Preserving culture in a rapidly developing nation

Bayanihan used to describe members of a community or village helping each other, symbolized by the image of neighbors transferring one’s bahay kubo from one place to the next. In a sense, Arthaland is a barangay of sustainable builders, carrying the wisdom and spirit of the Filipino to modern living, especially in its Sevina Park Community.

As its own barangay, Sevina Park preserves the “Laguna” way of life for its residents, maintaining the area's more relaxed pace. There are no high-rise buildings here. Walking in the neighborhood is encouraged by way of sidewalks. Residents live in villas and mid-rise apartments with shared courtyard gardens. Indigenous trees and plants are the highlight in the open green spaces. The community also shares potager gardens with any produce available to residents at cost. These various features purposefully support the wellness of the community and their Filipino sense of place.

The most exciting addition to the Sevina Park barangay is the country’s first commercial-scale engineered bamboo structure. Not only is it a modern-day advancement of the bahay kubo, the symbol of ‘home’ for the Filipino, but Project BEAM (Bamboo for Ecological Architecture and Materials) further develops and cultivates a traditional Filipino building material. Often used as a metaphor for the Filipino spirit of resiliency and adaptability, the bamboo is prized for its quick regeneration, reusability, and sustainability. This innovative BEAM structure will house Sevina Park’s dedicated medical facility for all residents, which reflects the intrinsic Filipino spirit of service and the community’s commitment to wellbeing. Not only will the clinic accept various health insurance policies, it will also network with nearby hospitals to allow the patients convenient access to the appropriate medical care.

Today, the term bayanihan describes the Filipino spirit of communal unity—helping a neighbor carry their burden without expecting a reward. Sevina Park preserves bayanihan wisdom by creating the Filipino sense of place for the individual and the whole community for a Life Built for Tomorrow. For Arthaland, where they build matters. How they build matters. And who they build for, the community of today and the children of tomorrow, matters most of all.