"current defines style"

trends of design is ever changing, learn how to ride the waves set by currents

"current defines style"

trends of design is ever changing, learn how to ride the waves set by currents

"space with essence"

"space with essence"

"space with essence"

Franz. DECONSTRUCTION THAT IS CREATION.

Hmmm.. There is something 'wrong' with the structure. Isn't this more of a design concept than a philosophy?

Franz. DECONSTRUCTION THAT IS CREATION.

Hmmm.. There is something 'wrong' with the structure. Isn't this more of a design concept than a philosophy?

Franz. DECONSTRUCTION THAT IS CREATION.

Hmmm.. There is something 'wrong' with the structure. Isn't this more of a design concept than a philosophy?

"space with essence"
Francis, explanation?

"space with essence"
Francis, explanation?

"space with essence"
Francis, explanation?

"current defines style"

trends of design is ever changing, learn how to ride the waves set by currents
MODERATE. I could sense what you are trying to develop as your philosophy... how about stating it differently?

"current defines style"

trends of design is ever changing, learn how to ride the waves set by currents
MODERATE. I could sense what you are trying to develop as your philosophy... how about stating it differently?

"current defines style"

trends of design is ever changing, learn how to ride the waves set by currents
MODERATE. I could sense what you are trying to develop as your philosophy... how about stating it differently?

Beauty of Simplicity

Beauty of Simplicity

Beauty of Simplicity

Jan Vincent Aldovino - ar4-8

Jan Vincent Aldovino - ar4-8

Jan Vincent Aldovino - ar4-8

Micah, is your philosophy geared towards your preference for 'simplicity'?

Well, sir, it could be also gear towards the word 'simplicity' aesthetically speaking. A ray is represented by a line with an arrowhead pointing to a certain and specified direction. While a curve path could take you back where it started or could lead you another way, in short, it has no definite direction. My design philosophy deals more with the function of a certain space or structure. A space or room or structure could not be told as to have a good design if it doesn't fully meet its function.As designers, we should take into consideration the spatial and temporal legibility of our designs for the benefit and ease of our users and if its met, then we can now consider our design as a good one.

Micah, is your philosophy geared towards your preference for 'simplicity'?

Well, sir, it could be also gear towards the word 'simplicity' aesthetically speaking. A ray is represented by a line with an arrowhead pointing to a certain and specified direction. While a curve path could take you back where it started or could lead you another way, in short, it has no definite direction. My design philosophy deals more with the function of a certain space or structure. A space or room or structure could not be told as to have a good design if it doesn't fully meet its function.As designers, we should take into consideration the spatial and temporal legibility of our designs for the benefit and ease of our users and if its met, then we can now consider our design as a good one.

Micah, is your philosophy geared towards your preference for 'simplicity'?

Well, sir, it could be also gear towards the word 'simplicity' aesthetically speaking. A ray is represented by a line with an arrowhead pointing to a certain and specified direction. While a curve path could take you back where it started or could lead you another way, in short, it has no definite direction. My design philosophy deals more with the function of a certain space or structure. A space or room or structure could not be told as to have a good design if it doesn't fully meet its function.As designers, we should take into consideration the spatial and temporal legibility of our designs for the benefit and ease of our users and if its met, then we can now consider our design as a good one.

Ogena.

USER-FRIENDLY OVER BEAUTY.

Is this the new generation's 'form follows function'?

How about stating your philosophy differently to be less obvious.

Ogena.

USER-FRIENDLY OVER BEAUTY.

Is this the new generation's 'form follows function'?

How about stating your philosophy differently to be less obvious.

Ogena.

USER-FRIENDLY OVER BEAUTY.

Is this the new generation's 'form follows function'?

How about stating your philosophy differently to be less obvious.

"MERGING NATURE WITH THE STRUCTURE"

-kathleen quiozon

"MERGING NATURE WITH THE STRUCTURE"

-kathleen quiozon

"MERGING NATURE WITH THE STRUCTURE"

-kathleen quiozon

Micah, your philosophy got much better with that explanation.. I say it's STRONG.

Micah, your philosophy got much better with that explanation.. I say it's STRONG.

Micah, your philosophy got much better with that explanation.. I say it's STRONG.

Jan Vincent Aldovino - ar4-8
Personally, i think it's so overused.. Unless you really espouse it.. can u state it in a more poetic manner?

Jan Vincent Aldovino - ar4-8
Personally, i think it's so overused.. Unless you really espouse it.. can u state it in a more poetic manner?

Jan Vincent Aldovino - ar4-8
Personally, i think it's so overused.. Unless you really espouse it.. can u state it in a more poetic manner?

"a single spot in a blank canvass"

errr... to deep eh? :weirdo:

"a single spot in a blank canvass"

errr... to deep eh? :weirdo:

"a single spot in a blank canvass"

errr... to deep eh? :weirdo:

"Reality is bigger than what we see"

In designing buildings or structures, most of us designers are focusing primarily on its aesthetics design only not even thingking of its form and not taking into the reality if its possible to build.:)

"Reality is bigger than what we see"

In designing buildings or structures, most of us designers are focusing primarily on its aesthetics design only not even thingking of its form and not taking into the reality if its possible to build.:)

"Reality is bigger than what we see"

In designing buildings or structures, most of us designers are focusing primarily on its aesthetics design only not even thingking of its form and not taking into the reality if its possible to build.:)

Micah, your philosophy got much better with that explanation.. I say it's STRONG.

Thank you sir.
God bless! :)

Micah, your philosophy got much better with that explanation.. I say it's STRONG.

Thank you sir.
God bless! :)

Micah, your philosophy got much better with that explanation.. I say it's STRONG.

Thank you sir.
God bless! :)

"Designs evolve with nature"

Most designers now were focusing only with the structure taking aside the proper planning of their designs considering the effects on the environment.

"Designs evolve with nature"

Most designers now were focusing only with the structure taking aside the proper planning of their designs considering the effects on the environment.

"Designs evolve with nature"

Most designers now were focusing only with the structure taking aside the proper planning of their designs considering the effects on the environment.

"Designs evolve with nature"

Most designers now were focusing only with the structure taking aside the proper planning of their designs considering the effects on the environment.
common but ok. STRONG

"Designs evolve with nature"

Most designers now were focusing only with the structure taking aside the proper planning of their designs considering the effects on the environment.
common but ok. STRONG

"Designs evolve with nature"

Most designers now were focusing only with the structure taking aside the proper planning of their designs considering the effects on the environment.
common but ok. STRONG

"Buildings must compliment nature not nature compliment building"

nature's element is slowly depleting. if we dont take care about it, soon, human race can extinct. Saving ang preserving the natural resoursce is loving humanity and will improve the quality of life.

"Buildings must compliment nature not nature compliment building"

nature's element is slowly depleting. if we dont take care about it, soon, human race can extinct. Saving ang preserving the natural resoursce is loving humanity and will improve the quality of life.

"Buildings must compliment nature not nature compliment building"

nature's element is slowly depleting. if we dont take care about it, soon, human race can extinct. Saving ang preserving the natural resoursce is loving humanity and will improve the quality of life.

"Reality is bigger than what we see"

In designing buildings or structures, most of us designers are focusing primarily on its aesthetics design only not even thingking of its form and not taking into the reality if its possible to build.:)
i'll have to disagree with this largely because of the explanation. seems it is too assuming that most pay attention to aesthetics... how did you go about that statement? was there a study to support that?

"Reality is bigger than what we see"

In designing buildings or structures, most of us designers are focusing primarily on its aesthetics design only not even thingking of its form and not taking into the reality if its possible to build.:)
i'll have to disagree with this largely because of the explanation. seems it is too assuming that most pay attention to aesthetics... how did you go about that statement? was there a study to support that?

"Reality is bigger than what we see"

In designing buildings or structures, most of us designers are focusing primarily on its aesthetics design only not even thingking of its form and not taking into the reality if its possible to build.:)
i'll have to disagree with this largely because of the explanation. seems it is too assuming that most pay attention to aesthetics... how did you go about that statement? was there a study to support that?

a single spot in a blank canvass

your spot is your structure.
your blank canvass is your environment.

if you see a single spot in a blank canvass, it is simple yet it is intriguing... the spectator doesn't know if what the artist is emphasizing... the spot? or the blank canvass that surrounds it? but above all it is united in a same frame, your structure stands out giving awareness of the neighboring environment.

:badnews:

a single spot in a blank canvass

your spot is your structure.
your blank canvass is your environment.

if you see a single spot in a blank canvass, it is simple yet it is intriguing... the spectator doesn't know if what the artist is emphasizing... the spot? or the blank canvass that surrounds it? but above all it is united in a same frame, your structure stands out giving awareness of the neighboring environment.

:badnews:

a single spot in a blank canvass

your spot is your structure.
your blank canvass is your environment.

if you see a single spot in a blank canvass, it is simple yet it is intriguing... the spectator doesn't know if what the artist is emphasizing... the spot? or the blank canvass that surrounds it? but above all it is united in a same frame, your structure stands out giving awareness of the neighboring environment.

:badnews:

uhmm..As a student sir..some of the plates i've seen focuses only on its aesthetics not even thinking if it is possible and easy to build..

uhmm..As a student sir..some of the plates i've seen focuses only on its aesthetics not even thinking if it is possible and easy to build..

uhmm..As a student sir..some of the plates i've seen focuses only on its aesthetics not even thinking if it is possible and easy to build..

Personally, i think it's so overused.. Unless you really espouse it.. can u state it in a more poetic manner?
sir,is this okay?:) tnx!
-aesthetically simple yet functional creating sheer perfection-

Personally, i think it's so overused.. Unless you really espouse it.. can u state it in a more poetic manner?
sir,is this okay?:) tnx!
-aesthetically simple yet functional creating sheer perfection-

Personally, i think it's so overused.. Unless you really espouse it.. can u state it in a more poetic manner?
sir,is this okay?:) tnx!
-aesthetically simple yet functional creating sheer perfection-

No, in fact i hope many will find this thread useful. it is important that each designer should have this quiding principle. Everyone is welcome to contribute, i just asked my students to post their own philosophies to jumpstart this shared-knowledge exercise.

No, in fact i hope many will find this thread useful. it is important that each designer should have this quiding principle. Everyone is welcome to contribute, i just asked my students to post their own philosophies to jumpstart this shared-knowledge exercise.

No, in fact i hope many will find this thread useful. it is important that each designer should have this quiding principle. Everyone is welcome to contribute, i just asked my students to post their own philosophies to jumpstart this shared-knowledge exercise.

That's good to hear then. :bow:

That's good to hear then. :bow:

That's good to hear then. :bow:

^^ Yes, I am actually finding the exchanges here very interesting and informative. Thanks for allowing us to participate and contribute as well as learn. I will also try respect the free flow between you and your students.

^^ Yes, I am actually finding the exchanges here very interesting and informative. Thanks for allowing us to participate and contribute as well as learn. I will also try respect the free flow between you and your students.

^^ Yes, I am actually finding the exchanges here very interesting and informative. Thanks for allowing us to participate and contribute as well as learn. I will also try respect the free flow between you and your students.

uhmm..As a student sir..some of the plates i've seen focuses only on its aesthetics not even thinking if it is possible and easy to build..
Ok. Unless this is from your own design experience, i hope that you develop your philosophy sans being critical about your perception of others. You're getting there.. just make the structure constructive.

uhmm..As a student sir..some of the plates i've seen focuses only on its aesthetics not even thinking if it is possible and easy to build..
Ok. Unless this is from your own design experience, i hope that you develop your philosophy sans being critical about your perception of others. You're getting there.. just make the structure constructive.

uhmm..As a student sir..some of the plates i've seen focuses only on its aesthetics not even thinking if it is possible and easy to build..
Ok. Unless this is from your own design experience, i hope that you develop your philosophy sans being critical about your perception of others. You're getting there.. just make the structure constructive.

ok..tnx sir!..hehe...:)

ok..tnx sir!..hehe...:)

ok..tnx sir!..hehe...:)

innovate, but never imitate

innovate, but never imitate

innovate, but never imitate

^^ Yes, I am actually finding the exchanges here very interesting and informative. Thanks for allowing us to participate and contribute as well as learn. I will also try respect the free flow between you and your students.
Thank you for the support. We do have the blackboard, but so far this is limited to the academic subjects (courses). Besides, this forum provides information that is current/fresh, making books in the libraray simply dated. I like my students to go through the many threads here, if only to further their thinking about design and architecture. Nothing beats experiencing architecture first-hand, although looking and reading about a building is perhaps the next best thing.

^^ Yes, I am actually finding the exchanges here very interesting and informative. Thanks for allowing us to participate and contribute as well as learn. I will also try respect the free flow between you and your students.
Thank you for the support. We do have the blackboard, but so far this is limited to the academic subjects (courses). Besides, this forum provides information that is current/fresh, making books in the libraray simply dated. I like my students to go through the many threads here, if only to further their thinking about design and architecture. Nothing beats experiencing architecture first-hand, although looking and reading about a building is perhaps the next best thing.

^^ Yes, I am actually finding the exchanges here very interesting and informative. Thanks for allowing us to participate and contribute as well as learn. I will also try respect the free flow between you and your students.
Thank you for the support. We do have the blackboard, but so far this is limited to the academic subjects (courses). Besides, this forum provides information that is current/fresh, making books in the libraray simply dated. I like my students to go through the many threads here, if only to further their thinking about design and architecture. Nothing beats experiencing architecture first-hand, although looking and reading about a building is perhaps the next best thing.

innovate, but never imitate
Jeff.. ok... STRONG

innovate, but never imitate
Jeff.. ok... STRONG

innovate, but never imitate
Jeff.. ok... STRONG

sir,is this okay?:) tnx!
-aesthetically simple yet functional creating sheer perfection-
Still having some difficulty figuring it out...

Try restructuring your statement. Start your statement with "ARCHITECTURE SHOULD ........... "

sir,is this okay?:) tnx!
-aesthetically simple yet functional creating sheer perfection-
Still having some difficulty figuring it out...

Try restructuring your statement. Start your statement with "ARCHITECTURE SHOULD ........... "

sir,is this okay?:) tnx!
-aesthetically simple yet functional creating sheer perfection-
Still having some difficulty figuring it out...

Try restructuring your statement. Start your statement with "ARCHITECTURE SHOULD ........... "

a single spot in a blank canvass

your spot is your structure.
your blank canvass is your environment.

if you see a single spot in a blank canvass, it is simple yet it is intriguing... the spectator doesn't know if what the artist is emphasizing... the spot? or the blank canvass that surrounds it? but above all it is united in a same frame, your structure stands out giving awareness of the neighboring environment.

:badnews:
Ok. that communicates better.

STRONG

a single spot in a blank canvass

your spot is your structure.
your blank canvass is your environment.

if you see a single spot in a blank canvass, it is simple yet it is intriguing... the spectator doesn't know if what the artist is emphasizing... the spot? or the blank canvass that surrounds it? but above all it is united in a same frame, your structure stands out giving awareness of the neighboring environment.

:badnews:
Ok. that communicates better.

STRONG

a single spot in a blank canvass

your spot is your structure.
your blank canvass is your environment.

if you see a single spot in a blank canvass, it is simple yet it is intriguing... the spectator doesn't know if what the artist is emphasizing... the spot? or the blank canvass that surrounds it? but above all it is united in a same frame, your structure stands out giving awareness of the neighboring environment.

:badnews:
Ok. that communicates better.

STRONG

"Buildings must compliment nature not nature compliment building"

nature's element is slowly depleting. if we dont take care about it, soon, human race can extinct. Saving ang preserving the natural resoursce is loving humanity and will improve the quality of life.
How's this?

BUILDINGS MUST COMPLEMENT NATURE, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND

"Buildings must compliment nature not nature compliment building"

nature's element is slowly depleting. if we dont take care about it, soon, human race can extinct. Saving ang preserving the natural resoursce is loving humanity and will improve the quality of life.
How's this?

BUILDINGS MUST COMPLEMENT NATURE, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND

"Buildings must compliment nature not nature compliment building"

nature's element is slowly depleting. if we dont take care about it, soon, human race can extinct. Saving ang preserving the natural resoursce is loving humanity and will improve the quality of life.
How's this?

BUILDINGS MUST COMPLEMENT NATURE, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND

De Guzman

TRYING HARD IS BETTER THAN A COPYCAT.

WEAK. Anything else in mind?

De Guzman

TRYING HARD IS BETTER THAN A COPYCAT.

WEAK. Anything else in mind?

De Guzman

TRYING HARD IS BETTER THAN A COPYCAT.

WEAK. Anything else in mind?

CLEAN AND GREEN!!!

CLEAN AND GREEN!!!

CLEAN AND GREEN!!!

Anton, what do you think of this?

GIVE TO THE PEOPLE WHAT IS DUE THEM- THIS IS WHAT ARCHITECTURE SHOULD BE.

Anton, what do you think of this?

GIVE TO THE PEOPLE WHAT IS DUE THEM- THIS IS WHAT ARCHITECTURE SHOULD BE.

Anton, what do you think of this?

GIVE TO THE PEOPLE WHAT IS DUE THEM- THIS IS WHAT ARCHITECTURE SHOULD BE.

Still having some difficulty figuring it out...

Try restructuring your statement. Start your statement with "ARCHITECTURE SHOULD ........... "

sir, i have a new one but still, function is the priority..hope this is much better,, -to create simple and functional designs by conceptualizing its usefulness to the end-users-

Still having some difficulty figuring it out...

Try restructuring your statement. Start your statement with "ARCHITECTURE SHOULD ........... "

sir, i have a new one but still, function is the priority..hope this is much better,, -to create simple and functional designs by conceptualizing its usefulness to the end-users-

Still having some difficulty figuring it out...

Try restructuring your statement. Start your statement with "ARCHITECTURE SHOULD ........... "

sir, i have a new one but still, function is the priority..hope this is much better,, -to create simple and functional designs by conceptualizing its usefulness to the end-users-

uhmm..As a student sir..some of the plates i've seen focuses only on its aesthetics not even thinking if it is possible and easy to build..


that is a product and result of the university's teaching (UST right?) and the curriculum in general.

uhmm..As a student sir..some of the plates i've seen focuses only on its aesthetics not even thinking if it is possible and easy to build..


that is a product and result of the university's teaching (UST right?) and the curriculum in general.

uhmm..As a student sir..some of the plates i've seen focuses only on its aesthetics not even thinking if it is possible and easy to build..


that is a product and result of the university's teaching (UST right?) and the curriculum in general.

MODERATE. I could sense what you are trying to develop as your philosophy... how about stating it differently?

"strive to complement architecture"

thru the use of different styles, depending on the trend, or of by choice(meaning coming from the heart). one can create a structure that fits and aesthetically astounding.

Jermel Mendoza - AR4-8

MODERATE. I could sense what you are trying to develop as your philosophy... how about stating it differently?

"strive to complement architecture"

thru the use of different styles, depending on the trend, or of by choice(meaning coming from the heart). one can create a structure that fits and aesthetically astounding.

Jermel Mendoza - AR4-8

MODERATE. I could sense what you are trying to develop as your philosophy... how about stating it differently?

"strive to complement architecture"

thru the use of different styles, depending on the trend, or of by choice(meaning coming from the heart). one can create a structure that fits and aesthetically astounding.

Jermel Mendoza - AR4-8

sir, i have a new one but still, function is the priority..hope this is much better,, -to create simple and functional designs by conceptualizing its usefulness to the end-users-
I like the first one better, you just need to restructure.

sir, i have a new one but still, function is the priority..hope this is much better,, -to create simple and functional designs by conceptualizing its usefulness to the end-users-
I like the first one better, you just need to restructure.

sir, i have a new one but still, function is the priority..hope this is much better,, -to create simple and functional designs by conceptualizing its usefulness to the end-users-
I like the first one better, you just need to restructure.

"strive to complement architecture"

thru the use of different styles, depending on the trend, or of by choice(meaning coming from the heart). one can create a structure that fits and aesthetically astounding.

Jermel Mendoza - AR4-8
Bosconian... Its too broad. It does not seem to be very personal

"strive to complement architecture"

thru the use of different styles, depending on the trend, or of by choice(meaning coming from the heart). one can create a structure that fits and aesthetically astounding.

Jermel Mendoza - AR4-8
Bosconian... Its too broad. It does not seem to be very personal

"strive to complement architecture"

thru the use of different styles, depending on the trend, or of by choice(meaning coming from the heart). one can create a structure that fits and aesthetically astounding.

Jermel Mendoza - AR4-8
Bosconian... Its too broad. It does not seem to be very personal

up

up

up

"Create a design that is truly personalized and 'right' for each situation , leave a mark that will recognize that you are the one behind each creation."

"Create a design that is truly personalized and 'right' for each situation , leave a mark that will recognize that you are the one behind each creation."

"Create a design that is truly personalized and 'right' for each situation , leave a mark that will recognize that you are the one behind each creation."

Rowena, DESIGN IS SOMETHING FEASIBLE, NOT OF YOUR WILDEST IMAGINATION

Shouldn't design challenge oneself? As a designer, one should be imaginative, wild and thinking out-of-the box.

Rowena, DESIGN IS SOMETHING FEASIBLE, NOT OF YOUR WILDEST IMAGINATION

Shouldn't design challenge oneself? As a designer, one should be imaginative, wild and thinking out-of-the box.

Rowena, DESIGN IS SOMETHING FEASIBLE, NOT OF YOUR WILDEST IMAGINATION

Shouldn't design challenge oneself? As a designer, one should be imaginative, wild and thinking out-of-the box.

Will just comment on these later

Alvin Alejandrino, EVOLVING WITH NATURE
Tajor, IMAGINABLE DESIGN ARE POSSIBLE DESIGN
Macazo, CONNECTIVITY AND IMAGE INTO REALITY
Laparan, PROVIDE EVERYTHING OR DON'T PROVIDE AT ALL
Tabia, IF YOU AIM SIMPLICITY, MASTER COMPLEXITY
Tolentino, NATURE SHOULD BE PRIOR TO STRUCTURE
Siegfrey, EVERYTHING STARTS IN A SIMPLE THINGS (sic)
Jaime Umali, LESS AND SIMPLE FORM MORE FUNCTION
Chew, BRIGHT IDEAS ARE PRODUCTS OF BAD IDEAS
Benavides, NO CONCEPT BUT GOOD SENSE
Medel, HARD TO GO THROUGH, SHOWS THE PATH OF TRUTH
Aherrera, SIMPLE FORMS CAN BE APPRECIATED MORE
De la Paz, A MASTERPIECE THAT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF RATHER THAN A SPEAKER SPEAKS FOR YOU

Will just comment on these later

Alvin Alejandrino, EVOLVING WITH NATURE
Tajor, IMAGINABLE DESIGN ARE POSSIBLE DESIGN
Macazo, CONNECTIVITY AND IMAGE INTO REALITY
Laparan, PROVIDE EVERYTHING OR DON'T PROVIDE AT ALL
Tabia, IF YOU AIM SIMPLICITY, MASTER COMPLEXITY
Tolentino, NATURE SHOULD BE PRIOR TO STRUCTURE
Siegfrey, EVERYTHING STARTS IN A SIMPLE THINGS (sic)
Jaime Umali, LESS AND SIMPLE FORM MORE FUNCTION
Chew, BRIGHT IDEAS ARE PRODUCTS OF BAD IDEAS
Benavides, NO CONCEPT BUT GOOD SENSE
Medel, HARD TO GO THROUGH, SHOWS THE PATH OF TRUTH
Aherrera, SIMPLE FORMS CAN BE APPRECIATED MORE
De la Paz, A MASTERPIECE THAT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF RATHER THAN A SPEAKER SPEAKS FOR YOU

Will just comment on these later

Alvin Alejandrino, EVOLVING WITH NATURE
Tajor, IMAGINABLE DESIGN ARE POSSIBLE DESIGN
Macazo, CONNECTIVITY AND IMAGE INTO REALITY
Laparan, PROVIDE EVERYTHING OR DON'T PROVIDE AT ALL
Tabia, IF YOU AIM SIMPLICITY, MASTER COMPLEXITY
Tolentino, NATURE SHOULD BE PRIOR TO STRUCTURE
Siegfrey, EVERYTHING STARTS IN A SIMPLE THINGS (sic)
Jaime Umali, LESS AND SIMPLE FORM MORE FUNCTION
Chew, BRIGHT IDEAS ARE PRODUCTS OF BAD IDEAS
Benavides, NO CONCEPT BUT GOOD SENSE
Medel, HARD TO GO THROUGH, SHOWS THE PATH OF TRUTH
Aherrera, SIMPLE FORMS CAN BE APPRECIATED MORE
De la Paz, A MASTERPIECE THAT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF RATHER THAN A SPEAKER SPEAKS FOR YOU

I like the first one better, you just need to restructure.

-architecture should be aesthetically simple yet functional to create sheer perfection for end-users-

I like the first one better, you just need to restructure.

-architecture should be aesthetically simple yet functional to create sheer perfection for end-users-

I like the first one better, you just need to restructure.

-architecture should be aesthetically simple yet functional to create sheer perfection for end-users-

Space with essence"

Explanation

-Making or building a space is easy but building a "space with essence" is different. it requires understanding in the problem and The spaces that a designer incorporates in a design must be essential to the totality of the design..

Space with essence"

Explanation

-Making or building a space is easy but building a "space with essence" is different. it requires understanding in the problem and The spaces that a designer incorporates in a design must be essential to the totality of the design..

Space with essence"

Explanation

-Making or building a space is easy but building a "space with essence" is different. it requires understanding in the problem and The spaces that a designer incorporates in a design must be essential to the totality of the design..

CONNECTIVITY AND IMAGE INTO REALITY

-The allocation of proper rooms and the imagination of the form bringing it into the reality of life.

CONNECTIVITY AND IMAGE INTO REALITY

-The allocation of proper rooms and the imagination of the form bringing it into the reality of life.

CONNECTIVITY AND IMAGE INTO REALITY

-The allocation of proper rooms and the imagination of the form bringing it into the reality of life.

Thank you for the support. We do have the blackboard, but so far this is limited to the academic subjects (courses). Besides, this forum provides information that is current/fresh, making books in the libraray simply dated. I like my students to go through the many threads here, if only to further their thinking about design and architecture. Nothing beats experiencing architecture first-hand, although looking and reading about a building is perhaps the next best thing.

sorry for the intrusion. wow, this is neat. once an architecture student myself who move on to fine arts (painting), this is an out of the box method which i feel should be encouraged in all fields.

Thank you for the support. We do have the blackboard, but so far this is limited to the academic subjects (courses). Besides, this forum provides information that is current/fresh, making books in the libraray simply dated. I like my students to go through the many threads here, if only to further their thinking about design and architecture. Nothing beats experiencing architecture first-hand, although looking and reading about a building is perhaps the next best thing.

sorry for the intrusion. wow, this is neat. once an architecture student myself who move on to fine arts (painting), this is an out of the box method which i feel should be encouraged in all fields.

Thank you for the support. We do have the blackboard, but so far this is limited to the academic subjects (courses). Besides, this forum provides information that is current/fresh, making books in the libraray simply dated. I like my students to go through the many threads here, if only to further their thinking about design and architecture. Nothing beats experiencing architecture first-hand, although looking and reading about a building is perhaps the next best thing.

sorry for the intrusion. wow, this is neat. once an architecture student myself who move on to fine arts (painting), this is an out of the box method which i feel should be encouraged in all fields.

“If you aim simplicity, Master complexity”

Life and living: Life seems to be simple but if you’re going to look on its detail, if you’re going to break down its part, or rather if you’re going to parse it. It’s intricate. Boundaries between fields of knowledge must be broken down before we can begin to understand the essence of what makes us human. All of human knowledge is based on identifying and scrutinizing the relationships of parts; these units, or atoms, come together to form a given whole. And so, in turn, each part must take its place as a whole, and each whole may be seen as only a part.
What is a triangle without the conception of a line? What is a line without the conception of a point? What is a point without the conception of a number? What is one without two?
In architecture my design is metamorphosis. From simple transforming and culminating to something extravagant, something beautiful from; linear to angular, angular to curvilinear. That will synthesize and result a perfect and complete whole .Showing its basic elements culminating into a single extreme

“If you aim simplicity, Master complexity”

Life and living: Life seems to be simple but if you’re going to look on its detail, if you’re going to break down its part, or rather if you’re going to parse it. It’s intricate. Boundaries between fields of knowledge must be broken down before we can begin to understand the essence of what makes us human. All of human knowledge is based on identifying and scrutinizing the relationships of parts; these units, or atoms, come together to form a given whole. And so, in turn, each part must take its place as a whole, and each whole may be seen as only a part.
What is a triangle without the conception of a line? What is a line without the conception of a point? What is a point without the conception of a number? What is one without two?
In architecture my design is metamorphosis. From simple transforming and culminating to something extravagant, something beautiful from; linear to angular, angular to curvilinear. That will synthesize and result a perfect and complete whole .Showing its basic elements culminating into a single extreme

“If you aim simplicity, Master complexity”

Life and living: Life seems to be simple but if you’re going to look on its detail, if you’re going to break down its part, or rather if you’re going to parse it. It’s intricate. Boundaries between fields of knowledge must be broken down before we can begin to understand the essence of what makes us human. All of human knowledge is based on identifying and scrutinizing the relationships of parts; these units, or atoms, come together to form a given whole. And so, in turn, each part must take its place as a whole, and each whole may be seen as only a part.
What is a triangle without the conception of a line? What is a line without the conception of a point? What is a point without the conception of a number? What is one without two?
In architecture my design is metamorphosis. From simple transforming and culminating to something extravagant, something beautiful from; linear to angular, angular to curvilinear. That will synthesize and result a perfect and complete whole .Showing its basic elements culminating into a single extreme

^^ I think you just said your design philosophy there: "Design is metamorphosis: Simplicity in intricacy and vice versa."

^^ I think you just said your design philosophy there: "Design is metamorphosis: Simplicity in intricacy and vice versa."

^^ I think you just said your design philosophy there: "Design is metamorphosis: Simplicity in intricacy and vice versa."

For me ninong, (sabi daw ng isang taga USTE dito na tawag nila sa profs nila ninong o itay o inay) what I can see here with your students is that they're very much inclined to look at abstract ideas-- probably fitting for a lot of the modern architecture they're bound to design.

But where is the human in all of this? In the end architecture envelopes the person. It's one of the only arts that are truly interactive and can affect or dictate how a person lives within the space around him.

Perhaps a design philosophy that says "The human lives around the lines" can show that the lines we draw as designers should enhance humanity. I'm not talking about the architecture itself having a human face or soul, but rather the architecture itself making the humans that use it more essential and more central.

If you see my post in another thread, I say that I admire the works of Louis Kahn. For even as brutal as some of his architecture is, you can see that the human spirit finds its way in the empty spaces between his lines.

For me ninong, (sabi daw ng isang taga USTE dito na tawag nila sa profs nila ninong o itay o inay) what I can see here with your students is that they're very much inclined to look at abstract ideas-- probably fitting for a lot of the modern architecture they're bound to design.

But where is the human in all of this? In the end architecture envelopes the person. It's one of the only arts that are truly interactive and can affect or dictate how a person lives within the space around him.

Perhaps a design philosophy that says "The human lives around the lines" can show that the lines we draw as designers should enhance humanity. I'm not talking about the architecture itself having a human face or soul, but rather the architecture itself making the humans that use it more essential and more central.

If you see my post in another thread, I say that I admire the works of Louis Kahn. For even as brutal as some of his architecture is, you can see that the human spirit finds its way in the empty spaces between his lines.

For me ninong, (sabi daw ng isang taga USTE dito na tawag nila sa profs nila ninong o itay o inay) what I can see here with your students is that they're very much inclined to look at abstract ideas-- probably fitting for a lot of the modern architecture they're bound to design.

But where is the human in all of this? In the end architecture envelopes the person. It's one of the only arts that are truly interactive and can affect or dictate how a person lives within the space around him.

Perhaps a design philosophy that says "The human lives around the lines" can show that the lines we draw as designers should enhance humanity. I'm not talking about the architecture itself having a human face or soul, but rather the architecture itself making the humans that use it more essential and more central.

If you see my post in another thread, I say that I admire the works of Louis Kahn. For even as brutal as some of his architecture is, you can see that the human spirit finds its way in the empty spaces between his lines.

^^ Hey you know what? That philosophy reminds me of the slogan of Imelda Marcos when she was a Minister of Human Settlements (when there was one) in the Philippines. I had a T-shirt on that one and it said: "Higit sa Lahat: TAO." (and the A was shaped like a shelter). Before anything else: Human.

They do create a lot of good concepts, philosophies and sloganeering then, I would imagine. Coz then, concept was key. Philosophy, the framework.

^^ Hey you know what? That philosophy reminds me of the slogan of Imelda Marcos when she was a Minister of Human Settlements (when there was one) in the Philippines. I had a T-shirt on that one and it said: "Higit sa Lahat: TAO." (and the A was shaped like a shelter). Before anything else: Human.

They do create a lot of good concepts, philosophies and sloganeering then, I would imagine. Coz then, concept was key. Philosophy, the framework.

^^ Hey you know what? That philosophy reminds me of the slogan of Imelda Marcos when she was a Minister of Human Settlements (when there was one) in the Philippines. I had a T-shirt on that one and it said: "Higit sa Lahat: TAO." (and the A was shaped like a shelter). Before anything else: Human.

They do create a lot of good concepts, philosophies and sloganeering then, I would imagine. Coz then, concept was key. Philosophy, the framework.

^ Unfortunately, the design philosophy favored in the Marcosian edifice complex was brutal to the point where the human disappears from the design-- look at the CCP and the Film Center. They make you cower in your smallness (no disrespect to the amazing work by national artists-- I actually love the CCP for its simplicity). Louis Kahn's work, while monumental was more like the gothic cathedrals-- grand and inspirational, not grand and terrifying.

^ Unfortunately, the design philosophy favored in the Marcosian edifice complex was brutal to the point where the human disappears from the design-- look at the CCP and the Film Center. They make you cower in your smallness (no disrespect to the amazing work by national artists-- I actually love the CCP for its simplicity). Louis Kahn's work, while monumental was more like the gothic cathedrals-- grand and inspirational, not grand and terrifying.

^ Unfortunately, the design philosophy favored in the Marcosian edifice complex was brutal to the point where the human disappears from the design-- look at the CCP and the Film Center. They make you cower in your smallness (no disrespect to the amazing work by national artists-- I actually love the CCP for its simplicity). Louis Kahn's work, while monumental was more like the gothic cathedrals-- grand and inspirational, not grand and terrifying.

^^

I kinda like those.. yun yung parang style ng mga buildings sa 80s e!

My philosophy in designing prioritizes more on floor plans, than elevations, but not compromising both of course.

I like designing with nature too, since it is hot here in the Phil.

Dami pala 4-8 d2. :) EDIT: mukhang pinajoin ni sir.. Nov`06 sila! Welcome to SSC!

I think also that making those one-liner philosophies, one should be devoid of super-nosebleed words, so that all the more that people could easily understand your work..

^^

I kinda like those.. yun yung parang style ng mga buildings sa 80s e!

My philosophy in designing prioritizes more on floor plans, than elevations, but not compromising both of course.

I like designing with nature too, since it is hot here in the Phil.

Dami pala 4-8 d2. :) EDIT: mukhang pinajoin ni sir.. Nov`06 sila! Welcome to SSC!

I think also that making those one-liner philosophies, one should be devoid of super-nosebleed words, so that all the more that people could easily understand your work..

^^

I kinda like those.. yun yung parang style ng mga buildings sa 80s e!

My philosophy in designing prioritizes more on floor plans, than elevations, but not compromising both of course.

I like designing with nature too, since it is hot here in the Phil.

Dami pala 4-8 d2. :) EDIT: mukhang pinajoin ni sir.. Nov`06 sila! Welcome to SSC!

I think also that making those one-liner philosophies, one should be devoid of super-nosebleed words, so that all the more that people could easily understand your work..

^^My philosophy in designing prioritizes more on floor plans, than elevations, but not compromising both of course.

more on Function than the Form...

last sem our professor in design is more on elevation problem than plans. according to him, it's practical that most of the clients are after to what the building looks like.

for me now when im designing, i'm more to green architecture... parang "architecture one with nature."

@kuya mike- sorry, he's not my ninong in archi... :D

^^My philosophy in designing prioritizes more on floor plans, than elevations, but not compromising both of course.

more on Function than the Form...

last sem our professor in design is more on elevation problem than plans. according to him, it's practical that most of the clients are after to what the building looks like.

for me now when im designing, i'm more to green architecture... parang "architecture one with nature."

@kuya mike- sorry, he's not my ninong in archi... :D

^^My philosophy in designing prioritizes more on floor plans, than elevations, but not compromising both of course.

more on Function than the Form...

last sem our professor in design is more on elevation problem than plans. according to him, it's practical that most of the clients are after to what the building looks like.

for me now when im designing, i'm more to green architecture... parang "architecture one with nature."

@kuya mike- sorry, he's not my ninong in archi... :D

"EVERYTHING STARTS IN A SIMPLE THINGS"

"EVERYTHING STARTS IN A SIMPLE THINGS"

"EVERYTHING STARTS IN A SIMPLE THINGS"

Where's Teacher Xavier?

Where's Teacher Xavier?

Where's Teacher Xavier?

^^grabe pala itong mga architect...may mga prinsipyo pala when it comes to their design...im green with envy...

if ever, my philosophy would be something that would reflect my personality: deviate,experiment,and innovate...

^^grabe pala itong mga architect...may mga prinsipyo pala when it comes to their design...im green with envy...

if ever, my philosophy would be something that would reflect my personality: deviate,experiment,and innovate...

^^grabe pala itong mga architect...may mga prinsipyo pala when it comes to their design...im green with envy...

if ever, my philosophy would be something that would reflect my personality: deviate,experiment,and innovate...

Philosophy evolves in designing reflects imaginative complexity. A complex design can be viewed as a simple outlook and a simple design can creates complex meaning, ummh sounds weared..... thats my phylosophy

Philosophy evolves in designing reflects imaginative complexity. A complex design can be viewed as a simple outlook and a simple design can creates complex meaning, ummh sounds weared..... thats my phylosophy

Philosophy evolves in designing reflects imaginative complexity. A complex design can be viewed as a simple outlook and a simple design can creates complex meaning, ummh sounds weared..... thats my phylosophy

my father is an architect so exposed ako sa mga ginagawa niya. My father works on highways, agricultural infrastructure, subdivisions and other community-related buildings.
I was suposed to take Architecture but, my mom wanted me to take nursing... my architectural ideology is conservatism, i make blueprints on colonial structures, since i'm from Iloilo, where many heritage buildings are built, i'm always making renovation sketches, I have studied colonial architecture in books, I like Romanesque and Gothic which i frequently use in my designs, I also make photomanipulations of buildings etc...

my father is an architect so exposed ako sa mga ginagawa niya. My father works on highways, agricultural infrastructure, subdivisions and other community-related buildings.
I was suposed to take Architecture but, my mom wanted me to take nursing... my architectural ideology is conservatism, i make blueprints on colonial structures, since i'm from Iloilo, where many heritage buildings are built, i'm always making renovation sketches, I have studied colonial architecture in books, I like Romanesque and Gothic which i frequently use in my designs, I also make photomanipulations of buildings etc...

my father is an architect so exposed ako sa mga ginagawa niya. My father works on highways, agricultural infrastructure, subdivisions and other community-related buildings.
I was suposed to take Architecture but, my mom wanted me to take nursing... my architectural ideology is conservatism, i make blueprints on colonial structures, since i'm from Iloilo, where many heritage buildings are built, i'm always making renovation sketches, I have studied colonial architecture in books, I like Romanesque and Gothic which i frequently use in my designs, I also make photomanipulations of buildings etc...

Give to the people what is due to them; a balance between practicality and awe-inspiring beauty-this is what architecture should be

Give to the people what is due to them; a balance between practicality and awe-inspiring beauty-this is what architecture should be

Give to the people what is due to them; a balance between practicality and awe-inspiring beauty-this is what architecture should be

wow an archi thread. i noticed that it's gettin pretty dusty over here so might as well update it para hindi naman masayang.

so far here's a current compiled list of our local architect's websites:

1. http://www.palafoxassociates.com (http://www.palafoxassociates.com)

2. http://www.gw-architects.com (http://www.gw-architects.com)

3. http://www.manosa.com (http://www.manosa.com)

4. http://www.lorcalma.com (http://www.lorcalma.com)

5. http://www.jorgeyulo.com (http://www.jorgeyulo.com)

6. http://www.csarchitecture.com (http://www.csarchitecture.com)

7. http://www.pbase.com/nsaratan/architectural_works (http://www.pbase.com/nsaratan/architectural_works)

yeah i personally believe that there are two kinds of architects. one that tends to lean more towards the business aspect of architecture and the other towards art and design. that is but a simplified ideology, however. architecture and it's practice has become a lot more complicated lately perhaps due to rapid breakthroughs in technology particularly in materials, methods, and building systems. there are newer breeds of specialists emerging out there tackling just a small fraction of the entire design process of an architect - and practically making a living out of 'em.

wow an archi thread. i noticed that it's gettin pretty dusty over here so might as well update it para hindi naman masayang.

so far here's a current compiled list of our local architect's websites:

1. http://www.palafoxassociates.com (http://www.palafoxassociates.com)

2. http://www.gw-architects.com (http://www.gw-architects.com)

3. http://www.manosa.com (http://www.manosa.com)

4. http://www.lorcalma.com (http://www.lorcalma.com)

5. http://www.jorgeyulo.com (http://www.jorgeyulo.com)

6. http://www.csarchitecture.com (http://www.csarchitecture.com)

7. http://www.pbase.com/nsaratan/architectural_works (http://www.pbase.com/nsaratan/architectural_works)

yeah i personally believe that there are two kinds of architects. one that tends to lean more towards the business aspect of architecture and the other towards art and design. that is but a simplified ideology, however. architecture and it's practice has become a lot more complicated lately perhaps due to rapid breakthroughs in technology particularly in materials, methods, and building systems. there are newer breeds of specialists emerging out there tackling just a small fraction of the entire design process of an architect - and practically making a living out of 'em.

wow an archi thread. i noticed that it's gettin pretty dusty over here so might as well update it para hindi naman masayang.

so far here's a current compiled list of our local architect's websites:

1. http://www.palafoxassociates.com (http://www.palafoxassociates.com)

2. http://www.gw-architects.com (http://www.gw-architects.com)

3. http://www.manosa.com (http://www.manosa.com)

4. http://www.lorcalma.com (http://www.lorcalma.com)

5. http://www.jorgeyulo.com (http://www.jorgeyulo.com)

6. http://www.csarchitecture.com (http://www.csarchitecture.com)

7. http://www.pbase.com/nsaratan/architectural_works (http://www.pbase.com/nsaratan/architectural_works)

yeah i personally believe that there are two kinds of architects. one that tends to lean more towards the business aspect of architecture and the other towards art and design. that is but a simplified ideology, however. architecture and it's practice has become a lot more complicated lately perhaps due to rapid breakthroughs in technology particularly in materials, methods, and building systems. there are newer breeds of specialists emerging out there tackling just a small fraction of the entire design process of an architect - and practically making a living out of 'em.

^^ Hey thanks for resurrecting this @Migan.

^^ Hey thanks for resurrecting this @Migan.

^^ Hey thanks for resurrecting this @Migan.

Are there any famous female Filipino architects? looks like men are always on top

I remember my teacher telling me that some ads looking for architects specify that they want MALE ones only

Are there any famous female Filipino architects? looks like men are always on top

I remember my teacher telling me that some ads looking for architects specify that they want MALE ones only

Are there any famous female Filipino architects? looks like men are always on top

I remember my teacher telling me that some ads looking for architects specify that they want MALE ones only

yeah i kinda felt obligated for some reason @lili


@sistah

yeah female architect's aren't as popular as their male counterparts even in the international design arena. i was also wondering why myself. infact only recently was a female architect awarded the prestigious pritzker prize. then again it's like asking why male chef's in resto's stand out more than female ones.


okay i updated the list:

http://www.csarchitecture.com

one of the principals is a female architect who graduated from harvard according to their website.

yeah i kinda felt obligated for some reason @lili


@sistah

yeah female architect's aren't as popular as their male counterparts even in the international design arena. i was also wondering why myself. infact only recently was a female architect awarded the prestigious pritzker prize. then again it's like asking why male chef's in resto's stand out more than female ones.


okay i updated the list:

http://www.csarchitecture.com

one of the principals is a female architect who graduated from harvard according to their website.

yeah i kinda felt obligated for some reason @lili


@sistah

yeah female architect's aren't as popular as their male counterparts even in the international design arena. i was also wondering why myself. infact only recently was a female architect awarded the prestigious pritzker prize. then again it's like asking why male chef's in resto's stand out more than female ones.


okay i updated the list:

http://www.csarchitecture.com

one of the principals is a female architect who graduated from harvard according to their website.

^^:lol: me too... zaha hadid, represents all the female architects...

mostly females i know here in our country are landscape architects...

^^:lol: me too... zaha hadid, represents all the female architects...

mostly females i know here in our country are landscape architects...

^^:lol: me too... zaha hadid, represents all the female architects...

mostly females i know here in our country are landscape architects...

I still can't fully grasp what a design philosophy should be..i can take for example the philosophy of Mr. Mañosa. If a design concept will refer to somewhat the image or symbolism of the current project, how about the philosophy? to what will my philosophy refer to?

hmmm...at a loss... :gaah:

Are you an architecture student? Well, ang pagkakasabi kasi ng prof namin dati.. a design philosophy is sort of your way in designing structures as a whole.. parang a design philosophy shouldnt be always varying.. kasi nga philosophy mo yun e..

somewhere along the lines of that.. definition mo ng design concept ay tama na..

@olineil

The design of the NAIA 1 terminal was sort of copied/based of another airport.. that's why NAIA 1 doesn't work so well for us Filipinos..

I still can't fully grasp what a design philosophy should be..i can take for example the philosophy of Mr. Mañosa. If a design concept will refer to somewhat the image or symbolism of the current project, how about the philosophy? to what will my philosophy refer to?

hmmm...at a loss... :gaah:

Are you an architecture student? Well, ang pagkakasabi kasi ng prof namin dati.. a design philosophy is sort of your way in designing structures as a whole.. parang a design philosophy shouldnt be always varying.. kasi nga philosophy mo yun e..

somewhere along the lines of that.. definition mo ng design concept ay tama na..

@olineil

The design of the NAIA 1 terminal was sort of copied/based of another airport.. that's why NAIA 1 doesn't work so well for us Filipinos..

I still can't fully grasp what a design philosophy should be..i can take for example the philosophy of Mr. Mañosa. If a design concept will refer to somewhat the image or symbolism of the current project, how about the philosophy? to what will my philosophy refer to?

hmmm...at a loss... :gaah:

Are you an architecture student? Well, ang pagkakasabi kasi ng prof namin dati.. a design philosophy is sort of your way in designing structures as a whole.. parang a design philosophy shouldnt be always varying.. kasi nga philosophy mo yun e..

somewhere along the lines of that.. definition mo ng design concept ay tama na..

@olineil

The design of the NAIA 1 terminal was sort of copied/based of another airport.. that's why NAIA 1 doesn't work so well for us Filipinos..

^^locsin did the NAIA 1, he's into massive kaya ganun yung NAIA 1...

^^locsin did the NAIA 1, he's into massive kaya ganun yung NAIA 1...

^^locsin did the NAIA 1, he's into massive kaya ganun yung NAIA 1...

^^

Si dean Fernandez ata nagsabi samin nyan one RMA meeting.. kasi tayong Pinoys raw kapag may magdeparture na relative ay barangay-barangay magpaalam.. yung current driveway daw doesn't suit that..

^^

Si dean Fernandez ata nagsabi samin nyan one RMA meeting.. kasi tayong Pinoys raw kapag may magdeparture na relative ay barangay-barangay magpaalam.. yung current driveway daw doesn't suit that..

^^

Si dean Fernandez ata nagsabi samin nyan one RMA meeting.. kasi tayong Pinoys raw kapag may magdeparture na relative ay barangay-barangay magpaalam.. yung current driveway daw doesn't suit that..

^^ yeah that is true. good thing they fixed that problem in the new naia 3. dami nilang ginawang improvements doon lalo na sa mga nakaraang problema natin sa previous airports. although marami paring tinira sa terminal 3 like kulang sa pinoy character and masyadong madilim siya despite daylighting efforts unlike sa terminal 2.


eto pa isang architect of significance:

http://www.pbase.com/nsaratan/architectural_works

^^ yeah that is true. good thing they fixed that problem in the new naia 3. dami nilang ginawang improvements doon lalo na sa mga nakaraang problema natin sa previous airports. although marami paring tinira sa terminal 3 like kulang sa pinoy character and masyadong madilim siya despite daylighting efforts unlike sa terminal 2.


eto pa isang architect of significance:

http://www.pbase.com/nsaratan/architectural_works

^^ yeah that is true. good thing they fixed that problem in the new naia 3. dami nilang ginawang improvements doon lalo na sa mga nakaraang problema natin sa previous airports. although marami paring tinira sa terminal 3 like kulang sa pinoy character and masyadong madilim siya despite daylighting efforts unlike sa terminal 2.


eto pa isang architect of significance:

http://www.pbase.com/nsaratan/architectural_works

^^

Si dean Fernandez ata nagsabi samin nyan one RMA meeting.. kasi tayong Pinoys raw kapag may magdeparture na relative ay barangay-barangay magpaalam.. yung current driveway daw doesn't suit that..

yup, may nagsabi na rin sa min nyan... tska dahil sa barangay barangay nga pari parking spaces nagiging lounge area na rin... :D

^^

Si dean Fernandez ata nagsabi samin nyan one RMA meeting.. kasi tayong Pinoys raw kapag may magdeparture na relative ay barangay-barangay magpaalam.. yung current driveway daw doesn't suit that..

yup, may nagsabi na rin sa min nyan... tska dahil sa barangay barangay nga pari parking spaces nagiging lounge area na rin... :D

^^

Si dean Fernandez ata nagsabi samin nyan one RMA meeting.. kasi tayong Pinoys raw kapag may magdeparture na relative ay barangay-barangay magpaalam.. yung current driveway daw doesn't suit that..

yup, may nagsabi na rin sa min nyan... tska dahil sa barangay barangay nga pari parking spaces nagiging lounge area na rin... :D

my avatar is a symbol of what group of architecture group?

my avatar is a symbol of what group of architecture group?

my avatar is a symbol of what group of architecture group?

^^ hmm i have no idea :ohno: any clues perhaps? is that foreign or local?

^^ hmm i have no idea :ohno: any clues perhaps? is that foreign or local?

^^ hmm i have no idea :ohno: any clues perhaps? is that foreign or local?

Where are the Filipino architects?
CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren
The Philippine STAR 12/16/2006

Last week was Philippine Architecture Week. The craziness that accompanies our Christmas season has, however, obscured the celebration of one of the most misunderstood and unappreciated fields of artistic and utilitarian endeavors. Obscured, too, are the products of the practice of architecture and its allied professions – planning, landscape architecture and interior design. How can one even see them, buried as they are beneath massive killer billboards and the urban mess we let accumulate in all our cities?

The week was not without celebrations. The two Philippine organizations of architects – the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) and the Philippine Institute of Architects (PIA) – had full schedules. The highlight was the launching of a collective undertaking by the two. In partnership with the CCP and the Philippine Association of Landscape Architects, these organizations are setting out to landmark structures and sites of the four National Artists for Architecture and its Allied Arts.

The first work to be landmarked was the Cultural Center of the Philippines by Leandro V. Locsin. The works of the three others – architects Pablo Antonio Sr., Juan Nakpil and landscape architect Ildefonso P. Santos – will follow in series. It is hoped that this exercise will help conserve our legacy of modern architecture in parallel with ongoing efforts to keep older buildings from the American and Spanish colonial periods from demolition. If these are not saved, the whole heritage of Philippine architecture, historical and modern, will disappear.

Have You Seen Philippine Architecture?
The problem with Philippine architecture is, in fact, its very invisibility. Nobody can substantially define it, the public does not know it exists beyond the nipa hut and if it does exist, it is otherwise rendered unrecognizable because it hides behind (and I really must reiterate) monstrous billboards, or underneath a foreign façade – in many instances actually designed by a foreigner.

It is Philippine art’s invisibility that was tackled in a talk delivered by culture maven Dr. Nina Baker at the Ayala Museum recently. The title of the talk was "Breaking into the Global Arena: What does it take?"

Dr. Baker put Philippine art in focus, looking at issues of national identity, the hegemonic burden of colonialism and today’s globalization of art and culture mainly through new art and multi-media forms (and by inference, architecture).

Her conclusion: we Filipinos (and our art) have been invisible to the world probably because of our culture’s innate plasticity – our ability to quickly assimilate, absorb, adapt to and adopt foreign forms (fashion, speech, art, architecture, etc). So are we cultural chameleons rendering ourselves mestizo clones from those we chose to valorize? Is our hybrid culture a culture of continuous hybridism with no end in sight except centuries more of copycatting?

Problematizing Philippine art begs a deeper look than I am capable of at the moment, or that this space can accommodate (besides, it requires a different language spoken by academics and scholars, which is foreign to most Filipinos whose concept of art is that of artistic daily survival amid the creative ineptitude of government.)

I can only tackle Philippine architecture, which is the main subject of this week’s piece.

Have You Seen A Filipino Architect?
Philippine architecture in 2006 finds itself at the edge of another construction boom. The problem today is not so much how to project Philippine architecture abroad as it is to project itself into the consciousness of contemporary Filipinos.

Filipino architects are generally invisible. Almost no Philippine designer is a household name. This is because of the commodification of the whole process of making houses. These are known as "housing products" (the term used by developers), designed anonymously and built by model number or mass produced like burgers and fries.

Up-sizing these "products" for the upscale market entails the slapping on of a brand. Usually the name of some foreign architect, planner, landscape architect or interior designer is plastered all over media to make the development more sellable. Blame this on real estate executives, marketing heads or advertising creatives without cultural souls or social consciousness – slaves to a colonial mentality that forever relegates anything or anyone Filipino as inferior.

Where are the 30,000 or so Filipino architects and affiliated design professionals? They are invisible, save to their immediate relatives or project managers of real estate development firms who are tasked to produce the best product with the least budget (cheap but good) and if there was a budget, to pay a foreign consultant premium fees, which more often that not cut into the local consultants’ fees.

The only thing that was visible during Architecture Week last week was a rather plain whole page ad paid by the architects’ organizations informing the public about the dangers of hiring unlicensed architects and the existence of RA 9266, the Architecture Act of 2004, which controls the practice of the profession (similar laws cover the allied arts of environmental planning, landscape architecture and interior design).

Architects As Idols?
Of course, there have been little public glimpses into the creative genius of the Filipino designer. Winners in architecture and interior design for national events like Metrobank’s MADE annual design competition and the CCP design competition have helped shine some needed light. So have the international competition triumphs this year of furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue (in Hong Kong) and industrial/furniture designer/artist J. Palencia (at the Roscoe Awards in New York).

The achievements of these designers, however, pale in comparison to the accolades showered on boxing champions or Philippine Idols. Yes, we can sing like divas and gangsta rappers but we do it in our leaking shanties or waterless showers. We can jab our way out of any tough spot, too, but we have to anyway in our everyday negotiation of our merciless city streets.

Compassionate architecture by Filipino architects is what is best for the Philippine setting. The problem is that the physical, social and economic settings for Pinoy designers are so disheartening that many are continually lured to other lands to create modern built environments for Middle Easterners, Chinese, Malaysians, Singaporeans and yes even Americans. In those lands too they are invisible – relegated to back room production for the most part, swallowing professional pride and true artistic expression for the luxury of eating four square meals and sending home the dollars that are propping up the Philippine’s perennially-hobbled local economy.

Getting Architecture In Shape
Filipino architects have to step up. They have to make themselves visible to a public that has very little idea of the creative potential of architecture and design. Good Filipino architecture and its related disciplines can create the physical settings for social and economic change. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur were dank backwaters but cleaned up and are wealthy cities because investors like order and cleanliness. Locally, note how unruly crowds become more disciplined in the ordered spaces of shopping malls or inside the "masterplanned" enclaves of the rich and corrupt.

Churchill said, "We shape our architecture and our architecture shapes us." Our national identity is shaped not only by the abstract constructs of constitutions and laws, but also by the way we design and build our surroundings. Our constitution is based on a western model, is flawed, and should be changed, so too with our architecture. We would balk at the idea of hiring foreign lawmakers to come and change the constitution for us (so we messily and bloodily try to do it ourselves) but foreign intervention is actively sought out for our future buildings, complexes, landscapes and districts. So what gives?

The Filipino public should give Philippine architecture a long hard look. Filipino clients have to give Filipino architects and related professionals the chance to do what they do best – design wonderful buildings, malls, resorts and housing to world-class standards. But to do this, world-class fees must also be part of the deal. If you pay peanuts, you get houses for monkeys.

Are We Monkeys Or Architects?
It’s amazing how the Filipino architect is treated worse than a monkey. The pay is small and yet he or she is asked to throw in freebies for this or that additional scope of work. It is not enough that they are asked for tawad, Divisoria style on their fees; they are expected to also be at the beck and call of clients.

Worse still, in some situations, they are expected to kowtow to foreign architects who charge 10 times the locals fees for half the work. Finally, the saddest thing of all is the fact that many Filipino architectural firms are actually losing their people to the very same foreigners who lord it over the locals. Is there no end to this tragedy?

It is then probably good to have Architecture Week in December. Such a tragic profession needs the cheer of the holiday season to brighten its prospects yearly. So all Filipino architects need really is a simple gift from the public. They just want to be given a chance.

And oh yes, for any chance to really be able to appreciate Filipino architecture, those #*!!* billboards should be taken down. Who put them up again anyway?

* * *

Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.






Looking for Filipino architects in 2007
CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren
The Philippine STAR 12/30/2006

I received an amazing number of e-mails reacting to the piece "Where are the Filipino architects?" I’m sharing some of them to help paint a picture of what can be expected in the architecture and design scene in 2007.

First from PGC, a Filipino architect based in mainland China:

"I would like to say thank you on behalf of the tens of thousands of Filipino architects surviving with meager pay in our country or like me and my wife, slaving for foreign bosses in foreign lands. What you wrote is truly the sentiment of all of us trying to make Filipino architects known in a little way. If you could just see how influential Filipinos are here in China – we are practically designing the entire Chinese mainland in terms of architecture and urban landscape.

"Our deepest desire is for Filipino architects to be recognized not abroad but in our homeland. If only we can be given the chance to do in our own soil what we are doing here, it would be the rebirth of Filipino architecture. If all foreign-based architects could come home – wow, that would a dream come true.

"Sadly, we have to watch distantly as Philippine architecture is being designed by foreign consultants while Filipinos abroad are regarded as geniuses. China is developing into a first-world nation, and in two years’ time it will probably outrace even the US in growth. The works of Filipino architects slaving day and night with the simplest of computer tools will be imprinted in the blueprint of modern China’s success. Hopefully, authorities back home in the Philippines will see this glaring waste of Filipino creative resource."

Thank you, PGC. Yes, few realize that what many have seen in amazing Shanghai and Beijing as well as in Hong Kong and Macao is the handiwork of Filipino architects, landscape architects, interior designers and planners (except maybe the overly strombotic street lights). How can we stem this creative flow back into the Philippines? This creative capital flight is surely worth more in the long run than the short-term flow of overseas remittances, which only reflect the basic instability of our country and the inutility of its current institutions.

* * *

Next, we have a note from CF, a new overseas graduate:

"That was an excellent piece and I agree on the many points you made. Allow me, however, to bring up a few of my own.

"First, we are a developing nation, and I believe we will be for many years to come. Most here are concerned about getting a roof over their heads rather than getting a pretty house to exemplify modern Filipino architecture. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, creativity or aesthetics is at the top of the pyramid – to be considered after the physiological needs, safety / security, belongingness and esteem. True, these needs are applicable on a personal level. However, society as a whole is composed of individuals, and a conglomeration of individual thought forms the collective psyche. The Filipino public is not equipped to appreciate art and culture as more advanced societies are. I’ve just come back from London (and some other European cities) and the difference is striking. Their cities teem with galleries and theaters and concert halls, most of which are housed in architectural masterpieces. And the average citizen will spend time and money going to exhibitions and shows. They can afford it. Their economies have stabilized, their per capita income is higher, and their governments provide good social services when they fall through the cracks.

"And in the Philippines? We know the answer to that one. This is why architecture and most of the arts do not progress in our country. There is no market for it. Look at the advertising industry in contrast. It is growing, and even the most kitsch of advertising campaigns now has a bit of a global edge. Production, conceptualization, scriptwriting – it’s all there because there is money in it. Like it or not, Philippine society is a consumerist society. You grieve at the creation of ‘housing products’ yet this is merely a response to the market. We do what we have to do in order to survive.

"Second, the average Juan is more concerned about making a decent living than promoting Philippine culture. I went to London to get my masters’ degree in the hope of getting a brighter future for myself. I was thinking I could help push local architecture forward. But that is a secondary concern. My main objective was to get a job where I don’t have to rely on my parents to survive. I am in my late twenties and I make less money than my sister who is in her mid-twenties. She is in finance. Even my youngest sister who just graduated from a business course is now earning a little more than I am.

"Architecture in the Philippines does not pay. Will you blame us for wanting to leave and work elsewhere so that we have at least a comfortable life? So we have to be someone else’s CAD monkey. It’s a small price to pay for a lifetime of financial security. Besides, at the end of the day, we will probably be a CAD monkey here anyway – and be paid peanuts to boot.

"As a friend of mine puts it, designers decide to go abroad because there they can 1) design better, 2) get paid real money, and 3) all of the above.

"Third, and I think this is a very important point to make, architecture graduates worldwide are some of the worst-paid in any profession. The fact of the matter is, architecture hardly pays well anywhere, unless you are a big-name, hotshot architect like Zaha Hadid or Rem Koolhaas. So architects in other countries get paid better, but that is partly because the minimum wage is higher in the first place. And if you earn in US dollars then spend in Philippine pesos, well, you can probably build your own Philippines by the time you hit retirement age.

"Fourth, architectural training here is insubstantial. I say this in comparison to what I have seen in London and other develop nations. My brother-in-law (who is Singaporean) told me, ‘When I have kids, I’ll send them to the schools in the States because in the US, they train you how to think. Here, they just train you how to do. And when you’re trained to think, it’s something of lasting value. You can always learn how to do things, but thinking is something that becomes inherent in you.’

"We already think that the education in Singapore is good, yet here is a Singaporean who says otherwise. What does that say of our standards? I was educated and trained in UP, which is supposedly the best architecture school in the country. I excelled in my class. But when I got to London, I was only average. The works of my peers there were lightyears ahead of mine. You can say it is a difference in cultures, perception or understanding. A difference in approach does not make one less valid, that is true. But we are moving into a global society where the multi-billion projects will be fair game to anyone from Cape Town to Siberia. And if we do not equip our graduates to compete in this global marketplace, then you can forget about raising the flag of Philippine architecture. American architects can design towers in Manila, but can Filipino architects conceptualize commercial complexes in New York? Maybe we can, as we have the ability to do so, but will they let us? Not really (unless we are working in one of their firms). Why not? It is because our standards are not up to scratch. Whether that is just perception or reality is another debate. But the fact of the matter is, we are on the losing end, and we need to do something about it.

"If I sound a little too abrasive, it is only because I feel strongly about these things. I apologize if I have offended you or your colleagues in any way. These are, as I have said, just my opinions and I know of other people who share my views, and perhaps that is enough to say that I am not entirely off the mark."

Thank you, CF, for your e-mail. Good point on the fact that we are now a nation of consumers and a developing nation. I agree that the housing "products" real estate developers force Filipino architects to design cater to the market. The crux of the matter is what "sells" are usually kitschy clones of European or American homes. These do not reflect appropriate responses to either our tropical climate or our true culture. To make sure that our culture survives western hegemony (and we survive tropical calamities) our architecture must develop its form and substance based on more than just marketability and the quota targets of developers.

On the capacity to appreciate art and culture – I believe Filipinos could be provided with both the venues and the opportunities other societies have. Imagine how many concert halls, performance venues, art schools and galleries, archives, libraries and museums could be built at the cost of one (unopened) overpriced NAIA III, or one hastily built (and by that nature – overpriced) PICC. Just the pork barrel of the Philippine Senate for one year will be enough to rebuild the CCP, build our National Archives and rescue all our art and culture programs from the clutches of death.

On your second point, I also agree that Philippine architecture does not pay. Salaries of young architects or designers here cannot compare with those offered by other professions or other callings (no pun intended). Call centers offer twice the starting salaries even the most successful architectural offices can shell out. There is nothing wrong with looking for financial security here or overseas. The problem is that architectural practice in the Philippines is unappreciated, little understood and under-compensated. Most big companies still treat architects as contractors or suppliers rather than professional consultants like lawyers or doctors. No one can hire a doctor or lawyer to come take a look at a problem for free. Doctors and lawyers don’t get out of bed for less than a few thousand pesos for a look-see, much less a diagnosis or legal advice. On the other hand, Filipino architects are expected by many clients to hand over scheme after scheme (involving hundreds of man-hours) before the contract is even signed! The onus is on professionals and their professional organizations to educate clients and the general public on the true value of architecture and the immense benefits of properly compensating hard-working professionals in all the design fields. Just compensation ensures excellent service and commitment from any professional, no matter what field.

It is true that architecture graduates the world over are the worst-paid staff in any profession but this is linked to the apprenticeship period that is traditionally the way an architect is educated. His or her education actually begins in the real world with real design problems and not the "crit" sessions of academe. Architectural practice is also called a practice because, like doctors and lawyers, it takes time to develop a stable of clients and the body of work needed to be recognized.

There are a lot of chicken and egg issues here but this is the dilemma of those who seek CAD monkey work here or employment abroad. In either case, you cannot start establishing yourself until you set up a practice here in the Philippines.

Architectural education here (and Philippine education in general) can stand a lot of improvement. It’s good that English has been reestablished as the medium of instruction since it is the lingua franca of the international architectural world. Architectural students should seek, actually read books and have better access to books on global and Philippine architecture (not just look at the pictures and copy facades and details). Architectural libraries at the UP and other schools are well-stocked, though not as good as foreign schools (but the Internet has leveled the field somewhat). More books on Philippine architecture must be produced but this presumes that we sustain and increase research and writing on Philippine architecture and design. As it stands, we rarely produce more than one book on architectural design a year. The total production of Philippine architectural writing in books can fill only half a shelf in any library. Magazines are an improving venue for the dissemination of architectural knowledge and examples of current work but most of the writing can be improved to be more critical and heftier in content than is currently accommodated (due to lack of editorial pages or pressures from publishers to go "lifestyle").

Architectural professors should also be better paid so they can devote more time to teach rather than have to look for other work to make ends meet. The syllabus and teaching methods could also be improved with more group work (requiring interdisciplinary collaboration with students in planning, landscape architecture and interior design) and individual as well as creative development with critique sessions that bring practicing architects to academe. (Filipino architects are sensitive to criticism and this is not good. No one can improve without making mistakes or going through several cycles to build up both design intelligence and character.)

Never apologize, CF, for feeling strongly about anything. It is good to get feedback like yours. With young architects like you, I know that there is hope for the next generation.

There’s more feedback, but I have to leave it for next week.

* * *

I’d like to thank all the readers of this column for keeping an eye out for our cities and our collective future… and let’s be careful out there. Billboards have been known to fall from the noise of firecrackers. Both of them should be banned anyway! Here’s to a future with less noise – visually and politically.

* * *

Feedback is welcome. E-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.

Where are the Filipino architects?
CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren
The Philippine STAR 12/16/2006

Last week was Philippine Architecture Week. The craziness that accompanies our Christmas season has, however, obscured the celebration of one of the most misunderstood and unappreciated fields of artistic and utilitarian endeavors. Obscured, too, are the products of the practice of architecture and its allied professions – planning, landscape architecture and interior design. How can one even see them, buried as they are beneath massive killer billboards and the urban mess we let accumulate in all our cities?

The week was not without celebrations. The two Philippine organizations of architects – the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) and the Philippine Institute of Architects (PIA) – had full schedules. The highlight was the launching of a collective undertaking by the two. In partnership with the CCP and the Philippine Association of Landscape Architects, these organizations are setting out to landmark structures and sites of the four National Artists for Architecture and its Allied Arts.

The first work to be landmarked was the Cultural Center of the Philippines by Leandro V. Locsin. The works of the three others – architects Pablo Antonio Sr., Juan Nakpil and landscape architect Ildefonso P. Santos – will follow in series. It is hoped that this exercise will help conserve our legacy of modern architecture in parallel with ongoing efforts to keep older buildings from the American and Spanish colonial periods from demolition. If these are not saved, the whole heritage of Philippine architecture, historical and modern, will disappear.

Have You Seen Philippine Architecture?
The problem with Philippine architecture is, in fact, its very invisibility. Nobody can substantially define it, the public does not know it exists beyond the nipa hut and if it does exist, it is otherwise rendered unrecognizable because it hides behind (and I really must reiterate) monstrous billboards, or underneath a foreign façade – in many instances actually designed by a foreigner.

It is Philippine art’s invisibility that was tackled in a talk delivered by culture maven Dr. Nina Baker at the Ayala Museum recently. The title of the talk was "Breaking into the Global Arena: What does it take?"

Dr. Baker put Philippine art in focus, looking at issues of national identity, the hegemonic burden of colonialism and today’s globalization of art and culture mainly through new art and multi-media forms (and by inference, architecture).

Her conclusion: we Filipinos (and our art) have been invisible to the world probably because of our culture’s innate plasticity – our ability to quickly assimilate, absorb, adapt to and adopt foreign forms (fashion, speech, art, architecture, etc). So are we cultural chameleons rendering ourselves mestizo clones from those we chose to valorize? Is our hybrid culture a culture of continuous hybridism with no end in sight except centuries more of copycatting?

Problematizing Philippine art begs a deeper look than I am capable of at the moment, or that this space can accommodate (besides, it requires a different language spoken by academics and scholars, which is foreign to most Filipinos whose concept of art is that of artistic daily survival amid the creative ineptitude of government.)

I can only tackle Philippine architecture, which is the main subject of this week’s piece.

Have You Seen A Filipino Architect?
Philippine architecture in 2006 finds itself at the edge of another construction boom. The problem today is not so much how to project Philippine architecture abroad as it is to project itself into the consciousness of contemporary Filipinos.

Filipino architects are generally invisible. Almost no Philippine designer is a household name. This is because of the commodification of the whole process of making houses. These are known as "housing products" (the term used by developers), designed anonymously and built by model number or mass produced like burgers and fries.

Up-sizing these "products" for the upscale market entails the slapping on of a brand. Usually the name of some foreign architect, planner, landscape architect or interior designer is plastered all over media to make the development more sellable. Blame this on real estate executives, marketing heads or advertising creatives without cultural souls or social consciousness – slaves to a colonial mentality that forever relegates anything or anyone Filipino as inferior.

Where are the 30,000 or so Filipino architects and affiliated design professionals? They are invisible, save to their immediate relatives or project managers of real estate development firms who are tasked to produce the best product with the least budget (cheap but good) and if there was a budget, to pay a foreign consultant premium fees, which more often that not cut into the local consultants’ fees.

The only thing that was visible during Architecture Week last week was a rather plain whole page ad paid by the architects’ organizations informing the public about the dangers of hiring unlicensed architects and the existence of RA 9266, the Architecture Act of 2004, which controls the practice of the profession (similar laws cover the allied arts of environmental planning, landscape architecture and interior design).

Architects As Idols?
Of course, there have been little public glimpses into the creative genius of the Filipino designer. Winners in architecture and interior design for national events like Metrobank’s MADE annual design competition and the CCP design competition have helped shine some needed light. So have the international competition triumphs this year of furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue (in Hong Kong) and industrial/furniture designer/artist J. Palencia (at the Roscoe Awards in New York).

The achievements of these designers, however, pale in comparison to the accolades showered on boxing champions or Philippine Idols. Yes, we can sing like divas and gangsta rappers but we do it in our leaking shanties or waterless showers. We can jab our way out of any tough spot, too, but we have to anyway in our everyday negotiation of our merciless city streets.

Compassionate architecture by Filipino architects is what is best for the Philippine setting. The problem is that the physical, social and economic settings for Pinoy designers are so disheartening that many are continually lured to other lands to create modern built environments for Middle Easterners, Chinese, Malaysians, Singaporeans and yes even Americans. In those lands too they are invisible – relegated to back room production for the most part, swallowing professional pride and true artistic expression for the luxury of eating four square meals and sending home the dollars that are propping up the Philippine’s perennially-hobbled local economy.

Getting Architecture In Shape
Filipino architects have to step up. They have to make themselves visible to a public that has very little idea of the creative potential of architecture and design. Good Filipino architecture and its related disciplines can create the physical settings for social and economic change. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur were dank backwaters but cleaned up and are wealthy cities because investors like order and cleanliness. Locally, note how unruly crowds become more disciplined in the ordered spaces of shopping malls or inside the "masterplanned" enclaves of the rich and corrupt.

Churchill said, "We shape our architecture and our architecture shapes us." Our national identity is shaped not only by the abstract constructs of constitutions and laws, but also by the way we design and build our surroundings. Our constitution is based on a western model, is flawed, and should be changed, so too with our architecture. We would balk at the idea of hiring foreign lawmakers to come and change the constitution for us (so we messily and bloodily try to do it ourselves) but foreign intervention is actively sought out for our future buildings, complexes, landscapes and districts. So what gives?

The Filipino public should give Philippine architecture a long hard look. Filipino clients have to give Filipino architects and related professionals the chance to do what they do best – design wonderful buildings, malls, resorts and housing to world-class standards. But to do this, world-class fees must also be part of the deal. If you pay peanuts, you get houses for monkeys.

Are We Monkeys Or Architects?
It’s amazing how the Filipino architect is treated worse than a monkey. The pay is small and yet he or she is asked to throw in freebies for this or that additional scope of work. It is not enough that they are asked for tawad, Divisoria style on their fees; they are expected to also be at the beck and call of clients.

Worse still, in some situations, they are expected to kowtow to foreign architects who charge 10 times the locals fees for half the work. Finally, the saddest thing of all is the fact that many Filipino architectural firms are actually losing their people to the very same foreigners who lord it over the locals. Is there no end to this tragedy?

It is then probably good to have Architecture Week in December. Such a tragic profession needs the cheer of the holiday season to brighten its prospects yearly. So all Filipino architects need really is a simple gift from the public. They just want to be given a chance.

And oh yes, for any chance to really be able to appreciate Filipino architecture, those #*!!* billboards should be taken down. Who put them up again anyway?

* * *

Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.






Looking for Filipino architects in 2007
CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren
The Philippine STAR 12/30/2006

I received an amazing number of e-mails reacting to the piece "Where are the Filipino architects?" I’m sharing some of them to help paint a picture of what can be expected in the architecture and design scene in 2007.

First from PGC, a Filipino architect based in mainland China:

"I would like to say thank you on behalf of the tens of thousands of Filipino architects surviving with meager pay in our country or like me and my wife, slaving for foreign bosses in foreign lands. What you wrote is truly the sentiment of all of us trying to make Filipino architects known in a little way. If you could just see how influential Filipinos are here in China – we are practically designing the entire Chinese mainland in terms of architecture and urban landscape.

"Our deepest desire is for Filipino architects to be recognized not abroad but in our homeland. If only we can be given the chance to do in our own soil what we are doing here, it would be the rebirth of Filipino architecture. If all foreign-based architects could come home – wow, that would a dream come true.

"Sadly, we have to watch distantly as Philippine architecture is being designed by foreign consultants while Filipinos abroad are regarded as geniuses. China is developing into a first-world nation, and in two years’ time it will probably outrace even the US in growth. The works of Filipino architects slaving day and night with the simplest of computer tools will be imprinted in the blueprint of modern China’s success. Hopefully, authorities back home in the Philippines will see this glaring waste of Filipino creative resource."

Thank you, PGC. Yes, few realize that what many have seen in amazing Shanghai and Beijing as well as in Hong Kong and Macao is the handiwork of Filipino architects, landscape architects, interior designers and planners (except maybe the overly strombotic street lights). How can we stem this creative flow back into the Philippines? This creative capital flight is surely worth more in the long run than the short-term flow of overseas remittances, which only reflect the basic instability of our country and the inutility of its current institutions.

* * *

Next, we have a note from CF, a new overseas graduate:

"That was an excellent piece and I agree on the many points you made. Allow me, however, to bring up a few of my own.

"First, we are a developing nation, and I believe we will be for many years to come. Most here are concerned about getting a roof over their heads rather than getting a pretty house to exemplify modern Filipino architecture. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, creativity or aesthetics is at the top of the pyramid – to be considered after the physiological needs, safety / security, belongingness and esteem. True, these needs are applicable on a personal level. However, society as a whole is composed of individuals, and a conglomeration of individual thought forms the collective psyche. The Filipino public is not equipped to appreciate art and culture as more advanced societies are. I’ve just come back from London (and some other European cities) and the difference is striking. Their cities teem with galleries and theaters and concert halls, most of which are housed in architectural masterpieces. And the average citizen will spend time and money going to exhibitions and shows. They can afford it. Their economies have stabilized, their per capita income is higher, and their governments provide good social services when they fall through the cracks.

"And in the Philippines? We know the answer to that one. This is why architecture and most of the arts do not progress in our country. There is no market for it. Look at the advertising industry in contrast. It is growing, and even the most kitsch of advertising campaigns now has a bit of a global edge. Production, conceptualization, scriptwriting – it’s all there because there is money in it. Like it or not, Philippine society is a consumerist society. You grieve at the creation of ‘housing products’ yet this is merely a response to the market. We do what we have to do in order to survive.

"Second, the average Juan is more concerned about making a decent living than promoting Philippine culture. I went to London to get my masters’ degree in the hope of getting a brighter future for myself. I was thinking I could help push local architecture forward. But that is a secondary concern. My main objective was to get a job where I don’t have to rely on my parents to survive. I am in my late twenties and I make less money than my sister who is in her mid-twenties. She is in finance. Even my youngest sister who just graduated from a business course is now earning a little more than I am.

"Architecture in the Philippines does not pay. Will you blame us for wanting to leave and work elsewhere so that we have at least a comfortable life? So we have to be someone else’s CAD monkey. It’s a small price to pay for a lifetime of financial security. Besides, at the end of the day, we will probably be a CAD monkey here anyway – and be paid peanuts to boot.

"As a friend of mine puts it, designers decide to go abroad because there they can 1) design better, 2) get paid real money, and 3) all of the above.

"Third, and I think this is a very important point to make, architecture graduates worldwide are some of the worst-paid in any profession. The fact of the matter is, architecture hardly pays well anywhere, unless you are a big-name, hotshot architect like Zaha Hadid or Rem Koolhaas. So architects in other countries get paid better, but that is partly because the minimum wage is higher in the first place. And if you earn in US dollars then spend in Philippine pesos, well, you can probably build your own Philippines by the time you hit retirement age.

"Fourth, architectural training here is insubstantial. I say this in comparison to what I have seen in London and other develop nations. My brother-in-law (who is Singaporean) told me, ‘When I have kids, I’ll send them to the schools in the States because in the US, they train you how to think. Here, they just train you how to do. And when you’re trained to think, it’s something of lasting value. You can always learn how to do things, but thinking is something that becomes inherent in you.’

"We already think that the education in Singapore is good, yet here is a Singaporean who says otherwise. What does that say of our standards? I was educated and trained in UP, which is supposedly the best architecture school in the country. I excelled in my class. But when I got to London, I was only average. The works of my peers there were lightyears ahead of mine. You can say it is a difference in cultures, perception or understanding. A difference in approach does not make one less valid, that is true. But we are moving into a global society where the multi-billion projects will be fair game to anyone from Cape Town to Siberia. And if we do not equip our graduates to compete in this global marketplace, then you can forget about raising the flag of Philippine architecture. American architects can design towers in Manila, but can Filipino architects conceptualize commercial complexes in New York? Maybe we can, as we have the ability to do so, but will they let us? Not really (unless we are working in one of their firms). Why not? It is because our standards are not up to scratch. Whether that is just perception or reality is another debate. But the fact of the matter is, we are on the losing end, and we need to do something about it.

"If I sound a little too abrasive, it is only because I feel strongly about these things. I apologize if I have offended you or your colleagues in any way. These are, as I have said, just my opinions and I know of other people who share my views, and perhaps that is enough to say that I am not entirely off the mark."

Thank you, CF, for your e-mail. Good point on the fact that we are now a nation of consumers and a developing nation. I agree that the housing "products" real estate developers force Filipino architects to design cater to the market. The crux of the matter is what "sells" are usually kitschy clones of European or American homes. These do not reflect appropriate responses to either our tropical climate or our true culture. To make sure that our culture survives western hegemony (and we survive tropical calamities) our architecture must develop its form and substance based on more than just marketability and the quota targets of developers.

On the capacity to appreciate art and culture – I believe Filipinos could be provided with both the venues and the opportunities other societies have. Imagine how many concert halls, performance venues, art schools and galleries, archives, libraries and museums could be built at the cost of one (unopened) overpriced NAIA III, or one hastily built (and by that nature – overpriced) PICC. Just the pork barrel of the Philippine Senate for one year will be enough to rebuild the CCP, build our National Archives and rescue all our art and culture programs from the clutches of death.

On your second point, I also agree that Philippine architecture does not pay. Salaries of young architects or designers here cannot compare with those offered by other professions or other callings (no pun intended). Call centers offer twice the starting salaries even the most successful architectural offices can shell out. There is nothing wrong with looking for financial security here or overseas. The problem is that architectural practice in the Philippines is unappreciated, little understood and under-compensated. Most big companies still treat architects as contractors or suppliers rather than professional consultants like lawyers or doctors. No one can hire a doctor or lawyer to come take a look at a problem for free. Doctors and lawyers don’t get out of bed for less than a few thousand pesos for a look-see, much less a diagnosis or legal advice. On the other hand, Filipino architects are expected by many clients to hand over scheme after scheme (involving hundreds of man-hours) before the contract is even signed! The onus is on professionals and their professional organizations to educate clients and the general public on the true value of architecture and the immense benefits of properly compensating hard-working professionals in all the design fields. Just compensation ensures excellent service and commitment from any professional, no matter what field.

It is true that architecture graduates the world over are the worst-paid staff in any profession but this is linked to the apprenticeship period that is traditionally the way an architect is educated. His or her education actually begins in the real world with real design problems and not the "crit" sessions of academe. Architectural practice is also called a practice because, like doctors and lawyers, it takes time to develop a stable of clients and the body of work needed to be recognized.

There are a lot of chicken and egg issues here but this is the dilemma of those who seek CAD monkey work here or employment abroad. In either case, you cannot start establishing yourself until you set up a practice here in the Philippines.

Architectural education here (and Philippine education in general) can stand a lot of improvement. It’s good that English has been reestablished as the medium of instruction since it is the lingua franca of the international architectural world. Architectural students should seek, actually read books and have better access to books on global and Philippine architecture (not just look at the pictures and copy facades and details). Architectural libraries at the UP and other schools are well-stocked, though not as good as foreign schools (but the Internet has leveled the field somewhat). More books on Philippine architecture must be produced but this presumes that we sustain and increase research and writing on Philippine architecture and design. As it stands, we rarely produce more than one book on architectural design a year. The total production of Philippine architectural writing in books can fill only half a shelf in any library. Magazines are an improving venue for the dissemination of architectural knowledge and examples of current work but most of the writing can be improved to be more critical and heftier in content than is currently accommodated (due to lack of editorial pages or pressures from publishers to go "lifestyle").

Architectural professors should also be better paid so they can devote more time to teach rather than have to look for other work to make ends meet. The syllabus and teaching methods could also be improved with more group work (requiring interdisciplinary collaboration with students in planning, landscape architecture and interior design) and individual as well as creative development with critique sessions that bring practicing architects to academe. (Filipino architects are sensitive to criticism and this is not good. No one can improve without making mistakes or going through several cycles to build up both design intelligence and character.)

Never apologize, CF, for feeling strongly about anything. It is good to get feedback like yours. With young architects like you, I know that there is hope for the next generation.

There’s more feedback, but I have to leave it for next week.

* * *

I’d like to thank all the readers of this column for keeping an eye out for our cities and our collective future… and let’s be careful out there. Billboards have been known to fall from the noise of firecrackers. Both of them should be banned anyway! Here’s to a future with less noise – visually and politically.

* * *

Feedback is welcome. E-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.

Where are the Filipino architects?
CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren
The Philippine STAR 12/16/2006

Last week was Philippine Architecture Week. The craziness that accompanies our Christmas season has, however, obscured the celebration of one of the most misunderstood and unappreciated fields of artistic and utilitarian endeavors. Obscured, too, are the products of the practice of architecture and its allied professions – planning, landscape architecture and interior design. How can one even see them, buried as they are beneath massive killer billboards and the urban mess we let accumulate in all our cities?

The week was not without celebrations. The two Philippine organizations of architects – the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) and the Philippine Institute of Architects (PIA) – had full schedules. The highlight was the launching of a collective undertaking by the two. In partnership with the CCP and the Philippine Association of Landscape Architects, these organizations are setting out to landmark structures and sites of the four National Artists for Architecture and its Allied Arts.

The first work to be landmarked was the Cultural Center of the Philippines by Leandro V. Locsin. The works of the three others – architects Pablo Antonio Sr., Juan Nakpil and landscape architect Ildefonso P. Santos – will follow in series. It is hoped that this exercise will help conserve our legacy of modern architecture in parallel with ongoing efforts to keep older buildings from the American and Spanish colonial periods from demolition. If these are not saved, the whole heritage of Philippine architecture, historical and modern, will disappear.

Have You Seen Philippine Architecture?
The problem with Philippine architecture is, in fact, its very invisibility. Nobody can substantially define it, the public does not know it exists beyond the nipa hut and if it does exist, it is otherwise rendered unrecognizable because it hides behind (and I really must reiterate) monstrous billboards, or underneath a foreign façade – in many instances actually designed by a foreigner.

It is Philippine art’s invisibility that was tackled in a talk delivered by culture maven Dr. Nina Baker at the Ayala Museum recently. The title of the talk was "Breaking into the Global Arena: What does it take?"

Dr. Baker put Philippine art in focus, looking at issues of national identity, the hegemonic burden of colonialism and today’s globalization of art and culture mainly through new art and multi-media forms (and by inference, architecture).

Her conclusion: we Filipinos (and our art) have been invisible to the world probably because of our culture’s innate plasticity – our ability to quickly assimilate, absorb, adapt to and adopt foreign forms (fashion, speech, art, architecture, etc). So are we cultural chameleons rendering ourselves mestizo clones from those we chose to valorize? Is our hybrid culture a culture of continuous hybridism with no end in sight except centuries more of copycatting?

Problematizing Philippine art begs a deeper look than I am capable of at the moment, or that this space can accommodate (besides, it requires a different language spoken by academics and scholars, which is foreign to most Filipinos whose concept of art is that of artistic daily survival amid the creative ineptitude of government.)

I can only tackle Philippine architecture, which is the main subject of this week’s piece.

Have You Seen A Filipino Architect?
Philippine architecture in 2006 finds itself at the edge of another construction boom. The problem today is not so much how to project Philippine architecture abroad as it is to project itself into the consciousness of contemporary Filipinos.

Filipino architects are generally invisible. Almost no Philippine designer is a household name. This is because of the commodification of the whole process of making houses. These are known as "housing products" (the term used by developers), designed anonymously and built by model number or mass produced like burgers and fries.

Up-sizing these "products" for the upscale market entails the slapping on of a brand. Usually the name of some foreign architect, planner, landscape architect or interior designer is plastered all over media to make the development more sellable. Blame this on real estate executives, marketing heads or advertising creatives without cultural souls or social consciousness – slaves to a colonial mentality that forever relegates anything or anyone Filipino as inferior.

Where are the 30,000 or so Filipino architects and affiliated design professionals? They are invisible, save to their immediate relatives or project managers of real estate development firms who are tasked to produce the best product with the least budget (cheap but good) and if there was a budget, to pay a foreign consultant premium fees, which more often that not cut into the local consultants’ fees.

The only thing that was visible during Architecture Week last week was a rather plain whole page ad paid by the architects’ organizations informing the public about the dangers of hiring unlicensed architects and the existence of RA 9266, the Architecture Act of 2004, which controls the practice of the profession (similar laws cover the allied arts of environmental planning, landscape architecture and interior design).

Architects As Idols?
Of course, there have been little public glimpses into the creative genius of the Filipino designer. Winners in architecture and interior design for national events like Metrobank’s MADE annual design competition and the CCP design competition have helped shine some needed light. So have the international competition triumphs this year of furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue (in Hong Kong) and industrial/furniture designer/artist J. Palencia (at the Roscoe Awards in New York).

The achievements of these designers, however, pale in comparison to the accolades showered on boxing champions or Philippine Idols. Yes, we can sing like divas and gangsta rappers but we do it in our leaking shanties or waterless showers. We can jab our way out of any tough spot, too, but we have to anyway in our everyday negotiation of our merciless city streets.

Compassionate architecture by Filipino architects is what is best for the Philippine setting. The problem is that the physical, social and economic settings for Pinoy designers are so disheartening that many are continually lured to other lands to create modern built environments for Middle Easterners, Chinese, Malaysians, Singaporeans and yes even Americans. In those lands too they are invisible – relegated to back room production for the most part, swallowing professional pride and true artistic expression for the luxury of eating four square meals and sending home the dollars that are propping up the Philippine’s perennially-hobbled local economy.

Getting Architecture In Shape
Filipino architects have to step up. They have to make themselves visible to a public that has very little idea of the creative potential of architecture and design. Good Filipino architecture and its related disciplines can create the physical settings for social and economic change. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur were dank backwaters but cleaned up and are wealthy cities because investors like order and cleanliness. Locally, note how unruly crowds become more disciplined in the ordered spaces of shopping malls or inside the "masterplanned" enclaves of the rich and corrupt.

Churchill said, "We shape our architecture and our architecture shapes us." Our national identity is shaped not only by the abstract constructs of constitutions and laws, but also by the way we design and build our surroundings. Our constitution is based on a western model, is flawed, and should be changed, so too with our architecture. We would balk at the idea of hiring foreign lawmakers to come and change the constitution for us (so we messily and bloodily try to do it ourselves) but foreign intervention is actively sought out for our future buildings, complexes, landscapes and districts. So what gives?

The Filipino public should give Philippine architecture a long hard look. Filipino clients have to give Filipino architects and related professionals the chance to do what they do best – design wonderful buildings, malls, resorts and housing to world-class standards. But to do this, world-class fees must also be part of the deal. If you pay peanuts, you get houses for monkeys.

Are We Monkeys Or Architects?
It’s amazing how the Filipino architect is treated worse than a monkey. The pay is small and yet he or she is asked to throw in freebies for this or that additional scope of work. It is not enough that they are asked for tawad, Divisoria style on their fees; they are expected to also be at the beck and call of clients.

Worse still, in some situations, they are expected to kowtow to foreign architects who charge 10 times the locals fees for half the work. Finally, the saddest thing of all is the fact that many Filipino architectural firms are actually losing their people to the very same foreigners who lord it over the locals. Is there no end to this tragedy?

It is then probably good to have Architecture Week in December. Such a tragic profession needs the cheer of the holiday season to brighten its prospects yearly. So all Filipino architects need really is a simple gift from the public. They just want to be given a chance.

And oh yes, for any chance to really be able to appreciate Filipino architecture, those #*!!* billboards should be taken down. Who put them up again anyway?

* * *

Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.






Looking for Filipino architects in 2007
CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren
The Philippine STAR 12/30/2006

I received an amazing number of e-mails reacting to the piece "Where are the Filipino architects?" I’m sharing some of them to help paint a picture of what can be expected in the architecture and design scene in 2007.

First from PGC, a Filipino architect based in mainland China:

"I would like to say thank you on behalf of the tens of thousands of Filipino architects surviving with meager pay in our country or like me and my wife, slaving for foreign bosses in foreign lands. What you wrote is truly the sentiment of all of us trying to make Filipino architects known in a little way. If you could just see how influential Filipinos are here in China – we are practically designing the entire Chinese mainland in terms of architecture and urban landscape.

"Our deepest desire is for Filipino architects to be recognized not abroad but in our homeland. If only we can be given the chance to do in our own soil what we are doing here, it would be the rebirth of Filipino architecture. If all foreign-based architects could come home – wow, that would a dream come true.

"Sadly, we have to watch distantly as Philippine architecture is being designed by foreign consultants while Filipinos abroad are regarded as geniuses. China is developing into a first-world nation, and in two years’ time it will probably outrace even the US in growth. The works of Filipino architects slaving day and night with the simplest of computer tools will be imprinted in the blueprint of modern China’s success. Hopefully, authorities back home in the Philippines will see this glaring waste of Filipino creative resource."

Thank you, PGC. Yes, few realize that what many have seen in amazing Shanghai and Beijing as well as in Hong Kong and Macao is the handiwork of Filipino architects, landscape architects, interior designers and planners (except maybe the overly strombotic street lights). How can we stem this creative flow back into the Philippines? This creative capital flight is surely worth more in the long run than the short-term flow of overseas remittances, which only reflect the basic instability of our country and the inutility of its current institutions.

* * *

Next, we have a note from CF, a new overseas graduate:

"That was an excellent piece and I agree on the many points you made. Allow me, however, to bring up a few of my own.

"First, we are a developing nation, and I believe we will be for many years to come. Most here are concerned about getting a roof over their heads rather than getting a pretty house to exemplify modern Filipino architecture. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, creativity or aesthetics is at the top of the pyramid – to be considered after the physiological needs, safety / security, belongingness and esteem. True, these needs are applicable on a personal level. However, society as a whole is composed of individuals, and a conglomeration of individual thought forms the collective psyche. The Filipino public is not equipped to appreciate art and culture as more advanced societies are. I’ve just come back from London (and some other European cities) and the difference is striking. Their cities teem with galleries and theaters and concert halls, most of which are housed in architectural masterpieces. And the average citizen will spend time and money going to exhibitions and shows. They can afford it. Their economies have stabilized, their per capita income is higher, and their governments provide good social services when they fall through the cracks.

"And in the Philippines? We know the answer to that one. This is why architecture and most of the arts do not progress in our country. There is no market for it. Look at the advertising industry in contrast. It is growing, and even the most kitsch of advertising campaigns now has a bit of a global edge. Production, conceptualization, scriptwriting – it’s all there because there is money in it. Like it or not, Philippine society is a consumerist society. You grieve at the creation of ‘housing products’ yet this is merely a response to the market. We do what we have to do in order to survive.

"Second, the average Juan is more concerned about making a decent living than promoting Philippine culture. I went to London to get my masters’ degree in the hope of getting a brighter future for myself. I was thinking I could help push local architecture forward. But that is a secondary concern. My main objective was to get a job where I don’t have to rely on my parents to survive. I am in my late twenties and I make less money than my sister who is in her mid-twenties. She is in finance. Even my youngest sister who just graduated from a business course is now earning a little more than I am.

"Architecture in the Philippines does not pay. Will you blame us for wanting to leave and work elsewhere so that we have at least a comfortable life? So we have to be someone else’s CAD monkey. It’s a small price to pay for a lifetime of financial security. Besides, at the end of the day, we will probably be a CAD monkey here anyway – and be paid peanuts to boot.

"As a friend of mine puts it, designers decide to go abroad because there they can 1) design better, 2) get paid real money, and 3) all of the above.

"Third, and I think this is a very important point to make, architecture graduates worldwide are some of the worst-paid in any profession. The fact of the matter is, architecture hardly pays well anywhere, unless you are a big-name, hotshot architect like Zaha Hadid or Rem Koolhaas. So architects in other countries get paid better, but that is partly because the minimum wage is higher in the first place. And if you earn in US dollars then spend in Philippine pesos, well, you can probably build your own Philippines by the time you hit retirement age.

"Fourth, architectural training here is insubstantial. I say this in comparison to what I have seen in London and other develop nations. My brother-in-law (who is Singaporean) told me, ‘When I have kids, I’ll send them to the schools in the States because in the US, they train you how to think. Here, they just train you how to do. And when you’re trained to think, it’s something of lasting value. You can always learn how to do things, but thinking is something that becomes inherent in you.’

"We already think that the education in Singapore is good, yet here is a Singaporean who says otherwise. What does that say of our standards? I was educated and trained in UP, which is supposedly the best architecture school in the country. I excelled in my class. But when I got to London, I was only average. The works of my peers there were lightyears ahead of mine. You can say it is a difference in cultures, perception or understanding. A difference in approach does not make one less valid, that is true. But we are moving into a global society where the multi-billion projects will be fair game to anyone from Cape Town to Siberia. And if we do not equip our graduates to compete in this global marketplace, then you can forget about raising the flag of Philippine architecture. American architects can design towers in Manila, but can Filipino architects conceptualize commercial complexes in New York? Maybe we can, as we have the ability to do so, but will they let us? Not really (unless we are working in one of their firms). Why not? It is because our standards are not up to scratch. Whether that is just perception or reality is another debate. But the fact of the matter is, we are on the losing end, and we need to do something about it.

"If I sound a little too abrasive, it is only because I feel strongly about these things. I apologize if I have offended you or your colleagues in any way. These are, as I have said, just my opinions and I know of other people who share my views, and perhaps that is enough to say that I am not entirely off the mark."

Thank you, CF, for your e-mail. Good point on the fact that we are now a nation of consumers and a developing nation. I agree that the housing "products" real estate developers force Filipino architects to design cater to the market. The crux of the matter is what "sells" are usually kitschy clones of European or American homes. These do not reflect appropriate responses to either our tropical climate or our true culture. To make sure that our culture survives western hegemony (and we survive tropical calamities) our architecture must develop its form and substance based on more than just marketability and the quota targets of developers.

On the capacity to appreciate art and culture – I believe Filipinos could be provided with both the venues and the opportunities other societies have. Imagine how many concert halls, performance venues, art schools and galleries, archives, libraries and museums could be built at the cost of one (unopened) overpriced NAIA III, or one hastily built (and by that nature – overpriced) PICC. Just the pork barrel of the Philippine Senate for one year will be enough to rebuild the CCP, build our National Archives and rescue all our art and culture programs from the clutches of death.

On your second point, I also agree that Philippine architecture does not pay. Salaries of young architects or designers here cannot compare with those offered by other professions or other callings (no pun intended). Call centers offer twice the starting salaries even the most successful architectural offices can shell out. There is nothing wrong with looking for financial security here or overseas. The problem is that architectural practice in the Philippines is unappreciated, little understood and under-compensated. Most big companies still treat architects as contractors or suppliers rather than professional consultants like lawyers or doctors. No one can hire a doctor or lawyer to come take a look at a problem for free. Doctors and lawyers don’t get out of bed for less than a few thousand pesos for a look-see, much less a diagnosis or legal advice. On the other hand, Filipino architects are expected by many clients to hand over scheme after scheme (involving hundreds of man-hours) before the contract is even signed! The onus is on professionals and their professional organizations to educate clients and the general public on the true value of architecture and the immense benefits of properly compensating hard-working professionals in all the design fields. Just compensation ensures excellent service and commitment from any professional, no matter what field.

It is true that architecture graduates the world over are the worst-paid staff in any profession but this is linked to the apprenticeship period that is traditionally the way an architect is educated. His or her education actually begins in the real world with real design problems and not the "crit" sessions of academe. Architectural practice is also called a practice because, like doctors and lawyers, it takes time to develop a stable of clients and the body of work needed to be recognized.

There are a lot of chicken and egg issues here but this is the dilemma of those who seek CAD monkey work here or employment abroad. In either case, you cannot start establishing yourself until you set up a practice here in the Philippines.

Architectural education here (and Philippine education in general) can stand a lot of improvement. It’s good that English has been reestablished as the medium of instruction since it is the lingua franca of the international architectural world. Architectural students should seek, actually read books and have better access to books on global and Philippine architecture (not just look at the pictures and copy facades and details). Architectural libraries at the UP and other schools are well-stocked, though not as good as foreign schools (but the Internet has leveled the field somewhat). More books on Philippine architecture must be produced but this presumes that we sustain and increase research and writing on Philippine architecture and design. As it stands, we rarely produce more than one book on architectural design a year. The total production of Philippine architectural writing in books can fill only half a shelf in any library. Magazines are an improving venue for the dissemination of architectural knowledge and examples of current work but most of the writing can be improved to be more critical and heftier in content than is currently accommodated (due to lack of editorial pages or pressures from publishers to go "lifestyle").

Architectural professors should also be better paid so they can devote more time to teach rather than have to look for other work to make ends meet. The syllabus and teaching methods could also be improved with more group work (requiring interdisciplinary collaboration with students in planning, landscape architecture and interior design) and individual as well as creative development with critique sessions that bring practicing architects to academe. (Filipino architects are sensitive to criticism and this is not good. No one can improve without making mistakes or going through several cycles to build up both design intelligence and character.)

Never apologize, CF, for feeling strongly about anything. It is good to get feedback like yours. With young architects like you, I know that there is hope for the next generation.

There’s more feedback, but I have to leave it for next week.

* * *

I’d like to thank all the readers of this column for keeping an eye out for our cities and our collective future… and let’s be careful out there. Billboards have been known to fall from the noise of firecrackers. Both of them should be banned anyway! Here’s to a future with less noise – visually and politically.

* * *

Feedback is welcome. E-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.

Palafox Associates headed by Architect Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr. ...

He also planned and built the Rockwell Center of the Lopez group of companies in Makati City...

I hope it wasn't his idea to get rid of the old power plant in Rockwell. I was told the original plan was to keep the building and do adaptive reuse on it. Such would have been a great center piece to the area. Whoever thought of demolishing it wasted an industrial heritage structure that would give the place a unique character. Now you have a mall called Power Plant and today's young people no longer know why it was named as such.


SM City Pampanga

This one looks like one large container van... generic, nondescript prefab!


Robinsons Place Pampanga

This one has character... design includes elements of the local culture and heritage.


CCP Redevelopment Study, CCP Complex, Pasay City

I'm posting this comment of Dr. Butch Zialcita on the CCP...
"Right beside the Cultural Center of the Philippines, supposedly the pinnacle of the performing arts, is a giant clown of Star City. It's there the whole year, thanks to Freddie Elizalde. Lisa Macuja, wife of Freddie and star ballerina, should realize that this demeans the image not only of CCP, but of the Philippines as a whole."

I hope that the integrity of the complex and buildings of Leandro Locsin are respected in the redevelopment study. Thanks!

Palafox Associates headed by Architect Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr. ...

He also planned and built the Rockwell Center of the Lopez group of companies in Makati City...

I hope it wasn't his idea to get rid of the old power plant in Rockwell. I was told the original plan was to keep the building and do adaptive reuse on it. Such would have been a great center piece to the area. Whoever thought of demolishing it wasted an industrial heritage structure that would give the place a unique character. Now you have a mall called Power Plant and today's young people no longer know why it was named as such.


SM City Pampanga

This one looks like one large container van... generic, nondescript prefab!


Robinsons Place Pampanga

This one has character... design includes elements of the local culture and heritage.


CCP Redevelopment Study, CCP Complex, Pasay City

I'm posting this comment of Dr. Butch Zialcita on the CCP...
"Right beside the Cultural Center of the Philippines, supposedly the pinnacle of the performing arts, is a giant clown of Star City. It's there the whole year, thanks to Freddie Elizalde. Lisa Macuja, wife of Freddie and star ballerina, should realize that this demeans the image not only of CCP, but of the Philippines as a whole."

I hope that the integrity of the complex and buildings of Leandro Locsin are respected in the redevelopment study. Thanks!

Palafox Associates headed by Architect Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr. ...

He also planned and built the Rockwell Center of the Lopez group of companies in Makati City...

I hope it wasn't his idea to get rid of the old power plant in Rockwell. I was told the original plan was to keep the building and do adaptive reuse on it. Such would have been a great center piece to the area. Whoever thought of demolishing it wasted an industrial heritage structure that would give the place a unique character. Now you have a mall called Power Plant and today's young people no longer know why it was named as such.


SM City Pampanga

This one looks like one large container van... generic, nondescript prefab!


Robinsons Place Pampanga

This one has character... design includes elements of the local culture and heritage.


CCP Redevelopment Study, CCP Complex, Pasay City

I'm posting this comment of Dr. Butch Zialcita on the CCP...
"Right beside the Cultural Center of the Philippines, supposedly the pinnacle of the performing arts, is a giant clown of Star City. It's there the whole year, thanks to Freddie Elizalde. Lisa Macuja, wife of Freddie and star ballerina, should realize that this demeans the image not only of CCP, but of the Philippines as a whole."

I hope that the integrity of the complex and buildings of Leandro Locsin are respected in the redevelopment study. Thanks!

^^ hmm i have no idea :ohno: any clues perhaps? is that foreign or local?

German architecture organization called BAUHAUS....google it!....good building designs....

^^ hmm i have no idea :ohno: any clues perhaps? is that foreign or local?

German architecture organization called BAUHAUS....google it!....good building designs....

^^ hmm i have no idea :ohno: any clues perhaps? is that foreign or local?

German architecture organization called BAUHAUS....google it!....good building designs....

^^ haha really?! darn i never knew that.... now i feel like a total loser! but in fairness, i was already starting to think it was either some guy from de stijl like piet mondrian, or some crazed local architect that merely came up with the logo by chance. thanks for that small piece of education :)




I’ve just come back from London (and some other European cities) and the difference is striking. Their cities teem with galleries and theaters and concert halls, most of which are housed in architectural masterpieces. And the average citizen will spend time and money going to exhibitions and shows. They can afford it..........And in the Philippines? We know the answer to that one. This is why architecture and most of the arts do not progress in our country. There is no market for it. i believe there is such a thing as genuine art even in an overly commercialized, tight-budget profit-based pinoy architecture. but perhaps there are still VERY FEW architects who are capable of producing such things... or at least that's what i think. the country's lack of galleries, theaters, and museums does not necessarily mean we lack the thirst for art. art comes in many forms. pinoys actually spend a lot on making things beautiful. take a good look around and you'll be surprised.

money makes a big difference in making good architecture, but it does not necessarily mean good architecture can't do without it.



I hope it wasn't his idea to get rid of the old power plant in Rockwell. I was told the original plan was to keep the building and do adaptive reuse on it. Such would have been a great center piece to the area. Whoever thought of demolishing it wasted an industrial heritage structure that would give the place a unique character. Now you have a mall called Power Plant and today's young people no longer know why it was named as such.i agree.. too bad huh




some digital media i made a year ago...

Tree of Life
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/smirnoff_2779/Tree_of_Life.jpg

Standout
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/smirnoff_2779/Pinoy_urban.jpg

^^ haha really?! darn i never knew that.... now i feel like a total loser! but in fairness, i was already starting to think it was either some guy from de stijl like piet mondrian, or some crazed local architect that merely came up with the logo by chance. thanks for that small piece of education :)




I’ve just come back from London (and some other European cities) and the difference is striking. Their cities teem with galleries and theaters and concert halls, most of which are housed in architectural masterpieces. And the average citizen will spend time and money going to exhibitions and shows. They can afford it..........And in the Philippines? We know the answer to that one. This is why architecture and most of the arts do not progress in our country. There is no market for it. i believe there is such a thing as genuine art even in an overly commercialized, tight-budget profit-based pinoy architecture. but perhaps there are still VERY FEW architects who are capable of producing such things... or at least that's what i think. the country's lack of galleries, theaters, and museums does not necessarily mean we lack the thirst for art. art comes in many forms. pinoys actually spend a lot on making things beautiful. take a good look around and you'll be surprised.

money makes a big difference in making good architecture, but it does not necessarily mean good architecture can't do without it.



I hope it wasn't his idea to get rid of the old power plant in Rockwell. I was told the original plan was to keep the building and do adaptive reuse on it. Such would have been a great center piece to the area. Whoever thought of demolishing it wasted an industrial heritage structure that would give the place a unique character. Now you have a mall called Power Plant and today's young people no longer know why it was named as such.i agree.. too bad huh




some digital media i made a year ago...

Tree of Life
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/smirnoff_2779/Tree_of_Life.jpg

Standout
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/smirnoff_2779/Pinoy_urban.jpg

^^ haha really?! darn i never knew that.... now i feel like a total loser! but in fairness, i was already starting to think it was either some guy from de stijl like piet mondrian, or some crazed local architect that merely came up with the logo by chance. thanks for that small piece of education :)




I’ve just come back from London (and some other European cities) and the difference is striking. Their cities teem with galleries and theaters and concert halls, most of which are housed in architectural masterpieces. And the average citizen will spend time and money going to exhibitions and shows. They can afford it..........And in the Philippines? We know the answer to that one. This is why architecture and most of the arts do not progress in our country. There is no market for it. i believe there is such a thing as genuine art even in an overly commercialized, tight-budget profit-based pinoy architecture. but perhaps there are still VERY FEW architects who are capable of producing such things... or at least that's what i think. the country's lack of galleries, theaters, and museums does not necessarily mean we lack the thirst for art. art comes in many forms. pinoys actually spend a lot on making things beautiful. take a good look around and you'll be surprised.

money makes a big difference in making good architecture, but it does not necessarily mean good architecture can't do without it.



I hope it wasn't his idea to get rid of the old power plant in Rockwell. I was told the original plan was to keep the building and do adaptive reuse on it. Such would have been a great center piece to the area. Whoever thought of demolishing it wasted an industrial heritage structure that would give the place a unique character. Now you have a mall called Power Plant and today's young people no longer know why it was named as such.i agree.. too bad huh




some digital media i made a year ago...

Tree of Life
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/smirnoff_2779/Tree_of_Life.jpg

Standout
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/smirnoff_2779/Pinoy_urban.jpg

^yung mga flickr pics sa sig mo kaw ba lahat kumuha nun...spuer galing ha :)

^yung mga flickr pics sa sig mo kaw ba lahat kumuha nun...spuer galing ha :)

^yung mga flickr pics sa sig mo kaw ba lahat kumuha nun...spuer galing ha :)

^^yep pero dami ko kasing shots na kinuha at ang mga yun lang ang matitinong natira. pansin mo kaunti lang ang pinakita ko sa disney concert hall dami kasing palpak :lol:

^^yep pero dami ko kasing shots na kinuha at ang mga yun lang ang matitinong natira. pansin mo kaunti lang ang pinakita ko sa disney concert hall dami kasing palpak :lol:

^^yep pero dami ko kasing shots na kinuha at ang mga yun lang ang matitinong natira. pansin mo kaunti lang ang pinakita ko sa disney concert hall dami kasing palpak :lol:

are there any big architectural firms located in alabang/madrigal business park? travelling to and from makati to work there is quite stressful.

are there any big architectural firms located in alabang/madrigal business park? travelling to and from makati to work there is quite stressful.

are there any big architectural firms located in alabang/madrigal business park? travelling to and from makati to work there is quite stressful.

there are quite some few archi firms based in madrigal business park, but i'm not so sure as to how big they actually are. have you tried applying at francisco manosa & partners? they moved to a new location somewhere in bf paranaque right? somewhere in aguirre according to their website.

there are quite some few archi firms based in madrigal business park, but i'm not so sure as to how big they actually are. have you tried applying at francisco manosa & partners? they moved to a new location somewhere in bf paranaque right? somewhere in aguirre according to their website.

there are quite some few archi firms based in madrigal business park, but i'm not so sure as to how big they actually are. have you tried applying at francisco manosa & partners? they moved to a new location somewhere in bf paranaque right? somewhere in aguirre according to their website.

@migan

great, taga bf ako. sa aguirre nga according to their website.

@migan

great, taga bf ako. sa aguirre nga according to their website.

@migan

great, taga bf ako. sa aguirre nga according to their website.

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/1760/school1cw8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img475.imageshack.us/img475/272/school3xq3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img475.imageshack.us/img475/1139/school2gx9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/797/school4zc7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I hope philppines start thinking constructing schools like this , classrooms still lags in PI ...cheap and less time to build :)

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/1760/school1cw8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img475.imageshack.us/img475/272/school3xq3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img475.imageshack.us/img475/1139/school2gx9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/797/school4zc7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I hope philppines start thinking constructing schools like this , classrooms still lags in PI ...cheap and less time to build :)