Nominado bilang Architect of the Year ang Dubai-based Pinay architect na si Christine Espinosa-Erlanda sa 12th annual Middle East Architect Awards bukod pa sa isang patimpalak na Big 5 Women in Construction Awards sa parehong bansa. Tubong Tondo, nagtapos si Erlanda sa Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) ng kursong Bachelor of Science Major in Architecture.
Siya ay naging intern sa Manila City Planning and Development Office.
Sa panayam sa kanya ng Kabayan Weekly, isa sa mga pahayagang Filipino sa United Arab Emirates (UAE), ibinahagi nya kung paano nya narating ang kanyang pangarap.
“I am fortunate that my humble beginnings in Tondo, once I was a little girl sketching my dreams on the wall, I have culminated my creative instincts, have met mentors along my way, flew from Manila to Dubai and now I am part of building the future of the Middle East, designing and working on noteworthy award-winning projects, master plans, heritage, residential, commercial, hospitality, and heritage projects, turning visions into reality.”
Si Erlanda ay isa nang associate architect in UAE sa loob ng 11 taon at nagtratrabaho sa Godwin Austen Johnson.
Kung paano sya nakatagal sa UAE bilang arkitekto, saad ni Erlanda: “I am a Filipino. I smile a lot. Being Filipino helped me cope with the challenges of working abroad. We Filipinos are like water; versatile and can adjust to any shapes or forms and like water, they are necessary to life.
Filipinos have the hunger for development and better future.
We are not bounded by our race, gender nor financial situation.
We Filipinos need to lift each other up, raise our flag and show the rest of the world our ingenuity, resilience and skills, all of those while radiating with the sincerest smiles.
Itinuturing na rin daw nyang misyon bilang Pinay na arkitekto ang ipalaganap ang women empowerment at gender equality.
Aniya, “As an architect my mission is to design and build something valuable that will last even after my own lifetime and in doing so elevate the position of women in what is, still, a male-dominated arena.
Being part of the industry that creates and shapes the present and future cities keeps me close to that mission.”
Ihahayag ang mananalo sa naturang Middle East Architect Awards sa Nobyembre 20.
