Filipino Architecture

Is there really a Filipino architecture? Well, it depends on how you perceive what architecture is. But for me, there is.

Architecture is an art. It is an expression of one’s feelings and ideas about things and later on translated to real life. But architecture is not just simply about how things look. Or how it differs from other styles of architecture, because basically, this architecture styles we all look up to, defines what they are because of how they look outside. But the true definition of architecture is about having a structure that work as a whole, that the users of these structures are comfortable, happy and well suited for the structures.

So for my definition of architecture, I therefore conclude that people has different approach on things, on places, and on spaces. People have their own choice, their own taste, and their own language on how they understand things. Hence, there is architecture for different person. This means architecture is subjective; it varies from person to person, nation to nation, and culture to culture.

But who are we Filipinos, as a person, as a nation and as a culture?

Long before the Spaniards colonized us, we have our own architecture that is yet to evolve. We had our own “bahay kubo” that we can truly say the origin of Filipino architecture. We have different types of bahay kubo, depending on region, climate and location. But when the Spaniards colonized us, they built more sturdy structures that are perfectly suited for our climate. We can’t really say that the Spaniards have only brought hardship to us, because without them, our country wouldn’t progress as fast and as much by that time. We wouldn’t have been richer than China by 1960’s. Even when the Spaniards left us, the Philippines remained glorious under the United States. In fact, Philippines was a successful country by the time we were under the colony of Spain and the United States, but when they left us, we became chaotic. It could have been the time we could stand on our own, and let them know we are better without them. But our freedom led to disaster. Have we mishandled the freedom we just obtained or are we so eager to use this power we just achieved, or do we start again from where they left us, or do we wait for the next 400 years to be successful again?

Today, our country is a wreck of the past glorious Philippines. Disorder reigns within us. It seems that people do not care anymore for our heritage, our freedom and our history. But are we this kind of person? No we are not. We are hospitable, caring, loving and kind. We value our parents, our elders and our friends. We respect one another and we live in harmony within our community. These values and traditions we all so proud of seems to be forgotten. But all of these, we would not obtain, without our neighboring countries who all made who we are today. We are the combination of Asia, Europe and America. We are the international country. But we seemed to be lost. Is this because of being overwhelmed with countries that builds us up, or are we not capable of handling this huge responsibility given to us?

Probably, as a result of being an international country, we’ve been lost on our own. Perhaps, we were blinded with all of their riches and culture, or probably we were just blinded with more money they could give in exchange for our labor. Or we are still living being workers and slaves under our colonizers. It now appears, that being coined as an international country, doesn’t mean our culture is a mixture of different cultures but a country of workers that sells any labor it can offer in exchange of money or good life. It seems that we’re not yet free from countries that told us once that we’re just idiots and slaves. And we’re just acting under our unconsciousness that Filipino people are free. But we don’t deserve this. If only we had a government that cared for people and not for himself, we could have been better. We have so many riches in our country that we can enrich and develop to sustain our glory. 

It Used to be The Queen of the Pacific..

From my previous post, I’ve articulated that Metro Manila is divided into different parts, hence, different style in architecture. But Metro Manila can also be divided into two main parts also based on architectural styles; the old and the modern Manila. The old Manila can be considered as the part where the buildings that are built are in classical and neo-classical style; particularly Binondo, Intramuros, Ermita and Malate. As for the modern Manila, the buildings are built in modern, postmodern and brutalism style; in particular are Quezon City, Makati and Taguig.

Before, Manila used to be a great city, probably one of the best cities in the world. It became the 2nd most wealthiest countries in Asia, next to Japan by 1960's.It was never late in any architectural styles; be it, classical, neo-classical, beaux-arts or modern. Even the transportation and traffic was well planned. There were chariots and carriages and later trains, trams and cars. There were even esteros were gondolas used to stream along. Everything seems to be organized and clean. It was almost a perfect city of all the planning and order among individuals.

“Bahay na Bato” was well utilized by Spanish and Filipinos that time. It is simple but effective especially in the Philippines because of its tropical weather. It is most used by the elite Spanish and Filipinos by that time. It consists of a sturdy base for the first floor making use of concrete, bricks or stone, and a second floor that made use of wooden materials.  It could have been the signature of Filipino architecture; although we could say that it is, it could have been better if Filipinos continued to use this.

Everything was in order until 1941 when Manila was bombed during the World War II. From order, in a sudden span of time, everything was in chaos. Although this could be an excuse from what is Manila today, it could also be the best time where they could enrich and rebuilt Manila even more beautiful. But they did not. Instead, Manila became a dump of buildings that looks horrifying, without passion, without architecture and without order.

Paris is the living Manila. Like Manila, Paris is divided into two main parts; the old classical city, and the modern city. The old classical city is where the Eiffel tower is. It is also where the old buildings are. They are all patterned to the French classical style, while the modern part of Paris consists of modern buildings. It is located farther away from the classical city. Everything seems to be in order and it gives respect both to the classical and modern city. They have building codes that gives reverence to other buildings and most importantly to the Eiffel Tower.

Although Paris is a well developed city, Manila could have been better. If only the people could have cared, or even gave a little respect, Manila could have not been it is today. I can imagine Manila a mixture of both classical and modern city. Whereas the classical city could have been emphasized. Manila is also rich in Art-Nouveau buildings like of that in Miami. And the beach could have been also compared to Miami Beach in Florida or in Barcelona, Spain.

Today, Manila is a bunch of clutter of buildings that doesn’t really connote a style or even a building. Probably they were just made by civil engineers. Most of the new buildings don’t give respect to the old buildings or even to the city itself. And these new buildings are often use by big companies and businesses. In fact, the old beautiful buildings are not given much attention and they were forgotten by the people, and sadly, by the government. Often, these buildings just stand as old theaters, thrift shops, and worst, empty. Probably, it was just even better when the Philippines was just under the colony of Spain or the United States. At least, it gets to have order and care for art and architecture, and everything is governed. And although the Filipino people says they’re free, I suppose not; because the Filipino people still live within the western standards, they’re still dependent on other countries by means of working overseas, and looking up to them instead of having their own cultures as for their central attention. And this also reflects in everything, including architecture. It now appears that the Philippines' cityscape and skyline is a mix of different styles. It could represent the Philippines as a nation of mixed cultures. Or a nation of chaos with no proper government. Or even a city like that of the smokey mountain. But Manila does not deserve this. It could have been better and can still be better. 

The people are responsible for their own city, but this could only be possible if they are governed properly. The past administration left huge responsibilities for today’s government. I think the government is much more responsible for the people and hence to the city and the whole country. 70 years have passed but still, Manila looks worse than when it was bombed. Flood’s all over, dirt all over, and pollution all over. Manila is a mess no one man could fix, but unity is the only solution of all other possibilities. And yet here they are, the senators who are trying to pass the Senate Bill 2770, for what? To mess things even more? Civil Engineers are civil engineers, Architects are Architects. Deal with it. The building codes of Manila are just not clear for me. Truly, I cannot even spot these building codes they’re saying. Perhaps, it’s due to corruption again. It’s always corruption that’s why Philippines do not progress or as they say.

Actually, Manila was designed coherently. I can still see it today, though not very clear; the positioning of different cities for different style of architecture, the logical design for Intramuros, Rizal Park and the city hall, Quezon City and Makati. But not until I’ve noticed the means of transportation, it’s a mess. The traffic is always heavy; LRT and MRT are just really chaotic; with no proper handling of people and confusing routes and disordered stations.

The skyline of Metro Manila makes sense before when it was all uniformed and patterned to the style of classical design, and modern buildings are located farther away from the classical city. It made more sense because of the bay, or before, the beach, when all the structures are perfectly designed for it. And it also made more sense when all the buildings are made perfectly for its climate. But today, what is sense? What’s the sense of the classical city if we don’t respect it and just put any buildings we want? What’s the sense of putting magnificent glass buildings that don’t exactly fit for the climate? What’s the sense of reclamation, when there is enough space for everything? There’s no sense at all.

Obviously, there is no definitive vertical icon in the Philippines. The buildings are not united, they just stand for itself. And they are just poor imitation of buildings from other countries. It's what Filipinos do; to imitate and look up to others. But what if we look deeper on Filipino cultures, and enrich it, apply it on architecture? There was once a beautiful context in Manila. But it vanished years ago.They don't stand harmoniously with one another. It's quite sad how people rejects the city that supposed to be one of the best cities in the world. 

Makati is the business district of the Philippines. Even though the buildings looks stunning and impressive, I don’t think they’re effective for a tropical climate. For me, it’s just another part of the country full of nonsense  and people are acting as if everything’s fine. But It’s not. The buildings are made from glass, again imitating what’s trendy abroad. Yes, it is in international style, but that doesn’t mean it could really be place anywhere. It’s not being practical for a tropical country like the Philippines. But there are still old buildings that is perfectly fit for the climate; and this are the first buildings that should have been followed by this smart people. 

The RCBC Plaza is designed by an international architectural firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP together with local architectural firm, W.V. Coscolluela & Associates. It  is one of the buildings in Makati that looks impressing at first glance. But once you’ve experienced the hot blaze of sun inside it, you may never wanna come back. This building is mostly made of glass which means when it’s sunny, it needs more electrical power to cool up the entire building. Although it is said to be solar powered, it’s still worth 400 million US dollars to build. But what if this could have just been made perfectly for its climate, won’t that be more practical and efficient? 

Another beaming building that will surely make your eyes twinkle is the GT international tower. It will literally make your eyes twinkle with its all-glass curtain wall. It surely is irritable and makes me think why the heck would they build buildings like this on a burning place like Philippines. Even its design is very ordinary and completely arrogant with its pointed tower as if it plays a very important role for the country. It is designed by local architectural firms GF & Partners Architects and Recio + Casas Architects, in cooperation with international architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. 

One great building in Ayala Avenue is the SSS Makati Building. The design is simple yet very effective. Although it made use of glass, it is highly efficient due to the overhangs of the concrete. This is an example of a tropical urban design that is perfectly suitable for its climate. But it saddens me that this building is quite dirty and people tend to forget that these kind of buildings are more suitable in the country. It somehow reminds me of buildings in Macau or Las Vegas due to its curvilinear form that seems to lit up during night. 

The Peninsula Manila, designed by the architectural firm: Chhada Siembida Leung Ltd., is another successful tropical design for a tropical country. It made use of massive concrete and minimal windows. It is highly efficient due to prevalent materials, logical and symbolic design. Although its majestic fountain gets negative critiques, others find it extraordinary. Personally, I don’t quite like it however, it’s unique and it somehow gets your attention right away. Well architecture is subjective. 

The Vicente Madrigal Building is also one of the most successful building along Ayala Avenue. The design is exactly suitable for the tropical climate. It uses minimal glass windows that provides overhangs and an outer covering which protects the whole building from excessive sun light and strong typhoons. 

Greenbelt, a series of mall, owned by Ayala Corporation is a contemporary tropical design that is perfectly suited for the climate of the Philippines. It has an outdoor spacious garden that enables the shoppers to roam around. The garden is filled with tropical trees and plants that is really good for the building’s natural ventilation. The volumes and shapes are varying because of different architects and designers who designed the whole greenbelt. Despite of the fact, it still stand united as one. 

Philippine Stock Exchange Plaza is also one great building that looks stunning as well. It was designed by Architect Leandro Locsin in partnership with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP. It comprises of the Ayala One Tower and the Philippines Exchange building. Although it looks remarkable, the design is quite usual from other skylines in abroad. It should have been more developed because it stands as the Philippines’ stock exchange building. It’s also made mostly from glass. Again, I think it should have been built for the people and not just simply for impression. 

The Ayala Triangle Gardens is a very good space for recreation created by Ayala Corporation. Underneath the Philippine Exchange building, is a plaza that will lead to Ayala Triangle Gardens. The garden is comprised of different restaurants and spaces for leisure and relaxation. It reminds me of the Madison Square Park in Manhattan, New York City. Like the Madison Square, it is a public park which is located in the middle of the city. It is effective due to the lack of greeneries around the city. It is helpful for the people because it creates a different feeling of the city.

KPMG Center is a neo-classical inspired building also located in Makati. It is somehow effective for the climate because of minimal use of glass. But it is just basically a copy of a neo-classical building in Rome, Italy, although it is a high-rise building. 

Although there are still tropical buildings in Makati, it seems that people are getting along with all-glass international style. And this efficient, more practical buildings are sometimes forgotten.If only they knew where they’re getting themselves into. It’s funny how people try to push things through even if they know that it just won’t work no matter how hard they try.  On the other hand, Manila still has its rich culture it used to have. It was just forgotten because of wanting for more than enough when in fact the best was almost at reach.