In the fields of Nasugbu, Batangas, humble agricultural products are at the forefront of sustainable livelihood and architecture, thanks to the recent partnership of two like-minded social enterprises: Kanya Kawayan and Base Bahay. It’s a collaboration that will soon see the completion of the Kanya Kawayan Weaving Center— a space where Filipinos can celebrate the coming together of sugar cane and bamboo products, all with the aim of creating a more sustainable future for the country.

The 148-sq m Kanya Kawayan Weaving Center will house the organization’s production of artisanal creations, which help generate employment and alternative livelihood opportunities for around 40 wives and family members of the local farmers in the area. Kanya Kawayan transforms bagasse, a sugarcane residue, into a pioneering, eco-friendly, natural weaving fabric used for their products.

They are also one of Base Bahay’s bamboo supply and treatment partners.

“I am happy to attest that the foundations put by our partners today are strong and firmly established as they come. Base Bahay is a seasoned partner of ours and has, through the years, stayed the course on sustainability, come hell or high water,” says Beatriz Roxas, Kanya Kawayan president.

Using Base Bahay’s Cement Bamboo Frame Technology, which features bent bamboo poles that give the structure its curves, the Kanya Kawayan Weaving Center also uses ECOPlanet cement, which leaves 30 percent less carbon footprint compared to ordinary cement. The building is as resilient as it is sustainable; the structure is resistant to earthquakes, typhoons, fire, and insect infestations.

Thanks to its unique design, the center has received the honor of being the first project to use the ECOPlanet Cement in the Holcim Philippines, Inc.’s  Houses of Tomorrow, a project which finds and supports sustainable construction technologies through innovation and smart design, “to demonstrate that a low-carbon built environment is achievable and empowers people to live sustainably today.”

Base and Holcim are in discussions to develop a lifecycle analysis of structures such as the Kanya Kawayan Weaving Center to see how they contribute to the reduction of our carbon footprint compared to conventional structures.

The construction of the weaving center began in July 2022 and was completed in December 2022.

“We are happy to support like-minded partners like Kanya Kawayan and Holcim, as we have been brought together by a common innovation mindset – one that is focused on being environment-friendly and sustainable,” says Maricen Jalandoni, Base Bahay president. “We will soon open a structure within which all these technologies will finally be put into practice.”