UP BRS
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| Established | July 29, 1971 |
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| Director | Dr. Fernando J. Germar |
| Location | National Engineering Center Rm. 102 |
| Website | http://brs.upd.edu.ph
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Established in the University of the Philippines on July 29, 1971, the Building Research Service (BRS) was created to foster and undertake integrated research, advisory and information dissemination in building and housing in the Philippines.
History
Geared towards providing a solution for the increasing concern over the problems of buildings in the Philippines, the College of Engineering, College of Architecture and the then Institute of Planning (now School of Urban and Regional Planning) initiated the establishment of a joint research service in 1971 through then UP President Salvador P. Lopez. This joint research service called for a program of education, training, applied research, consultation and dissemination of information in consonance with the University’s objective of making its work even more relevant to national development.
On July 29, 1971, the UP Building Research Service was officially created by the approval of the UP Board of Regents in its 811th meeting. It was mandated to foster and undertake integrated research, advisory, and information services in building and housing in the Philippines. It was also tasked to publish and disseminate the results of its researches and studies to students, researches, scholars, builders, contractors, government agencies and the public.
On January 27, 1978, when the National Engineering Center was established by virtue of PD 1295, the existing research centers in the College of Engineering, including the Building Research Service, were absorbed and placed under the NEC umbrella. Purely academic functions were given to the College of Engineering while research, extension and resource generation were mandated to NEC.
With the implementation of the Unified Scheme between the NEC and the College of Engineering in 1992, UP BRS attuned itself to the current institutional developments and eventually focused its activities to the engineering aspect of building structures and the environment, complementing among others the research thrusts of the College of Architecture and School of Urban and Regional Planning.
With the implementation of the Institute of Civil Engineering, UP BRS acted as the research and extension arm of the Construction Engineering and Management Group and Structural Engineering Group. Now it ventures to harness its resources to further enhance the learning opportunities of students through actual research experience and at the same time extend its expertise to the private and public sector in industry development through active participation in technical committees on construction materials and technologies more particularly standards development, quality material testing and technology assessment.
Through the years, BRS has actively pursued research on building design, indigenous building materials and technology. Moreover, BRS has performed many laboratory and field tests for both government and private entities. BRS staff has participated in the conduct of seminars, trainings and technical review panels.
The Mandate
Upon its establishment, U.P. BRS is mandated:
To foster and undertake integrated research, comprehensive advisory services, and independent testing and dissemination of information relevant to the building industry,
To publish and disseminate research results to the public, and
To promote active and beneficial interaction among the various sectors of the building industry involved in research, practice and production.
Facilities
BRS has a cooperative linkage with the Construction Materials and Structures Laboratory (CoMSLab) of the Institute of Civil Engineering, University of the Philippines Diliman.
CoMSLab has testing facilities for cement, concrete, soils, aggregates, masonry and other related materials. Field equipment for testing geotechnical properties, such as cone penetrometer, is also available.