E D S A 4

EDSA is a major artery that connects North and South of Metropolitan Manila.
Whether you drive a car, commute or ride the MRT, Edsa will always be the highway we either dread to go (because of terrible traffic) or the highway we dread to go (because of visual, air and noise pollution). I just can’t imagine liking it, except for one very rare moment. When my friends parked in front of Megamall and walked comfortably on the car-less thoroughfare towards Robinsons to join its last and coolest Street Party, Erap’s Despedida. I also remember the yellow themed EDSA People Power in 1986.The road was still very wide and flooded with people wearing yellow shirts holding yellow flowers and banners.

Edsa today is defined by a Metro Rail Transit concourse that splits the road into two. Stand on one side of the road and you will feel a bit lost and alienated. In order to cross, you will have to go two flights of up and another two flights of down on the pedestrian overpass. Let’s just say, it is trying to be consistent with the undulating levels of the MRT concourse. Despite traffic, Edsa is still categorically, a highway. Being a major spine that serves more than 50% (I think) of the commuting and driving population, it opened some areas for business opportunities even without the presence of decent sidewalks. For now, the road connects major commercial, financial shopping centers of Metro Manila but sooner or later, Edsa will be a long road of side by side mixed-use developments. This is evinced by the several condominium buildings along Edsa that take advantage of the MRT’s proximity.

Ideally, MRT should be underground. This way, street-life is more visually pleasing because it enjoys natural daylight. Rizal Avenue with its good mix of post and pre-war architecture suffered the effect of an elevated LRT. Taft (especially PWU Building, La Salle Building and Luneta Areas) and Avenida still look very promising if you don’t see any visual blockage on the street. For Edsa, without thinking of the cost implications of the subway system, the concourse space could have been better used as Edsa’s sidewalks.

Another issue Edsa faces is visual pollution. Billboards, static or moving are everywhere. I remember a British photographer’s note of his photo of Morayta’s billboards, at the corner of Espana. He sarcastically said that you will never find billboards, these many and high in London. I said to myself,¨Wait til he sees Edsa.¨

Time to do something! (MetroFlex)

CREDITS

chad041893 of Flickr




THE MODERN FILIPINO HOUSE

My colleague, Edson Cabalfin will have the second of his lecture series at the Silverlens Gallery along Pasong Tamo Extension on September 29, 2007, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. Entitled The Modern Filipino House: Philippine Residential Architecture of the 1960’s, Cabalfin will discuss how modernity in homes was translated by Filipinos at that time. In his last lecture, he presented an impressive overview of Philippine Modern Architecture as support to the Photo Exhibit of Iza Lorenzo. Do not miss this rare architecture event.

Seen in the many buildings and homes being constructed all over the Metro show that the Philippines is experiencing a building boom. In the financial districts, you see these condominiums look desolate and unoccupied. But wonder why another one is being built at the next corner. Why? More and more Filipinos abroad are sending in money to invest in a retirement or a vacation home. I remember Daphne Osena’s byword “The dream of owning a Filipino home” in her show Urban Zone. The show features newly built houses and interiors of condominiums done in different “styles” of design. One style emerges as the most popular, Modern Asian. Contemporary Asian is used as the more appropriate term. But what is it exactly? Magazines, books and even television shows depict Contemporary “Asian” Design in Interiors and Architecture as space in warm colors, rich details, with the bonus of making a small nook for a tropical garden or koi pond. The caboodle is sometimes accented with Asian rare items the owner or designer boasts. Seeing these houses make me feel like I am in spa or a hotel, relaxing and calming. It is interesting to link the city’s other “booms” such as spas, facials, fitness and (artificial) teas - SOMEHOW a related lifestyle concept that influenced us to make our house, our very own spa. Why not? However, I rarely see an “Asian” Modern house addresses its being Asian SPATIALLY, except in the little cutesy items that adorn the space. But then again, what is Asian in the first place? It is so diverse, your Chinese Buddha might conflict with your Indian Buddha, side by side with the Quiapo’s Holy Nazarene. I guess it’s all a matter of mixing the right stuff to make it look well made (arranged). And why was it called Modern or Contemporary? Is it because it is housed in a space made of concrete with interiors rich in varnished moldings and halogen lamps? Is this the Modern Filipino House Today?


COLLEGE OF SAINT BENILDE SCHOOL OF DESIGN & ARTS

Photos taken by Tristan Granados








MANILA'S NEW GIANT

“That even a “balut vendor” (duck egg vendor) will stop to see it.” It is a memorable quote from a mentor, while he was pushing us to break the mold in designing our buildings. In the entire cityscape of Manila, nothing had come close to that reality. Not until Ed Calma’s CSB-SDA Building (College of Saint Benilde –School of Design and Arts) rose to say hey!, look at me.

Ride the MRT, the bus or even the jeepney, you will overhear comments from people on how modern, big or white the building is. It is fascinating when you see people turn their heads to glance at the white behemoth along Pablo Ocampo Street. Some CSB students even delayed their graduation in order to attend a semester in the new building. Whether the feedbacks are negative or positive, the building can stir curiosity and reactions. Is it because, it’s something new to the eyes of Manilenos? Or the building simplylooks magnificent. The answer will always be subjective.













The first time I saw the completed CSB-SDA Building, I must admit I was awestruck by its size and godlike presence (the magic of white paint and cladding). A colleague once told me that its whiteness makes it glow like a giant lamp at night. Approaching the building is through an inclined piazza, where you notice a number of protruding volumes, meant to function like benches (I assume). I didn’t bother to stick around because it was too hot. I thought, the bold folding gesture of the
building would have made more impact, had it shaded (my entry) the piazza. I was still in the impressed mode, when I saw something familiar. Folding strips on the ceiling that crawls to an enclosed mezzanine space, reminds you of the details of the now-closed Restaurant 12 at Greenbelt Mall. Later on, through an interview of Calma by a friend, it was confirmed that the New CSB-SDA building is indeed a blown up vers
ion of that restaurant he also designed. Near the lobby, visitors are screened in Metrorail-like swipe-card pedestals. While waiting for the elevator, you look up and see the folding gestures, and repeating balconies in a 4-5 storey high atrium. It reminded me of the balconies of Winka Dubbeldam’s Greenwich Project. The first area we visited was the administrative office on the topmost floor. The office enjoys an impressive view of Manila. Adjacent is the faculty room. Inside, you see visual connections between different programs, a classroom
below, director’s lounge on the left and further beyond, the student cafeteria below. You get a feel of the quality of spaces that some star-architect’s like Thom Mayne or Rem Koolhaas make. The design was further explained by Ed Calma in the Manila Times August 12 2007 ISSUE:

“This is probably the first building of its kind that manifests the multidiscip
linary teaching approach of the school,” says Calma. “The building takes its form from the spirit of design
creativity; nothing was pre-conceived. This way, it would provide a much more stimulating learning environment compared to the usual box with corridors
and flat lines.” Though the aesthetic elements of glass and steel are omnipresent, it is astounding to learn that no two rooms and no two floors of the SDA building are the same. A masterpiece of form and function, hallways of the SDA building were designed in a way that they can be converted into impromptu exhibition space whenever needed. In addition, the glass windows allow natural light to get in as well as provide ample ventilation, thus reducing the building’s energy consumption. “If you have a place that already teaches you a vocabulary of space, then you already establish a kind of language for design and arts,” explains Calma, adding, “That makes the building a tool for education.”

Areas of the buildings were designed to fit different design and art programs, intended to be reactive and dynamic with each other. The Performing Arts Department was planned cleverly. The studio spaces are ideal preparatory spaces, as they were conveniently located right behind the backstage of the Auditorium. The studios and classrooms are visible from the corridors as some of the walls are made of glass. Some complaints include, distractions of students and even teachers from people passing by. The windows along the hallways utilized glass louversto shield it from rainwater. From the outside, you see the louvers form an abstract pattern, repeating the design’s linear and folding gestures. While I tour the well-lit corridors, I noticed that some areas are warm and lacks good air circulation. It made me curious how much the building spends for electric bills. My jaw dropped when I was told of the 3 Million Pesos or 64,000 USD worth of monthly electric bill, and at that time, the building was not fully operational yet. I have always thought that the combo of avant-garde and sustainable design is like oil and water, they don’t mix. Apparently, a lot of people (architects and non-architects) I interviewed also say that the building doesn’t mix well with the surroundings. Small houses near or right beneath SDA building complain how the structure deprived them of sunlight. To many of us, its design is not site sensitive. While I agree of SDA’s visual alienation, I also thought that modernist design especially of the avant garde, is most of the times aggressive. So why question it? What if, it is intended to yell at us? Or awaken us from the obsession of building the face of the past? I still have questions about the overall design though. While we see a strong formal folding at the front of the building, we don’t see it happening at the back. We read the rear area as a maximized and boxy volume, that doesn’t translatethe dynamic program inside. Imagine the building without the backside, or the backside employs same folding language, the building appears stronger and probably lighter. But as it is, the building is already notable for its features new and unique to Manila.

Sure, it is not as internationally famous as the media frenzied OMA’s CCTV building in Beijing or the HDM’s nest-like stadium for the Bejing Olympics, but in a third-world country like the Philippines, it is already big star. It was already 3 decades ago since the city enjoyed an architectural madness when the former first lady, Imelda Marcos built a Brasilia-like complex, the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Somehow, the 1.5 Billion Pesos (30 Million USD) SDA building created some buzz in the architecture scene. The design was a product of a competition, a practice that local companies and institutions should implement to bring out the best of local talent. The word “best” might sound too bold, but it was only Calma’s design that radically veered away from the University’s Neo Classical theme. There was a last minute request from School officials to change the design direction back to Neo-Classical. But Calma’s expertise does not, and will never speak the language of traditional architecture. To laymen, his office is known for its minimalist designs. To architects, Ed is either the under-board architect or better, an adamant modernist. I personally like how the project turned out, because I could not imagine another oversized Parthenon built, envisioned to inspire its users to create “NEW” designs. How the Calma-designed SDA building will influence students? Let’s find out in five years.


(A PICTURE GALLERY SHALL BE UPLOADED)




MANILA POOL CITY

Because the old baywalk redevelopment brought back Filipinos to a public space, I learned to appreciate it. It is sad that it is gone. The recent development at the baywalk prompted me to work on some ideas.

Roxas Boulevard shall retain its trademark image: the flank of coconut trees. The lollipop lights stay as memory of Atienza’s efforts. At the baywalk, we jog, skate, or walk along the promenade while we either watch the sunset or take the plunge into the the landscape / waterscape? of Manila Pool City. We swim at the pools with the illusion of swimming in the waters of Manila Bay. We create a destination that is like no other in the city. This will bring back Manila city-zens to the baywalk promenade without having to rely on commercial establishments.

Pool with a Boardwalk










Axes and Archipoolago








Axes

The image does not show real coordinates, but lines (boardwalks) should point the direction to the country’s best beaches and other resort destinations. Paving design can integrate information about these resorts.






















ArchiPOOLago

Proposal for an archipelago of pools and floating open spaces, accessible via floating raft or a small boat. The design is a rhetoric of how the country’s archipelagic setup created a divide in transportation and communication. This will be experienced in the inaccessibility of other pools and open spaces of Archipoolago. Some pools can be operated by the hotels along Roxas Boulevard.






















The next area to be redeveloped is the service road of Roxas Boulevard. Historically, this was a linear park that connected Rizal Park and another huge park where Central Bank and Harrison Plaza now stand.
Since the other side has the Pool/s as its magnet for people. Manila Mayor Lim might find legitimacy in putting the commercial structures along the service-road. This former linear park can be made over and accommodate island-type kiosks of retail and F&B’s (food and beverages). This way, Ground floor spaces of buildings along Roxas Boulevard, especially the Art Deco ones are integrated in the commercial development of the area. Outdoor seating for dining and unwinding will bring Roxas Boulevard back to life while the famed Manila Sunset remains viewable.

Points:

Manila Bay Pool City - A New Landmark and Destination for Manila

Manila Bay - Tourist Visits will increase

Manila Sunset - Tourist Visits will increase

Roxas Boulevard Service-Road - Redeveloped for Commercial Purposes

Roxas Boulevard property - More Commercially Viable

Roxas Boulevard Hotels - More bookings


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To god be the Glory!