrealisable.
Design Parameter
were established which sought to:
- Establish the waterfront as the focus of the public domain
- Maintain, enhance and create character precincts
- Create on image for the city and improve legibility
- Conserve the city's heritage
- Improve the public domain within a hierarchy of pedestrian spaces
- Maintain the low scale of the city
- Address social issues such as equity and accessibility
- Apply design solutions for a tropical environment
Concept Design
A concept was created which endeavoured to achieve a coherent image of the city, while taking a holistic approach to the design each of its parts.
As the instrument to implement the design concept, a master plan was prepared, which created on integrated whole, sensitive to character, urban form and function. Central themes are the conservation, enhancement and creation of precincts, each of which has its own distinctive character. Links between precincts of different character and the water front posed the most difficult urban design problem. The crux of the problem was the need to integrate areas with distinctly different height envelopes, scale, urban form and development potential.
The central theme of the design - the use of water and the waterfront as a central, unifying element in the lives of the people of Cebu. Where possible, the city's heritage buildings provide a destination for axes, as a symbolic link between the old and new.
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