The New Clark City Sports Complex was recognized for its innovative planning, architecture, and design by the biggest and most credible industry awards in the archipelago, the 10th PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards.

The country’s real estate leaders recently gathered at the 10th PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards anniversary gala to celebrate and give recognition to Filipino excellence in property development, architecture, and design. Among those who brought home big wins was New Clark City Sports Complex, which was awarded the Special Recognition For Public Facility.

“This feat is truly a testament to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority’s (BCDA) constant efforts to provide Filipinos the best public facilities possible by embedding sustainability, gender diversity and gender sensitivity, and smart components from planning to design and implementation,” said BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Aileen R. Zosa. 

“With the help of our development partner MTD Philippines, architectural consultant Budji+Royal Architecture+Design, and all the men and women who worked on the Sports Complex, the New Clark City Sports Complex was born to give Filipinos a modern public facility they can be proud of,” Ms. Zosa added.

Opened in 2019, the New Clark City Sports Complex is the first major sports hub constructed by the government since the completion of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in 1934. The sports complex currently comprises three major facilities, namely the World Athletics-certified Athletics Stadium, Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA)-approved Aquatics Center, and the 525-unit Athletes’ Village.

The sports complex of New Clark City was put on the global map when it hosted the athletics and aquatic events of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. Today, it hosts the safe return of the country’s much-awaited sporting events, from triathlon to swimming to football.

True to its vision of becoming the future home of athletes, New Clark City also houses the National Academy of Sports (NAS), a green and climate-resilient learning center and training ground for deserving Filipino scholar-athletes.

“Our promise is to continue building on our vision for New Clark City so we can open up more opportunities and provide a smart, sustainable and inclusive haven not just to those who live and work within the metropolis, but also to its surrounding communities,” said BCDA Officer-in-Charge Executive Vice President Atty. Gisela Z. Kalalo, who received the special recognition on behalf of the organization.

This special recognition is the latest of the awards New Clark City Sports Complex bagged in the past years. 

The 20,000-seater New Clark City Athletics Stadium in 2021 received recognition from the World Architecture Festival (WAF) in the Completed Buildings – Sport Category, and was also shortlisted for the Engineering Prize of the same competition. In December 2020, the New Clark City was cited as the 2019 Sports Tourism Venue of the Year at the 4th Philippine Sports Tourism Awards. 

The Philippine Science High School (PSHS), in partnership with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), is constructing a 4.6-hectare learning site in New Clark City, Tarlac, which will serve as a campus for its senior high school students and a resource center for teachers and professionals.

Dubbed as the “Infinitum”, the new site of the country’s premier science high school is envisioned to become the “center for learning and service continuity for the entire PSHS System.”

The master plan for the campus was approved in August by the BCDA Board of Directors.

BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Vince Dizon said the establishment of the new PSHS campus in New Clark City would contribute to the development and training of teachers and future science and technology professionals in the country.

“We hope that with the new PSHS campus, we will be able to give more opportunities for quality education to deserving Filipino students, especially in Central and Northern Luzon. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the valuable contribution of science and technology in our society. We will also be able to build our pool of researchers and professionals who would help us prevent other pandemics in the future,” Dizon said.

He added: “It is also crucial, now more than ever, to invest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to stop climate change and provide scientific and technological solutions to issues plaguing our society.”

The PSHS System is an attached agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). It prepares students for careers in Science and Technology and contributes to nation-building by helping the country attain a critical mass of professionals and leaders in the science and technology field.

On April 16, 2016, the BCDA and PSHS signed a memorandum of agreement for the establishment of a campus for senior high school students, as well as a learning resource center for teachers, administrative support, and other professionals within New Clark City.

The new campus will supplement PSHS’ modernization efforts by establishing state-of-the-art facilities, advanced laboratories, academic spaces, training venues, and living quarters. It seeks not only to spur immersive learning for students but also to continue the development of teaching and non-teaching employees.

It will also accommodate the increasing student and employee population in PSHS’ existing campus at the Clark Freeport Zone.

Under the approved master plan, 80 percent of the total campus area will be open space while only 20 percent will be occupied.

The new campus will have facilities for traditional and alternative learning, as well as indoor and outdoor set-ups showcasing the latest technological innovations. The campus will feature a training center, a technology hub, research center, innovation center, multipurpose academic building, administration building, a summer camp area, and dormitories, which will be constructed in phases.

The procurement for the detailed architectural and engineering design for the Training Center is ongoing. It is targeted to be completed by 2022.

Photo courtesy of Philippine Science High School

The Athletics Stadium at New Clark City in Tarlac, a centerpiece facility of the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019, has been shortlisted by the World Architecture Festival as among the best completed buildings across the globe.

The facility was nominated for the Sport-Completed Buildings category in the prestigious festival, which is set to take place at the FIL Exhibition Center in Lisbon, Portugal from December 1 to 3.

Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President and Chief Executive Officer Vince Dizon welcomed the recognition and congratulated Budji+Royal Architecture+Design, the architectural partner for the stadium, as well as the thousands of workers who made the Athletics Stadium a reality.

“We thank the World Architecture Festival for giving its nod to the New Clark City Athletics Stadium. It is another testament to the ingenuity of the stadium’s design and structure. Indeed, this is more proof that Filipinos can also be champions in producing outstanding facilities that are on par with other architectural masterpieces in the world,” Dizon said.

“This would not have been possible without the hard work of all the workers who completed this facility within a short period of 18 months. To our partners in Budji+Royal Architecture+Design, thank you for designing a structure that best showcases the beauty of the Filipino spirit to the rest of the globe,” he added.

Royal Pineda, principal architect and CEO of Budji+Royal, said, “To have this opportunity to share the New Clark City Athletics Stadium’s authentic nature and identity with our colleagues and an international audience makes me really very happy and proud. That was the objective anyway–to present our variety as modern Filipinos through architecture and design.”

The architect also expressed appreciation for the smooth collaboration with BCDA on the project, given the two organizations’ shared vision of a modern Philippines.

“We were on the same creative wavelength. Given critical deadlines, BCDA’s leadership was a key element. It allowed things to move with precision, which ensured timely and quality turnover, setting new government standards,” he said.

The facility’s design was ably executed by MTD Philippines Inc., BCDA’s development partner in New Clark City.

New Clark City Athletics Stadium is the first major sports hub constructed by the government since the completion of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in 1934.

It is also the first-ever facility in the country to receive a Class 1 certification from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

With a 20,000-seating capacity, a nine-lane 400-meter track and field, and another four-lane warm-up track, the stadium served as a venue for the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019.  It was previously nominated as one of the top 10 best stadiums in the world at the annual Stadium of the Year Awards.

“The Athletics Stadium’s design was inspired by its genius loci [or the pervading spirit of a place]. It celebrates Mt. Pinatubo and Filipino resilience. The location is surrounded by beautiful mountains and a boundless horizon, which allowed the architecture to stand out and frame the natural views,” Pineda said.

Now in its thirteenth year, World Architecture Festival is one of the world’s largest architectural events, highlighted by its awards competition dedicated to celebrating and sharing international excellence in architecture. Its sister festival, the Inside World Festival of Interiors, will also take place in Lisbon on the same dates.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both events did not take place in 2020. The upcoming competition, therefore, covers entries made in 2020 and 2021.

The shortlist of entries was announced last July. Those who made the shortlist will go on to compete in Lisbon this December.

All finalists will present to a panel for their respective categories. Winners in each category will present again to compete for the top awards – the World Building of the Year, Future Project of the Year, Interior of the Year and Landscape of the Year.

Pineda said Budji+Royal is doing all the necessary preparations for the panel at the live event.

“How to best express the story behind the Athletics Stadium is critical. I’d like to be able to make the jury and audience discover and understand the status of our nation, our memories and aspirations,” he said.

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the British Embassy Manila are working together for the design and development of one the Philippines’ largest public parks – the New Clark City Central Park.

As a review of the existing landscape that will complement the project, UK Ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce on Friday, July 23, was given a tour by BCDA President and CEO Vince Dizon of the New Clark City’s River Park – an environmental and recreational corridor that currently stretches to 1.4 kilometers. It features jogging paths, bikeways, an open amphitheater, and public spaces with art installations of Kapampangan and world-renowned artists like Kenneth Cobonpue, Bernie Pacquing, Jude Teotico and Bea Valdes.

New Clark City’s River Park follows the natural flow of the Cutcut River as advised by the Asian Development Bank to protect and preserve biodiversity.

The River Park also serves as a home to the Domes Village, a series of four dome-like structures – each with its theme – linked by suspended bridges. Serving as a large-scale outdoor art installation and a playground, the domes are made out of reclaimed hardwood from old houses combined with custom-made steel connections.

Once finished, the River Park can reach up to nine kilometers along the riverside where people can relax, work out, and appreciate the natural beauty of New Clark City.