Architect Gonzalo “Jun” Raymundo, 55, based in Quezon City saw the announcement of a design competition on the web. Seeing that it was easy to join and there were no fees to pay, he came up with a design and joined. Now, this Filipino architect is one of the top 10 finalists in prestigious Guggenheim Art Shelter Competition.

The Guggenheim Art Shelter Competition is an international contest where in Guggenheim and Google SketchUp invites designers, both amateurs and professional to submit a 3-D shelter for any location in the world using Google SketchUp and Google Earth.

There were nearly 600 contestants from 68 different countries who submitted designs that have met the competition requirements. The submission of entries was closed last August 23. The 10 finalists were then selected by students from Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture for the People’s Prize award which will be chosen through online voting.

On October 21, the People’s Prize winner will be announced together with a special Juried Prize chosen by a panel of experts. October 21 is the 50th anniversary of Guggenheim Museum.

Raymundo’s design entry was called “A Bamboo Shelter in a Garbage Dump City,” which is shelter made of indigenous material built on a concrete base in a garbage dump in the Philippines. The bamboo wall represents a strong sense of camaraderie or bayanihan (community cooperation) to signify that “where there is unity, there is strength.” His work collectively symbolizes “sustainability and hope.”

The Filipino architect said his design was inspired by the story of Salim and Jamal of the movie Slumdog Millionaire. “I was deeply touched by the scenes in the garbage dump so I came up with a 3-D shelter design entry using a bamboo wall representing the Filipino spirit of bayanihan of strength and hope,” he said.

As of the time I’m posting this, Raymundo is leading the online voting with more than 8,000 votes. To support Raymundo and vote for him, visit the voting site here.

Support our fellow Filipino. Support Architect Gonzalo Raymundo.

Here’s a picture and video of Raymundo’s entry:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDQNvok4JrQ