AIA Intl SE Asia 2022 Fall Symposium - Design Leadership and Social Architecture
When: Friday 2 September 2022 @ 10:15(Eastern US Time)/ 22:15 (Singapore/ Philippines/ Malaysia time)/ 21:15 (Vietnam time)
Speaker
William Ti, Int’l Assoc. AIA, UAP, Principal Architect, WTA Architecture and Design Studio
Moderator: Cathy Saldaña, Int’l Assoc. AIA, FUAP, AIA International Country Representative - Philippines
Description
Social Architecture in its various forms strives to end social friction and loss of connection by breaking down the institutions, ushering them towards the people—it creates with communities in mind. It is architecture with a social purpose that takes on a scale that is often overlooked by urban planning and politics. It focuses on connecting with people on the ground, engaging the streetscape and activating public spaces.
We seek to identify the opportunities where we can apply our ideas and change how our social infrastructure is built. Social architecture proposes to create a network of localized institutions that are inclusive and barrier-free. Through our own projects, we have abstracted three main aspects. These are: engagement, inclusiveness, and locality. All of which, when successfully achieved, creates architecture that operates in the manner of discovery and exploration, and promotes qualities for a gentle and harmonious pace for societal development.
Speaker Bios
William Ti graduated from National University of Singapore (NUS) with a Master’s Degree in Urban Design in 2012, and acquired his Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in 2002.
Together with friends, he formed a partnership in 2005, and finally founded WTA Architecture and Design Studio in 2007. In the 18 years of his professional career, he has worked on hundreds of projects ranging from retail shops and housing projects to large scale malls, residential condominiums, hotels and master-planned developments.
As a firm believer in sustainable planning and the advantages of urban living, he tries to imagine a better-curated more design-focused society where beautiful things and pleasant environments are ubiquitous, even in the densest city centers. He avidly collects superhero toys and religiously reads comic books and fantasy novels. On the rare day-off from architecture, he wanders around as a student of life, observing urban conditions.
Moderator: Cathy Saldaña is the Principal | CEO of PDP Architects and Projects Design Plus Architecture Management Corporation, based in the CBD Makati City.
A graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Architecture and the Asian Institute of Management (with Honors), Cathy is currently one of the prominent female Architects in the Philippines. She is known for Hospitality Design, Retail Mixed Use, Residential and Commercial High Rises, Industrial Facilities and is one of the pioneers in the Philippines for Sustainable Island Developments.
She is a Trustee on the Board for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Philippines, heads the Women’s Leadership Institute in Real Estate, a Board Trustee for PropTech, an International Associate of the American Institute of Architects and a Fellow of the United Architects of the Philippines. She was selected by the UAP to be the Philippine correspondent to the UIA WIA - Union of International Architects Women in Architecture Committee. She also sits as a Committee Board Member of East Asian Regional Organization for Planning and Human Settlements (EAROPH) and is a Chair for a Technical Working Group under the Professional Regulation Commission for Hospitality and Leisure Architecture. A certified Green Building Professional, she espouses Sustainability in all her projects. She speaks in both local and international conferences and is regularly featured on all media platforms.
