Ejhey was recently recognized as “Designer of the Year” in the Architectural Category of the Asia Young Designer Awards (Ayda), which was held in Thailand. It was a historic milestone for the Philippines as he became the first Filipino recipient of the prestigious award for future design professionals. He bested 17 other entries from different countries as he proudly showcased the creative brilliance of Filipino designers.
Founded in 2008, Ayda is a global design competition that champions young creatives whose work combines innovation with social purpose. For Ejhey, that purpose was reflected in the very project that brought him to the global stage.
Beyond creativity, Ejhey’s work strives to reach out to a marginalized sector in society. Anchored on Ayda’s theme this year, “Converge: Crafting Cultural Legacies,” he improved on one of his school projects, which catered to the Badjao community in his home city, and submitted it as an entry to the design competition. It proved to be the right decision as he finished in the Top 10 among design entries from all over the country. This earned him a ticket to the international competition in Thailand, where he capped his creative journey with a victory.
“I never imagined that a project that I submitted for compliance in school would become one that would represent the Philippines on the global stage,” said Ejhey, who took up architecture because of his love for drawing. He also recalls doing commissions during the pandemic to earn some income. But Ejhey knows that architecture is more than just drawing. It also entails knowledge of building laws, structural concepts and design thinking, which were honed during his academic training at the University of Mindanao.
Winning design
The incoming fifth-year architecture student noted the sad plight of many Badjao families in Davao, where they are forced to beg to earn a living. “My design approach was centered on one question: How can architecture help the Sama-Badjao truly thrive and not just merely survive?” he shares. “So instead of designing a conventional housing project, I envisioned my proposal, entitled ‘Banuas Lawod’ (meaning ‘Home in the High Seas’), as a living system, where culture, livelihood and ecology are interwoven into their daily life.”
Drawing inspiration from scallops, locally known as talipsay, Ejhey designed the building forms reflect layers for shelter, just like the scallops’ layered shell protects life and adapts to the changing tides. The design of the housing units is based on the lepa, the traditional boat of the Sama-Badjaos, which, according to Ejhey, preserves their spatial identity while making their homes climate-responsive and adaptable to rising sea levels.
Ejhey’s feat is surely a big help for him as he enters his thesis year in college. However, the victory is not just for himself but also for the people he aimed to cater to in his design. He further proves his readiness to become an architect, who is a leader in the built environment – a compassionate leader who views the world through the lens of people who are often excluded. Architecture is more than “eye candy”; it creates important transformations to improve the lives of the people who experience the buildings they create. S
