ARCDES2 2012

ARCDES2 2012

Arcdes 2 or Design 2 at the SDA AR tackles the city in general. If Arcdes 1 dealt with designing for the self that allowed the students to formulate their own design processes and beliefs in architecture, Arcdes2 projects focus on site sensitivity and dealing with different urban conditions.  The studio is required to identify problems and propose solutions to provide a better Urbanism for the city. Since our school is Manila based, it is but important that we make our home city our laboratory.

For this year, I picked Malate as a venue for urban study. However, I decided to take a different route because I want to avoid massive infrastructure projects. Instead, I took the story discourse which I think is a perfect continuation of Arcdes1 and more relevant to Malate. The revival of its identity through a building is what our studio proposes for the district’s rebirth.

Malate, contrary to what the general public perceives is multi-layered and it is a place that offers a lot of opportunities for architectural ideas.  I allowed the students to discover these stories and serve as the starting point of their respective projects.  As a first exercise, the students were asked to map Malate  to produce initial site information relevant to their studies. Since the value of Malate is anchored to its layered history: Bohemia, prostitution, homosexuality, Art Deco buildings, Socialites, 19^th century elites, Larry Cruz and nightlife, their proposals were expected to center on the stories that made Malate known for its constant reinvention.

Image above.  1st photo is a beautifully hand-drawn crime map of Malate by Christopher Mccombs, Sheliak Jimenez and Mark Gervoso. Other maps generating information about Malate. Fyi, SDA AR stands for School of Design and Arts Architecture Program of the De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde.

FROSHED

Posted in this blog several years ago was a behemoth standing along Vito Cruz that pushed my desire to teach in an architecture school. Leap 2 years forward, I am already preparing for my second year as a faculty in a design program housed in the same giant plotter (this is a complement).

Before stepping into the academe, one could imagine my confidence as first-time lecturer whose optimistic attitude remain untainted by professional practice. I thought wrong. During my first day at school, this idealist and proud mentor-wannabe, found himself behind the vintage looking classroom-computer, clueless where and how to start an intro. It felt like I was seeing the light in the tunnel as my life when I was a student flashed before my eyes. The experience in the room was like an apparition of a not too distant past. The last two hours of that day was saved by the thought that we were all neophytes or colloquially called in CSB, “frosh.” Half of the term ended with me struggling and finding my way to deliver the syllabus with perfection. Paranoia sets in as it whispers that blame is upon me when these students end the term without their lessons learned. It took a while before it sunk in what our program chairperson advised us during our orientation; that we have an academic freedom, provided that the learning outcomes are met. The sound of freedom in a design academe is music but I found myself more paranoid because of the time wasted. Somehow, I pulled it off. Redemption was sweet towards the end as I saw my students produce good results. You always feel that you knew you could have done better… had you known.

The students' output was a testament that indeed, design language can be thought, not in a superficial way but as a thought process. To make up for the lost opportunities in engaging them in design discourses, I set up one on one (grouped) sessions with my students, to somehow introduce to them vocabulary of design processes. That short period of time, somehow made an effect to those who were dedicated to their tasks. It could have been better…”had I known,” like I already said….

Noticeably, one can see the students’ pure view of architecture. It is good for them to realize that they can do anything at first before they are bombarded with limitations. This freedom allowed them to create new things and ideas. It is normal that they hesitate at first attempt, but with proper steering, they progress impressively. That is the beauty of teaching frosh, they are like infants whose first words of “dada” is music to their father’s ears. The best work of my frosh students are akin to that experience. No, this is not an indication that I want to be a father soon.

Image above. Karla Elefante and Kevin Singzon’s “Petals.” The final studio work is for the group to design a space that CSB students can use. The group created a disc module with a standard size of 1.2 meter in diameter. The discs were provided with notches on its four quadrants for connection purposes. This was a structural element that they played to create a program for the site.

ATTEMPTS

The long break from Metroplex was because...

a. I became too busy with magazine business
b. I ran out of ideas. LOL
c. I was obsessed with designing Tsuper Magazine and contributing for Flow Magazine.

They are all lies, because...

a. I became too busy with magazine biz.
Truth: Before Tsuper Magazine, I was way busier.

b. I ran out of ideas. LOL
Truth: I have ideas, but I was too busy with restaurant city.

c. I was obsessed with designing Tsuper Magazine and contributing for Flow Magazine.
Truth: I was obsessed vacationing and enjoying the perks of being an editor of a Travel oriented magazine.LOL

BACK IN THE CITY

I did not leave the city. I was physically here, but my mind was somewhere it did not have to work. It is possible. It was as if I was gliding in nothingness and allowed time to stop while events still ensued. In that dull time, I dabbled into renovation work of Angela Apartments, an art deco apartment in downtown Manila http://www.theangelaapartments.com/. It was a revival of a previous work put on hold for 6 years. I love to create newly processed "things," and not recreate the past with a lie. I remember proposing for this building in 2003 where my group introduced the concept of "insertion" to an existing building. Last year, I got a call from the owners seeking my help to finally realize our common dream. It was a noble cause, for a city (Manila) that does not value its existence (majority), there are still people who are willing to invest in it. I accepted it because aside from my deep respect for the owners, I want to contribute to the preservation of one of the few standing art deco buildings in Manila. I was called to put the plans on paper and validate it with a signature. The interiors were done by another firm. The showroom is now being constructed and soon, Manilenos will have an opportunity to live in an authentic old building. We are still waiting. Patiently waiting for Angela to finally fly again.

WHISPERING ICONOGRAPHY

While new developing cities obsess with architectural icons that yell its iconic qualities, an architectural piece by Giancarlo Mazzanti modestly announces itself in the landscape of Santo Domingo, Colombia. Biblioteca Parque Espana is a library overlooking the city. The icon is not imposing and melds with the surrounding foliage, as if rocks sitting on top of the hill. This iconography resembles Jean Nouvel’s Proposed Tower in Spain, combined with the grouping of sail-like silhouettes of Utzon’s Sydney Opera House. Although Nouvel’s tower and this library are both abstraction of a rock formation, Mazzanti’s building evokes softness. From afar, the building looks solid but inside, the volume is actually expressed as another skin. Window placements are abstractly placed to glisten at night and resemble like rock stains. What is striking about this library is its understated presence, yet still leaving us a strong recall. Its high elevation makes it visible from all sides, blending harmoniously with the landscape.

C R E D I T S :

Biblioteca Parque Espana
All Photos by Sergio Gomez

PSYCHEDELIC MANILA

I propose Avenida to become the catalyst for a psychedelic aesthetic. But to realize it, it must come back to its better state, a pedestrianized strip. How valuable the architecture is in Avenida? Not only Avenida was the entertainment mecca of the city, where animated neon signages enlivened the streetscape, building design along this street is ideal for our tropical setting. The arcaded or covered sidewalks made strolling in the city comfortable. When FM Atienza embarked on a renewal project for this street, the vehicular traffic was rerouted elsewhere, and the buildings along Avenida became the centerpiece. Now that traffic is back, stress is reintroduced. People won’t have the time to pause for a moment to appreciate their surroundings. Ignorant people can now sneakily demolish another valuable building along Avenida without us noticing it. The claim that the pedestrianized Avenida invited prostitution is hard to believe, because it has always been there even before it was redeveloped. Now that it is back to its old chaotic state, authorities will have a hard time policing the areas because of so many obstructions, as compared to having just an open space and people. If we are to revive this street and able to convince Mayor Lim to consider the value of the street, as a place rather than as a road, Avenida can be a starting point for the psychedelic movement. In my correspondence with P.Laurel, the proponent behind the Manila Center for the Arts, she expressed her wish to have a streetscape as colorful as the street scene in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil (The photo I posted under “A Call for a Psychedelic Manila”). The objective is to have a similar approach to the street but produce an output that is more “Pinoy.” I have seen heritage buildings abroad revived in newer or fresher colors, it is a wish that we see the same thing done to ours. But what if, we dress up our buildings the same way we dress up our jeepneys, tricycles or calesas? If you compare the jeepney with a car, the jeepney will appear gaudy and sometimes we even call it “baduy.” But not if we let this “baduy” aesthetic engulf our streetscape. Of course, the Manila Street Gallery will take part while the buildings host expressions of Filipino creativity. Imagine slogans, street language, caricatures, and comic illustrations painted on the walls of Avenida buildings. One building can even have many colors and revive its neon signages.

Along with dirty ice cream, cotton candy, balloon, kakanin, or gulaman vendors, the real character of Manila's streetscape will emerge.

CREDIT:

Photo of Avenida by SeafoodCup of Flickr

MANILA STREET GALLERY OF ART

Even before Metroplex started, I have always pondered on Manila’s LRT situation. I thought that without the elevated concourse, Manilenos could have better appreciated their city. We all want a city experience that is romantic because its architectural heritage enriches street life. Unfortunately, LRT is what a lot of Manila experience is all about. A massive spine of elevated concrete that overpowers every street it dissects. LRT led to demise of Taft and Avenida because of unattractive street life and low land values.

In my previous post, “Great Walk of Edsa,” a reader suggested the installation of Filipino blown-up paintings on the Billboards of Edsa. It was a good idea that inspired me to generate a scheme that uses Filipino artworks to strongly define Manila’s streetscape.

The vignettes show that a mural done in a massive scale can give us a powerful imagery of Filipino expression in an urban setting. We let them age and evolve. Probably after five years, another set of artists can paint on the walls of the concourse.

From one station to the next, the concourse walls can host a work of an artist or two. The artworks are to be labeled by the name of its author. This way we don’t just bring color to the drab street of Manila, finding a place might become easier by being a bit more specific. In this example, you can simply find a building along Taft Avenue by referring to Taft – Dela Rosa Street Gallery. Also, the place can be more encouraging to setup shops because there is a massive artwork / attraction in front of them. Points of interest along this stretch can also be strengthened. In front of Philippine Women’s University, the concourse can be painted by the best of its visual arts students, thus naming this area, Taft –PWU Street Gallery. Same principle can be applied for De-La Salle University, Sta. Isabel College and other areas of the LRT. Imagine how this colored concourse can complement the equally colorful Metropolitan Theatre.
In response to FFL Imelda Marcos’ “bringing art to common man” the idea of a street gallery can make Art accessible to everybody, rich and poor. The masses are given the opportunity to appreciate art without having to pay fees in a museum or feeling alienated in an air-conditioned gallery. Hopefully, this huge public art will inspire everybody to make art or paint Manila the same way.

A CALL FOR A PSYCHEDELIC MANILA!

In the late 1970’s, Former First Lady Imelda Marcos, in her City beautification program introduced the project “Kulay ng Anyo ng Lahi” (Color Form of the Race). She commissioned murals to be embellished on all planar surfaces of Manila’s public spaces. This event was in conjunction with the Manila Arts Festival that coincided with the IMF-World Bank conference in 1976. The event according to her, “fosters an interaction between artists, business and the masses; will bring art to the common man and prevent its being monopoly of the monied few, a restricted intellectual activity; will create jobs for the needy; will establish Manila as another important landmark in the world map” (Benesa 1980, 18 / Edifice Complex 2003)

I like the idea of bringing art to common man. If there is anything Filipinos are very good at, is their ability to express themselves in Music and Art. I want that to surface in the cityscape of Manila. I thought if Brazil has its colorful heritage town of Salvador de Bahia that celebrates African Heritage through music, drums and art, why not use it as an inspiration? We already started with the houses along SLEX that are grouped in colors through the project, Metro “Gwapo” (handsome). If we can push this endeavor a bit further, introduce more colors, we can probably strengthen the aesthetic we created for the jeepneys or the calesas. I personally never liked isolated murals, commonly seen on walls of schools, because I always found it dirty. But what if we exaggerate it? Hallucinate and drown ourselves with the colors of our culture. That way, the collective experience of these murals is stronger. Invest in the talents of our artists and creative pinoys! The garish jeepney might become more at home (although still, environmentally unfriendly) if we let Manila and its dwellers burst its true colors.

Photo of Salvador de Bahia by chillin travel of Flickr

MONOCLE’S TOP 20 MOST LIVABLE CITIES

TOP 10

MUNICH 1

COPENHAGEN 2

ZURICH 3

TOKYO 4

VIENNA 5

HELSINKI 6

SYDNEY 7

STOCKHOLM 8

HONOLULU 9

MADRID 10

NEXT 10

MELBOURNE 11 / MONTREAL 12 / BARCELONA 13 / KYOTO 14 /VANCOUVER 15 / AUCKLAND 16 / SINGAPORE 17 / HAMBURG 18 / PARIS 19 / GENEVA 20 ... MANILA ??

Monocle’s July/August 2007 Issue

One might notice that most countries in the top ten are European Cities. We may think that Monocle is biased. Based in London, the magazine started by saying:

You may be sitting in an egg-shaped Sir Norman Foster design building on the Thames, and wondering why your city didn’t make the top 20 there are some very sound and simple reasons…

In the past years, I have always looked at London as a hotbed for architecture experimentations, the only reason why I thought the city is fantastic. I was surprised that the city didn’t make it in the ranking. But Monocle explained why. It mentioned that while London enjoys an economic boom and influx of talents from around the world, it faired poorly in …

Public Transportation / Health

/ Sustainability Initiatives /

Drinking Hours /Airport / Crime

Furthermore, the magazine suggests that the city should invest on ...

Public Infrastructure / Built environment

/ Essential Services
Other Criteria:

Tolerance / Local Media

/ International Flight Connections

It was clarified that the ranking was a quality of life survey and not about the best financial centers of the world. This was done by identifying the components why the city is not just attractive and wealthy, but truly livable. The survey was done in three months period. Monocle claims that their survey is 50% subjective and 50% scientific, a mixture of raw data and opinion. It also explained that a truly livable city is the one that gives endless opportunities. He made Baghdad as an example because it offers many opportunities at the moment, but not necessarily giving you a high quality of life. It also set Berne as an example for a city that provides the ideal quaint life. But since Berne does not have an international airport, it was cut from the list. Crime, excluded a lot of U.S. cities and London flanked in healthcare, education, communication, connectivity, tolerance and drinking hours (See Mayor Lim!? Drinking is not too bad. Culturally, we like to drink!). It is interesting to note how Monocle brought up London’s 2012 Olympics as festival-style adventures to divert the public’s attention from the city’s crumbling infrastructure (similar to ours). As the article progresses, the magazine explained why some popular cities didn’t make it. They even reviewed the fairness of their research because none of the South American, African cities made the list. Then the magazine affirmed that there were no anomalies in their ranking. The paragraph ended with a statement “Could we happily live in any of the remaining cities (Monocle’s top ranking cities) for the rest of our days? Yes”

I discussed this with my colleague and he gave me a challenging question. “Most livable” in whose standards? The magazine’s? The West? or Tyler Brule’s? It remained unanswered, until now. If Monocle’s standards are the ones in the list they mentioned, I ask myself, aren’t these the standards of cities of developing countries (including Manila) already? Some criteria Monocle enumerated are necessities for a modern city to function and become livable. How can anyone relax in an unsafe neighborhood? Or how can a city dweller be efficient or more productive, when time is wasted on the road because of traffic? The addition of a standard like a good international airport, may not instantly relate to the concept of livability. The magazine aimed for higher standards, by adding a criterion. But again, Monocle agrees that livability will always be subjective. I wonder how the magazine will rate Manila. While the city has a lot of shortcomings, Filipinos still has the love and dream for its country if not for their city. Current boom in investments from Filipinos abroad for a retirement home in the Philippines proves, that no matter how livable or unlivable your city is, home is where your heart is. I guess it is not the city that has a high tolerance level but its people. And it’s a good thing.

But isn’t it better if we are emotionally attached to a Manila that meets good standards of livability?

HERBERT MUSCHAMP, ARCHITECTURE CRITIC, IS DEAD

Herbert Muschamp, a writer for The New York Times whose wildly original and often deeply personal reviews made him one of the most influential architecture critics of his generation, died on Tuesday night in Manhattan. He was 59 and lived in Manhattan..............His openness to new talent was reflected in the architects he championed, from Frank Gehry, Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid and Jean Nouvel, now major figures on the world stage, to younger architects like Greg Lynn, Lindy Roy and Jesse Reiser and Nanako Umemoto.

New York Times

(Click the title to read the rest of the story)