Digital Tattoo

NORVERTO DIAZ
GERALD D. HINES COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN, UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

“The construction methods—lashed together bamboo structure and thatch—are readily available in the part of the world this project’s proposed in and able to be made by anybody. The almost primitive quality of the structure, contrasted with the device that’s hanging from the middle of the space, is something that some of us really enjoyed.”

—Matthew Griffith, FAIA

Molocaboc is a small island off the coast of Negros Occidental in the Philippines with a population of 670. Its community depends on traditional fishing and shellfish gathering, and the island has only one elementary school. For further education, students must travel to the mainland—a cost many families cannot afford. Limited infrastructure compounds these challenges, often cutting short children’s schooling. In response, this library design draws from regional tribal tattoo patterns to shape its structure, server systems, and layout. Combining high- and low-tech strategies, it is modeled on airplane black boxes—resilient devices built to protect critical data. Constructed of bamboo with recyclable, server-based systems connected to the National Power Corporation, the library offers books, digital access, and preservation of cultural heritage.