“Is there such thing as Philippine Architecture?”

Is there such thing as a Filipino architecture? Do we have our own style when it comes to architecture? Can we really say that we have something to be proud of? To be totally honest, I don’t really know if there is or there is not a thing such as Filipino architecture. In my two years of studying architecture I am still not confident to say that we Filipinos have our own. Yes we strive to achieve something better but are we not just borrowing everything we has on other country. But I know that all hopes are not yet gone. We are trying to accomplish something we can call our own. We are striving to be different from the others. Some of us, some of architects was able to prove such things. Some was still hopeful including me. I have seen houses, buildings that have that essence of being a Filipino. I have seen some architects who truly believed, believing that someday we will have that essence of Philippine architecture. I myself also believe in that. After I finished my study to become a licensed architect I will not forget to be Filipino in all the projects that I will be doing. I must do something about it. We must do something about it. I think that Filipinos are  a natural when it comes to building dwelling places you could just think about it. Ever since we are doing our best to build a place where we can live comfortably, applying all the knowledge we can give. First there are caves and as time passed people, our ancestors, learns new things and as this happens we are able to improve our way of living we were able to make more comfortable dwelling houses. After years of progress we had been colonized by different countries causing us to adopt their styles of architecture and until today we are still holding to that kind of style. Although we have evolved simply from caves to houses to more complex way of living can we really call this Philippine architecture?

But I know some architects who had already proven their belief and visions that we there is such thing as Philippines architecture. Some of the architects that I was talking about was Architect Leandro V. Locsin and the so-called “Hero of the Philippine architecture” Architect “Francisco “Bobby” Manosa”. These two are famous and known for their Filipino inspired architectural design. They are incorporating that Filipino essence in their works that is why you can see based from their previous works the Filipino nationalism effect. And because of their knowledge and uniqueness in designing and being an extraordinary architect this made them gain different awards which just shows how great of an architect they are.

Leandro V. Locsin was a Filipino architect, artist, and interior designer. He was proclaimed a National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture. He known for his unique use of concrete, floating volume, simple design. He design many building that made him famous in the field of Philippine architecture. His famous works are The Tanghalang Maria Makiling of theNational Arts Center this building was based from the traditional Nipa Hut, Davao International Airport and one of his most recognizable work is the Cultural Center of the Philippines. His works was inspired by Filipino houses  and more. He has his different interpretation in showing this kinds of stuff which I really admire. He was able to incorporate the use of concrete and the floating effect yet he was able to show the Filipino essence in his design.  His buildings was commonly used as National Museums, Airports etc.  

Then there is Architect Francisco “Bobby” Manosa. He was obviously was like the father, Hero of Philippine architecture. He has lots of awards proving that he was one of the greatest Filipino architect in our time. I am such a big fan of his Filipino inspired works. In a way it speaks to me. It makes me think that we still have hope to make our own style of architecture. It inspires me so much that when the time comes and when I finished my course in would like to follow his footsteps not only to be known by all but to continue what he started and passed it to the next generations.  One of his truly Filipino inspired building was the Coconut Palace located in Pasay. This was supposed to be the house of the vice president of the Philippines. This was truly an achievement and in a way an icon for him. This was made with the used of Philippine harwood, coconut shell, and a specially engineered coconut lumber known as the “Imelda Madera”. A true beauty. Another work of Francisco Manosa is his Bahay Kubo mansion in Ayala Alabang village. This house was inspired by the Bahay Kubo which is one of the first dwelling house that I can say is truly a Filipino. Its interior was detailed from the biggest to the smallest of things. If you go there you will be amazed of how Filipino inspred it is. It is the perfect example of what I can say a Philippines architecture.

The Philippines has so much potential and has many great architects that can bring out the best in it. We have, as I said earlier, the Bahay Kubo or Nipa Hut. One of the historical structure of the Philippines. It is the first formal dwelling of the people. It is so much better than living in a cave right. It has better ventilation which allows air to go in so it will not be to hot inside. It is a house that is used until now. Whenever I go inside this kind of structure in a way it gives me an idea of what our past was and how and what their way of living was. Also in a way it relaxes me, gives me comfort. It tells me that life is simple and Filipino people are happy person who gets satisfaction in the simplest of things. Now I can see lots of these structures in beaches and some gardens. And I ask myself is this all the appreciation we can give to the house that we first leaved in. But I am also glad because until today we still have this king of houses and we still use it.

Then the Bahay na Bato which is one house that is used ever since. It is definitely stronger than the Bahay Kubo because most of it is buil on stones. It is more safe yet comfortable. It has more available spaces for rooms and more stable not like the Bahay Kubo or Nipa Hut which is not that stable and permanent. The use of stone in building structures became dominant especially in the area of intramuros and fort Santiago. It was use for defence and also as a hiding place during the war. It is used mostly on churches not only here in the Philippines but in some part of the world which we Filipinos can be very proud of. For me using this kind of house was really Filipino because it shows the strong personality of the Filipino yet the soft side because of the comfort that it gives.

Well making this essay answers my question “Is there such thing as Philippine Architecture?” Well for me I can honestly say that there is a Philippine architecture. But it has not yet its fullest potential to dominate the Philippines. It needs more support and we students of architecture, the next generation will have to continue this style.  I am proud to say that we can be better. We can still change the way the people thinks about our Architecture. I will definitely support this kind of architecture. I will design based from our culture to show the world what we Filipinos are capable of doing. We have a rich architecture though not all appreciates it but we do. We just have to observe and care for our surrounding in that way we can help our nation to open their eyes to the possibilities of what we still can be.

We should be proud to say to the world that we are Filipino and we have our style to build, nourish and at the right time show to the world the result of the hard work and great visions for the future. Filipino architecture has so much to offer when used and done properly. It is so refreshing to know that we are not just copying what other country has. We are not just borrowing their architectural style. We are combining them with what we have resulting to a new style of architecture. We are evolving to a new era where we can enter a new style where we have our own style of Architecture. This journey has already been started by Locsin and Manosa. We are here to continue their journey and pass it to the next Generation. 

Photos:

"The Usual Bahay Kubo"

"The usual Bahay na Bato"

"The Cultural Center of the Philippines" by Leandro Locsin

"The Coconut Palace" By Francisco Manosa

"Davao International Airport"

"Typical Bahay na Bato" in Intramuros

"Ruins of Baluarte de San Diego"

"Tanghalang Maria Makiling of the National Arts Center"

Skyscrapers in the City of Manila

Skyscrapers in the Philippines. Do you agree that skyscrapers today are taking over our city? Do you think that this is a good thing for us or a bad thing? Does this show power and improvement of our city? Or this is just for show? Do we need this or simply just to say that we have our own? So many questions in my mind that eventually will have an answer as I, myself explore the city of manila to observe our skyscrapers. For me personally I kind of agree that today, skyscrapers are taking over our city. Because today basically everywhere you look you will see that there is a tall building not only one but many. It is as if they are trying to compete to each other for example like who has the taller building, which has more power, which has a bigger empire. Yes you heard me right. For me a skyscraper symbolizes power and it is like an empire. Every place especially in some places like Makati city, ortigas city etc. you will see different skyscrapers different heights and different styles. It is amazing how they built that, how much money and effort and of course the time that they give to such buildings. I think that in the future there will be more skyscrapers that will be built possibly I think all the building will be all skyscrapers. With what I am seeing right now that is not impossible. Also for a fact that today many skyscraper buildings are being built what more in the future right. Having a skyscraper in our city has its up and down side. It is bad because not like normal buildings, it take a long time to be built. In needs a lot of money. More money than the usual. It is so expensive. Not only that also because if there is a fire on top of the building it will be very hard for the people to go down and for the firemen to stop the fire. What if there is an earthquake? It will be too late for the people on the top of a skyscraper to go down. With that height I doubt they will survive. Although today there are skyscrapers that are being build and had been built to withstand an earthquake you cannot be so sure that it will not collapse. I can also say that a skyscraper is not for everybody. For example it is not for people who have a fear for heights. But enough about the downside let us see what the up side of a skyscrapers. What the good thing about skyscrapers is it helps us use more space. It made use of the space from the lot upward which very convenient. Business building and condominiums are perfect examples of it. Also more skyscrapers kind of show the power of our city. Although there are more higher skyscrapers in other countries such as in new York, united states. The Philippines is trying its best not to be left behind by this powerful countries which is for me is not a bad thing but a good attitude of the Filipino people. They are striving hard to improve our country and they are trying their best. Many building in Makati are skyscrapers. It is the business capital of the Philippines. For me I believe that more skyscraper building means more opportunities for many people. In business it means more jobs for the people in residences like hotels and condominiums it means more opportunities to live in a safe and luxurious place of course for a reasonable price. Not just that I think that skyscraper in the city of manila has history in it6. Somehow it tells who we are and what we are capable of doing. Skyscrapers here in manila I think most of it is very post modernist in a sense that it has many styles compiled in one. Different architectural styles like gothic, Romanesque and many more. So you see there are many good things that a skyscraper here in manila can contribute to our living. For me skyscrapers show power and wealth of a company or a person. Here in the Philippines many skyscrapers are owned by some of the richest people. In architectural relation, for me also it shows power because of its tall height you will really have to put your heads up just to see the whole thing. When I see a huge building that I like I really admired it a lot. I always want to go inside and roam around the place. I also want to go to the rooftop to see the whole city or its surroundings. I feel relaxed with the air caressing my skin. In a way I feel powerful being in that very high position. In a way it gives you authority.  I think that is what a skyscraper really likes the people in it to feel. To feel powerful and above than other. Roaming the city and seeing how much development really had surprised me. I was like a little ant compared to the gigantic buildings that surrounds me. In a it makes me proud to be here in manila. Because seeing this skyscrapers around the city. It really shows that a Filipino and the Philippines has more potential that it can imagine. It shows were not outdated and we can be a better country, a better society if we just believe and work hard. I cannot say that we do not have our own style in building skyscrapers for now. But that is the reason why students today are studying and learning the art of architecture. I know that in the future we will have our own style that we can be proud of. The start of the skyscrapers only shows that our city is improving because from the past years the skyscrapers are not that common in our city. I believe that the availabity of the materials also influence this kind of building types to be made because from the past years I think the materials to build skyscrapers were not that easy to acquire and the machineries needed was not invented yet. But now we have all the resources that we need are all in the tip of our hands. All we need is use them it is now easier and faster I guess that is also another reason why skyscrapers here in our city had evolved. I think that it is just a big waste when they are destroying old building to make a new one because every time they destroy that they also destroy one part of our history which is very important but I cannot blame them because I know that they are only doing this such things because this is for the greater good of our city of our country. We are going to make new history with this new buildings. Well back to the building. Have seen many skyscrapers in my life and I can say that the skyscrapers here in the city of manila is not the best. But I consider it better than others. If you are looking for a place in the Philippine, in manila particularly, where you can see skyscraper I would recommend you to go to Makati. Makati City is the Philippine's main business area. Most of the biggest global companies operating in the country locate their head offices in the city. It's dense skyline, a smaller version compared to New York's, is the most organized and gorgeous looking among the business districts in the country and is being rivaled by Mandaluyong City's Ortigas Business District, Manila's romantic bayside skyline and the newly emerging Fort Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City. You can see all within Metro Manila. It is a really different feeling if you go there to experience the high grossing building there. Of course there are skyscraper outside the Makati area. I have a list of some skyscrapers located here in the Philippines. The first one is The Philippine bank of communication or commonly known as the PBCom tower. It is the tallest skyscraper here in the Philippines until today. it is a 52 storey building it is in Makati and was built in the year 2000. Another is the Tower of power, it is the Transmitter of GMA Network,237 meter high. tallest man-made structure in the Philippines until the completion of PBCom Tower. It is located in Quezon City. In the same area is the transmitter of the ABS-CBN Network. The competition of GMA Network. I am talking about the Millenium transmitter, a 228 meter high building built in the year 1969. The year the building was built really shows the improvement of the building. It gets higher and higher as the years past. Next is the GT International Tower located also in Makati buil in the year 2001 and 47-storey high building a beautiful skyscraper that will truly get your attention. The St. Francis Shangrila Place in mandaluyong built in the year 2009, a very new building. A 60-storey building. And currently the country’s tallest residential and twin tower. If you’ve seen this building you will notice that it really stands out because of its humongous size. Even in Mandaluyong City you can see the improvements through time. Next in our list is the Petron Megaplaza in Makati a 45-storey building built in the year 1998. It is the former tallest building in the Philippines. It is a very beautiful skyscraper built with glass. I think it is gorgeous. The Union Bank Plaza in Pasig. A 49-storey building built in the year 2004. It is the tallest building in the Pasig district. Then there is the Golden Empire Tower which is the tallest building in manila. Was built on 2002 and is a 57-storey building. This building for me shows real power. It is very interesting. The One Corporate Centre in Pasig. A 45-storey building and was built on the year 2009. For me this building is different because unlike others, this building is not that edgy because of its smooth sides that gives a beautiful effect. The BSA Twin Tower in Mandaluyong. Was finished at the year 2000, it is a 55-storey building formerly the tallest twin towers in the Philippines. I think it is a simple twin tower with pointy roofs. The Pacific Plaza towers in Taguig. This skyscraper is currently the tallest building in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig city.For me this building really shocked me. It really got my attention with its very futuristic look. It is really an eye candy. The Robinson Equitable Tower. It is the former tallest building in the Philippines in the year 1998. It is a 45-storey building. Pretty much the highest building at that time. Most common use for skyscrapers are condominiums, residential. Until today many condominiums, dorms, apartments are being done because of our growing population one way to solve this is make use of all the available spaces that we can use.

Over all conclusion to what I have learned. I learned that skyscrapers help us in our lives and it shows the evolution of our country not only our country but the evolution of our lifestyle. It makes us proud that we were able to build this kind of tall gigantic buildings in our city. We may not have the tallest and the most grandeur skyscraper but I can say that we are not left out and we have skyscraper buildings of our own. My observation gave me answers to my questions. It helped me appreciate the small and big things that we have. I had a great time exploring the city looking for skyscrapers that I can say really is outstanding for me. I hope that someday when I finished my course Architecture, I will be given an opportunity to design and build a skyscraper that I can be proud of and the all people will never forget.

Photos of Skyscrapers in Manila: