Dumagat Ecolodge (Architecture) Critique

Dumagat Ecolodge Sitio Masla, Barangay Sablang, General Nakar, Quezon Province

Designed by: LPU staff and the Masla community

“Dumagat Ecolodge” by LPU Staff and Masla Community A Critique by Patreze D. Aberilla

I am one of the students who visited and stayed in Sitio Masla last August 8 to August 9. I finally saw the fruit of all the money that I have contributed in all the fund raising events of LPU. The moment I saw the ecolodge, I made up my mind that it will by my subject for my next critique.

Dumagat Ecolodge, also called Beloy a Pigtaanan ni Dumaget by the Dumagats, was made for the purpose of accommodating the Lycean students as well as the faculty staff and other group of individuals who will visit Sitio Masla to conduct an outreach and training programs. It is also made to generate income for the Dumagats as part of their long-term plan.

The ecolodge itself, without the roof, looks like a normal rectangular box. Above the walls was a bunch of leaves, which serves as a roof, are in a diagonal position. There are two triangular shapes in the middle of the front and back of the roof. It has rectangular and elongated flat woods in the walls which are arranged in three different kinds: horizontal, vertical and diagonal which can form square patterns or small rectangle patterns while below it are the round woods that are only arranged vertically. There are also square glass windows which are combined together and can form a rectangular shape. It also has two vertical posts in the entrance and above it was a curve arc. The colors which are present are the colors of the natural resources that are in the ecolodge. There is a whitish, light brown color that comes from the wood and dried leaves, a

dark brown color that comes from some of the woods being used and the other is stones that are combined together because of cement which the color is gray. But not all the stones are gray; there are also white stones that are also spotted. The ecolodge is a two-storey building that’s why it can cast a huge shadow during daytime.

Dumagat Ecolodge was an evolved design from the LPU staff and the Masla community, which is the Dumagats. According to Community Outreach and Service Learning or also known as COSeL, the ideas about the design of the ecolodge were also derived from ethnic designed homes/resorts which they have saw in Palawan (e.g. the use of stones for riprap), Aurora, Rizal provinces including researches from the net. The structure is not only made of wood and stones which are used the most but also cogon grass, sand, uway, and other natural resources found in the area that can be a good use in building it.

Honestly, Dumagat Ecolodge was not my first choice but I was deeply attracted to the design of it that’s why I changed my mind. The ecolodge looks like an Antillean houses because of the combination of concrete at the bottom part of the wall as a base and the rest is made up of wood. I am madly in love in nature and the materials that are being used to construct the ecolodge were one of the reasons why I truly like the structure. Another is the combination of the light brown and gray results which gives me a bright and calm feeling. Lastly, it is how the materials are arranged, especially the pattern of the woods in the walls. My most favorite part was the uppermost part of the left and right walls. Some of the woods are not exactly have the same measurement but they manage to put it with beauty. The ecolodge is not just a superb on the outside but also on the inside. Inside of it is so spacious it can accommodate lots of people. It

is also well-ventilated because the wind can easily go inside the building. At the end of the day, the Dumagat Ecolodge is not just for aesthetics and attraction; it never fails to do its function which is to accommodate people.