Barangay San Antonio, Pasig

A community’s space to breathe and play

About the Pocket

The Barangay San Antonio (BSA) Pocket Garden in Pasig City is a community development that provides residents with a shared open space to rest, play, while providing for the pressing needs of the community. Whether it’s the need for recreational spaces, productive land for growing produce, or a restorative space to connect with nature, the Pocket Garden is designed to flexibly support a variety of activities.

*The project is currently in its Construction phase and scheduled for completion in Q3 of 2021.

About the Partnership

This project was brought to life in tandem with Kap. Thomas Raymond Lising and the rest of the stakeholders of Barangay San Antonio, in support of their on-going #CleanAndGreenBSA initiatives. Online surveys were conducted to understand the needs and priorities of the barangay, while several discussions were had with the administration to understand any contextual constraints and address them with smart, modular space solutions.

“We have Ortigas Park which really isn’t a park. It’s a CBTL branch, a poorly maintained fountain, some benches, and grass you can’t even step on”

Phillip, 21

Space Design Features: 

BSA’s Pocket Garden space features two zones: an uninterrupted, shaded walking path on the right, and a sitting space on the left incorporating pockets of greenery complemented by benched seating areas.

  • Shaded Walking Path
  • Benched Seating Area
  • Uninterrupted Path

A key note to consider is the Pocket Garden’s role as a transit point and passageway between BSA Village and the Capitol Commons business area. Replacing an old, closed off playground area, the new design opens up a pathway, promoting a seamless flow for people leaving and entering the village. This creates new opportunities for mobility, enabling community members that are adapting to a walking and cycling lifestyle.

“An open public space with lots of trees is ideal. Gardening space is also good. Lots of room for walking, meditating, biking.”

Tristan, 41

Product Highlight: Planter Boxes

  • The barangay expressed the need for modular structures that did not require any permanent installation and could be easily transported if needed.
  • Given those constraints, we created a stackable and buildable planter box that maximizes green space by leveraging height. 
  • The planter boxes are made out of 2×2 wood pieces connected via a grid system and connected to each other via simple screwed metal L-brackets). This also mitigates the need to drill into the ground and install and watering system for the greenery. 
  • Terraced Planter Boxes
  • Ziggurat Planter Boxes

Credits:

BSA Pocket Garden’s initial design concept was submitted to OpenIDEO’s COVID-19 Global South Health and Livelihoods Challenge in 2020. It was selected as a regional finalist, making it to the top 21 finalist concepts from 613 ideas from more than 71 countries of the Global South.

Everyone is welcome at Pocket Garden.