Christian Vasquez has been elected President of the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) Dubai. Vasquez told Middle East Construction News (MECN) that he will assume the role on 1 July, 2022 for a period of one year.
During his term Vasquez says he will focus on addressing opportunities and challenges related to technological advancement, and exploring pathways that could provide broader access to the architecture profession and industry. As technology advances, so will architecture, UAP Dubai said.
Vasquez is a Business Development Executive and Project Architect at National Engineering Bureau (NEB). Alongside his professional career, he is said to be active in community service, and has held multiple leadership roles in non-governmental organisations and professional bodies that focus on community, design, and innovation.
Commenting on his appointment, Vasquez stated, “I’m honoured for the opportunity to serve the architecture community once again as the UAP Dubai President Elect. I look forward to working with my peers and colleagues to advance our professions here in the United Arab Emirates.”
The UAP is a chartered organisation that was established in 1975 to unify all Filipino architects and aims to continue, maintain and develop the highest possible standard of services that the profession has to offer. The organisation has over 60,000 members within the Philippines and abroad, and over 600 registered and licensed architects in Dubai alone.
He added, “UAP Dubai shall strive to be inclusive and create shared value for all stakeholders. Our professional social contract with Dubai is to serve not only ourselves and our clients, but also the public and our society. We need to work together to make UAP Dubai more relevant to our members, our profession, and our society.”
He concluded, “UAP is a recognised institution not only in the local setting, but also in the international scene. It is the legitimate national section representing the architects of the Philippines in the Union of International Architects, the founding institute of Architects Regional Council Asia, and is active in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation registry of architects.”
At the AIA’s forthcoming A’22 Conference in Chicago, Barack Obama will be the headline speaker on Day 3 of the conference. The region’s journey towards Net Zero has also become a key topic in recent years, while topics such as adaptive repurposing have taken centre stage at keystone events such as the recent Future of Architecture Summit.