Thesis (BS Architecture) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2015

Schools are designed based upon the primary user. There are differences to the educational facilities intended for preschool, for high school, tertiary level, mid-career professionals and many more. But in this instance, the current condition of indigenous people's education focused calling for a special attention to institute a specialized learning facility that is appropriate and relative to their culture and learning. To pursue this vision, the researcher identified three main components that would embody it. learning, culture, and space. The study aimed to amalgamate the three components by evaluating a university with indigenous people students in Davao City namely: Pamulaan Center for Indigenous People's Education under University of Southeastern Philippines Mintal Campus and the University of Mindanao- Matina Campus. The researcher conducted surveys, interviews and direct observations with regards to the respondent's academic performance, cultural practices and spatial reference that were later interpreted to establish design guidelines for a specialized indigenous people educational facility. After having the academic performance and cultural activities analyzed, the study concludes that indigenous people's environment must be joined with the mainstream students to improve competence and to minimize discrimination. Furthermore, the study also found that there must be cultural spaces wherein the indigenous people students could conduct their traditions and practices that include the space for ritual, prayer, gathering and farming or gardening. The students of a special indigenous people's school must be provided with apt space similar to a user-based approach that takes into consideration the effective academic set-up and most common cultural space needed. In this manner, the promotion and preservation of the indigenous culture is secured whilst providing an effective physical environment for the student's learning.