Abdiel Franz Bernales

A Filipino inventor urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on March 2, to modernize public school classrooms to make it more conducive for learning through building designs to adapt with climate change.

Photo Courtesy of Inquirer.net/Philippine News Agency.

Edgardo Vazquez, a distinguished prefabricated construction inventor, and two-time WIPO gold medalist cited the Vazbuilt insulated school classroom—a one-classroom school building design which would allow the DPWH to build a classroom with a cooling system in one month.

“These innovations aim to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and affordability in the construction industry,” he said in a Philstar report.

According to Vasquez, the new school building uses deep pile micropile foundations, light gauge steel frames, and polywall lightweight concrete panels to improve cooling and withstand environmental impacts.

In a letter to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara, Vasquez emphasized the design is adapted to climate change and would allow a faster construction time at no extra cost to the government.

He also said that the design is compliant with government standards, ensuring structural integrity, safety, and sustainability. 

According to the International Institute for Educational Planning - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IIEP-UNESCO), education is highly vulnerable to climate change, directly threatening lives and infrastructure and indirectly worsening food insecurity, migration, and conflict. 

Yet, it also plays a crucial role in mitigation and adaptation, by equipping individuals with the knowledge, skills, and awareness needed to address environmental challenges.

Studies by the World Green Building Council and the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicate that upgrading existing structures for sustainability enhances energy efficiency, lowers environmental impact, and speeds up construction timelines by optimizing resource use.

Climate change contributed to Asia's extreme heat, with scientists finding that the Philippines faces severe heat every 10 years during El Niño and every 20 years otherwise.

For the second consecutive year since last April 2024, some Luzon areas suspended face-to-face classes due to extreme heat forecasts, with Metro Manila cities implementing suspensions, early dismissals, blended learning, or adjusted schedules, while Pampanga halted afternoon classes and other regions have yet to report disruptions.

The heat index, or apparent temperature, reflects how hot it feels by combining air temperature and humidity, affecting the body's ability to cool itself through perspiration, which is less effective in high humidity and more efficient in dry conditions, creating a direct relationship between temperature, humidity, and perceived heat.