Base Bahay, Vincentian Foundation unveil Bamboo-Based Social Enterprise Center

Through the collaboration between Base Bahay Foundation Inc., and Vincentian Missionaries Social Development Foundation Inc., the community of Bagong Silangan in Quezon City has welcomed a social enterprise center that showcases not only economic empowerment but also alternative building technologies.

Called the Vincentian Social Enterprise Center, this 71-sqm innovative bamboo-based facility is Base Bahay’s second special Cement-Bamboo Frame Technology (CBFT) structure that will open doors for more job and livelihood opportunities for the local community.

The structure, with eight (8) stalls, each with roughly 8.41 sqm floor area, is a blueprint for sustainable architecture, highlighting the potential of bamboo structures to seamlessly integrate within urban landscapes.

The center’s distinctive design features a long gable roof, supported by wing-like diagonal struts that extend from the studs to the roof frames, blending aesthetics and functionality.

“By building this center, we want community members to be empowered enough to provide food on the table for their families while showcasing how CBFT serves as a holistic solution for the global housing gap, climate change, and socio-economic challenges faced by our country,” said BASE President and Hilti Foundation Asia Liaison Maricen Jalandoni.

“We are building more than just durable homes. We are also fostering hope within the communities we support. We aspire to help families sustainably. Through our collaborations, we are empowering them to attain economic independence,” Maricen added.

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BASE, a non-profit organization initiated by the Hilti Foundation, provides alternative building technologies that enable a network of partners to build comfortable, affordable, disaster-resilient, and environment-friendly structures with social impact.

To date, BASE has built over 1,200 homes in 15 communities in the Philippines, over 400 homes in four (4) communities in Nepal, and two (2) model houses in India. It also has six (6) bamboo supply facilities across the country and another in Mindanao that is currently in the construction phase.

The Center is part of a larger program by BASE to construct bamboo structures within the community in Quezon City, complementing the existing 50 housing units and the recently completed community center serving as a post-harvest facility.

Part of these initiatives is the Planting for Productivity Project (P4P), a collaborative effort involving BASE, Hilti Foundation, Ayala Foundation Inc., and the Quezon City Government, to build a more food-secure future for households and communities through urban farming.

The P4P is strategically divided into two phases—AgriKaya, which focuses on empowering households through home-based farming, promoting self-sufficiency and healthy eating habits, and AgriKita, which aims to spur urban farming and entrepreneurship to offer livelihood opportunities to households.

These undertakings can provide a big boost to marginalized communities, especially in the face of minimum wages falling short for families of five to meet basic needs. Studies have shown the significance of urban farms in providing families with a steady and practical supply of nutritious food.

“We are grateful for this partnership with BASE as this gives more meaning to efforts of pushing the boundaries of traditional construction. It also proves that when organizations collaborate, we can do more to empower communities and foster self-sufficiency, creating a ripple effect of positive change,” said Fr. Mario Castillo, Vincentian Foundation Executive Director.