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The British Council is pleased to award the International Collaboration Grant to the CAREscape project, an innovative initiative between the University of Plymouth in the UK and the University of the Philippines’ (UP) College of Architecture. UP is one of the three grant recipients in the East Asia region. This partnership brings together scholars, architects, and artists to develop creative and climate-adaptive solutions for healthcare spaces, responding to the pressing challenges posed by climate change in vulnerable communities.

The Climate-Adaptive Reimaginings for Enhancing Healthcare Spaces of the Future (CAREscape) project aims to promote health equity, sustainability, and inclusivity in urban communities facing climate risks, with a particular focus on Manila. Through three transformative phases, the project team will engage local communities, architects, and artists to co-create imaginative and climate-resilient healthcare infrastructures that resonate deeply with community values and local cultural practices.

The project’s first phase centres on creative deep mapping and community engagement in Manila, using storytelling and mapping tools to gather insights from residents about their experiences with climate impacts and healthcare needs. This unique approach emphasizes climate justice, leveraging local knowledge and traditions to inform architectural designs that genuinely reflect and serve the community’s needs. Preparation for the workshops will begin in November 2024, with the engagements scheduled to begin in January 2025.

In the second phase, architects and artists from both countries will collaborate to envision climate-resilient healthcare spaces that are inclusive and sustainable. These speculative designs go beyond traditional blueprints, incorporating visuals, sounds, and cultural elements that embody the community’s relationship with healthcare spaces. 

The final phase will bring these innovative designs and prototypes to life in exhibitions in Manila and London, showcasing digital maps, architectural models, and artistic representations that inspire cross-border dialogue on resilient healthcare spaces.

By fostering international collaboration and sharing artistic outputs, the project aims to generate impactful discussions and actionable insights on building climate-resilient healthcare architecture that can be applied in other regions facing similar challenges. 

Andrei Nikolai Pamintuan, Head of Arts at the British Council in the Philippines, expressed his excitement about the project, stating:  

“This collaboration opens new opportunities to strengthen UK-Philippines partnerships, providing a platform for mutual learning and shared innovation. By supporting projects like CAREscape, we are not only building connections between our two countries but also creating a space for artistic and academic exchanges that can lead to transformative impacts in vulnerable communities worldwide.”

Professor Mona Nasser, Director of the Plymouth Institute of Health and Care Research (PIHR), said: “The impacts of climate change are increasingly destroying lives and livelihoods all over the world. They could also lead to situations where facilities offering everything from emergency medicine to period products are out of action at the very time people need them the most. If we are to avoid that, we need to think about the best ways to design future healthcare spaces in vulnerable locations so they can be resilient to climate hazards. Through this project, we hope to use our collective expertise to tap into the wisdom and knowledge of communities to begin developing ideas of how that can best be delivered.”

The UP College of Architecture team, together with Professor Richard Martin Rinen, Professor Pamela Cajilig and Professor Leonido Gines, said: “More than ever, the global community struggles to contain global warming. Climate disasters in highly exposed and vulnerable countries such as the Philippines will likely strain local health systems and worsen social and health inequities. With its focus on community storytelling, architecture, and art, our International Collaboration Grant project is an exciting opportunity to strengthen our collective capacity to aspire, to build on what works and imagine new ways of thinking and acting for health and well-being within a climate-adaptive future.”

As one of the recipients of the British Council’s International Collaboration Grant, the CAREscape project exemplifies the core aim of these grants—to support creative projects that foster meaningful, sustainable partnerships between the UK and its international collaborators. This initiative stands as a model of how art, research, and community-driven insights can intersect to address complex issues, demonstrating the power of cultural exchange in advancing climate resilience and healthcare accessibility.

The International Collaboration Grant (ICG) is open to projects across all themes, empowering innovative collaborations that bridge geographic boundaries and stimulate cultural connections. Grantees will receive GBP 25,000 – GBP 75,000 for their collaborations.

*All Photos from British Council