What began as a simple classroom vision for three Filipino architecture students has now become a globally recognized blueprint for the cities of tomorrow.
For Marion Jaeryl Clavecillas, Gerbert Joehm Valdez, and Kyrvin Brylle Ferasol, fourth-year architecture students from National University Laguna, winning the TFT Global Student Competition 2026 was never part of the plan.
Instead, the team only wanted to share an idea that industrial cities of the future could be sustainable, people-centered and deeply connected to nature.
“We even forgot we joined, all we know is that we want to share our design and inspire people on how architecture and innovation can shape our lives and society,” the group said.
That vision became TOMASIA, short for Technology-Oriented Mobility and Advanced Symbiotic Industrial City in Asia, a design concept that is deeply rooted from its site context being near the San Juan River and Mt. Makiling.
“From the flow of the San Juan River to the foot of Mt. Makiling, the city of 2075 emerges as a living current. TOMASIA envisions a sustainable industrial city where nature and innovation flow as one,” the team added.
The project addresses major urban challenges including overpopulation, air pollution, flooding, and traffic congestion through a mixed-use, community-centered design.
Among its features are elevated walkways, hyperloop transportation systems, open commercial spaces, and symbiotic factories that reuse one another’s waste materials to reduce environmental impact.
“TOMASIA is more than just an industrial city, it’s a mixed-use development offering residential and commercial spaces for its users and neighboring communities,” the group explained.
The group admitted that one of the biggest challenges was identifying future technologies that could realistically shape industrial parks decades from now. Through extensive research on automation, manufacturing and emerging innovations, they transformed their concept into a practical urban vision.
The students also credited their mentor, Ar. Neil Cedric Awitan, and their academic foundation at National University-Laguna for guiding the project.
For the team, TOMASIA represents more than a competition entry. It is proof that architecture can help solve social and environmental issues while creating sustainable and people-centered communities.
“This project proves that when we design with a genuine desire to uplift society, our voices can reach farther than we ever imagined,” they said.
