Thesis (BS Architecture) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2009

Problems in sustainability and promotion of a good tourist site and potential field of research such as Mount Apo constitute to its drastic degradation. Mountain climbing is for adults and late teenagers and, statistically, numerous people going for mountain climbing. In Mount Apo, there are peak seasons for mountain climbers. These seasons are summer, holy week, October and aside from these seasons, mountain climbing in Mount Apo is still open. There have been illegal logging and kaingin or slash and burn activities in the Mount Apo National Park. Some of the identified illegal loggers and kaingeros are from the local populace. These are also people working in and for Mount Apo. These people are researchers who investigate and conduct studies about the species in the mountain environment of Mount Apo. For researchers and students gathering information about Mount Apo is not situated in one place. The data about Mount Apo is scattered in different places depending on what is the geographical location of the city or municipality. It is in this premise that there should be a center of information that will help holistically understand, celebrate, and experience Mount Apo. There should be a place or center that will be full of information, but not limited only to information thus this will also serve as a place to dwell, which should have an educational process, that is analogous to the environment of Mount Apo. To conserve mountain environments and promote mountain cultures, a place or a center should be created to enhance mountain education, applied research, demonstration, and training initiatives with complete systems rather than with the analysis of specific aspects of Mount Apo. There should be a place or center that will provide access and equitable extraction of natural resources, fragile, and diverse biological systems. Lastly, there should be a place or a center that will promote responsible and sustainable tourism, serving a crucial role in interpreting the nature, history, culture, science, and sport of Mount Apo. There are venues or centers that provide information and promote Mount Apo. However, these venues or centers only deal with a certain aspect of Mount Apo. With that, mountain enthusiasts and the researchers have difficulty in accessing information and extracting natural resources while maintaining the mountain's sustainability. Thus the problem of this research is that there is a need to provide a venue or a cancer. This gathered information about the different research facilities the tourist attractions of Mount Apo that can be incorporated in the Mountain Center. The data that is collected is for the efficiency and essence of space planning in research facilities and tourist attractiveness in spaces for information and learning inside the mountain center.