UAP BRUNEI
HISTORY OF UAP BRUNEI
Twenty-one architects gathered for the very first general assembly on 8 November 2013 with the goal of forming the Brunei Chapter of the United Architects of the Philippines.
But long before the first general assembly, the story of UAP Brunei Chapter has begun, closely interwoven with the story of Brunei’s building industry.
The Filipino architects in Brunei were present from the early 1980’s, when UAP’s very own Leandro V. Locsin, fuap was commissioned to design the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei and his family, the Istana Nurul Iman, to the construction and completion of the palace in 1984; from the massive development that happened during the rise of Brunei’s economy in the 1990’s to the fall of the building industry in 1998 with the closure of the biggest local developer; and from Brunei’s steady development from early 2000’s to the launch of the Wawasan 2035 in 2008.
In 2002, Neil R. Rutor and Hernando ‘Nonoy’ J. Hautea, Jr. gathered fellow Filipino architects with the vision of forming the Brunei Chapter of the UAP. On 22 November that year, architects Neil R. Rutor, Hernando ‘Nonoy’ J. Hautea, Jr., Ma. Christina ‘Marie’ G. Esclabanan-Bajarias, Alan F. Filio and ‘Bong’ Aguirre held the first meeting to initiate the formation of the Brunei Chapter. However, the group was not able to gather the required minimum number of membership and the formation of the Brunei Chapter was deferred.
Over a decade later, Wario 'Jigs' C. Tacbad, Dominic N. Cordova and Neil R. Rutor connected in 2013 and the idea of forming the Brunei Chapter of the UAP was brought to life again. More Filipino architects were reached with the help of social media. The first general assembly was organized and, this time, the minimum membership requirement was met.
On 9 April 2014, the formation of the UAP Brunei Chapter was approved by the UAP National Board of Directors as the 135th Chapter of the United Architects of the Philippines.
The formation of the chapter was made possible through the sponsorship of the UAP Makati CBD Chapter under District B-3.
The UAP Brunei Chapter was inaugurated on 24 August 2014 with 31 Charter Members including 8 Charter Officers.
During its first year, UAP Brunei Chapter, in adherence to its vision and mission, has undertaken several activities to promote globally competent Filipino architects and while remaining relevant to the local community.