M E G A P H O N E

M E G A P H O N E

"WHISPERING"
ICONOGRAPHY

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

C R E D I T S :

Biblioteca Parque Espana
All Photos by Sergio Gomez

M E T R O F L E X

PSYCHEDELIC MANILA

I propose Avenida to become the catalyst for a psychedelic aesthetic. But to realize it, it must come back to its better state, a pedestrianized strip. How valuable the architecture is in Avenida? Not only Avenida was the entertainment mecca of the city, where animated neon signages enlivened the streetscape, building design along this street is ideal for our tropical setting. The arcaded or covered sidewalks made strolling in the city comfortable. When FM Atienza embarked on a renewal project for this street, the vehicular traffic was rerouted elsewhere, and the buildings along Avenida became the centerpiece. Now that traffic is back, stress is reintroduced. People won’t have the time to pause for a moment to appreciate their surroundings. Ignorant people can now sneakily demolish another valuable building along Avenida without us noticing it. The claim that the pedestrianized Avenida invited prostitution is hard to believe, because it has always been there even before it was redeveloped. Now that it is back to its old chaotic state, authorities will have a hard time policing the areas because of so many obstructions, as compared to having just an open space and people.

If we are to revive this street and able to convince Mayor Lim to consider the value of the street, as a place rather than as a road, Avenida can be a starting point for the psychedelic movement. In my correspondence with P.Laurel, the proponent behind the Manila Center for the Arts, she expressed her wish to have a streetscape as colorful as the street scene in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil (The photo I posted under “A Call for a Psychedelic Manila”). The objective is to have a similar approach to the street but produce an output that is more “Pinoy.” I have seen heritage buildings abroad revived in newer or fresher colors, it is a wish that we see the same thing done to ours. But what if, we dress up our buildings the same way we dress up our jeepneys, tricycles or calesas? If you compare the jeepney with a car, the jeepney will appear gaudy and sometimes we even call it “baduy.” But not if we let this “baduy” aesthetic engulf our streetscape. Of course, the Manila Street Gallery will take part while the buildings host expressions of Filipino creativity. Imagine slogans, street language, caricatures, and comic illustrations painted on the walls of Avenida buildings. One building can even have many colors and revive its neon signages.

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

CREDIT:

Photo of Avenida by SeafoodCup of Flickr

M E T R O F L E X

MANILA STREET GALLERY OF ART

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

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

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

From one station to the next, the concourse walls can host a work of an artist or two. The artworks are to be labeled by the name of its author. This way we don’t just bring color to the drab street of Manila, finding a place might become easier by being a bit more specific. In this example, you can simply find a building along Taft Avenue by referring to Taft – Dela Rosa Street Gallery. Also, the place can be more encouraging to setup shops because there is a massive artwork / attraction in front of them. Points of interest along this stretch can also be strengthened. In front of Philippine Women’s University, the concourse can be painted by the best of its visual arts students, thus naming this area, Taft –PWU Street Gallery. Same principle can be applied for De-La Salle University, Sta. Isabel College and other areas of the LRT. Imagine how this colored concourse can complement the equally colorful Metropolitan Theatre.

In response to FFL Imelda Marcos’ “bringing art to common man” the idea of a street gallery can make Art accessible to everybody, rich and poor. The masses are given the opportunity to appreciate art without having to pay fees in a museum or feeling alienated in an air-conditioned gallery. Hopefully, this huge public art will inspire everybody to make art or paint Manila the same way.

P A T R O L

A CALL FOR A PSYCHEDELIC MANILA!

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

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

Photo of Salvador de Bahia by chillin travel of Flickr

M E G A P H O N E

MONOCLE’S TOP 20
MOST LIVABLE CITIES

TOP 10

MUNICH 1

COPENHAGEN 2

ZURICH 3

TOKYO 4

VIENNA 5

HELSINKI 6

SYDNEY 7

STOCKHOLM 8

HONOLULU 9

MADRID 10

NEXT 10

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

Monocle’s July/August 2007 Issue

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

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

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

/ Sustainability Initiatives /

Drinking Hours /Airport / Crime
Furthermore, the magazine suggests that the city should invest on ...
Public Infrastructure / Built environment

/ Essential Services
Other Criteria:

Tolerance / Local Media

/ International Flight Connections

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

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

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

M E G A P H O N E

Sir Norman Foster Wins
FC BARCELONA STADIUM
Design Competition

Foster wins the recent design competition for the renovation of Futbol Club Barcelona Stadium. The largest stadium in Europe will be remodeled and enlarged to accommodate 106,000 fans. The striking feature of the design is its brightly multi-coloured mosaic outer skin that crawls over to the roof. The enclosure is made out of overlapping translucent tiles in club colors,
symbolizing the loyalty and devotion of FC Barcelona’s fans worldwide.

The glowing effect at night is similar to the Allianz Arena in Germany, designed by Herzog and de Meuron. And the rich colors are reflective of the vibrancy and richness of Spanish culture, like its “paella” looking pavilion for the Aichi Expo in 2005.

Allianz Arena (Left) by Flosetsfire

Spanish Pavilion (Right) by Edmund Sumner

M E G A P H O N E

Herbert Muschamp, Architecture Critic, Is Dead

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

New York Times

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

M E T R O F L E X

THE GREAT WALK OF EDSA

People powered to walk on Edsa

Part 1

Two years ago, I was planning to submit a competition entry to JA (Japan-Architect) Magazine’s Shinkenchiku Competition for a town landmark. Unfortunately, I was not able to set aside time for it. But my idea for the entry was to reverse our negative impression of Edsa by improving its experience. Edsa has two (If I am not mistaken) notable landmarks that both depict the history and aspirations of the Avenue (World’s Original Peaceful People Power plus sequels). My question was, in what other ways can we strengthen the essence of the place? With the existing conditions I mentioned in my previous post, can we still afford to cramp EDSA with another landmark when it is already visually cluttered?

Tisha B, a colleague, saw the potential of elevated walkways in the Makati CBD. She wanted to propose under Urbanscape, (a department in our former office, Archipelago) an elevated walkway along the entire stretch of EDSA. This way, people will not just have safe and comfortable public space to walk on; they will have the option to walk, should traffic becomes unbearable.

Her idea sprung a concept for a landmark. I developed it further.

Since the MRT is already there and a vision for sidewalks looks dim, instead of just a walkway, why not propose an elevated street for people!?

Imagine a new Edsa with a new and elevated street, where vehicles or train underneath are just small glimpses. In effect, we expand, elevate, reclaim Edsa’s sidewalk. The MRT will function like a subway. The undulating levels of the concourse can provide variations in height and configuration for the different areas of Edsa. Also, existing buildings can renovate their second levels to provide access to the elevated street. Buildings along Edsa will have two floors that are leasable for retail or F&Bs, resulting to a vibrant street life. We make Edsa more viable as a place to live, work and play. The immense and long open space can give Manila its much needed open space. Technology for landscaping and trees will also help us to finally “green” our city where Edsa becomes our potential Central Park (the longest and leanest in the world). This strip is like a humongous version of Bonifacio High Street but this time more utilitarian, as it provides Manilenos an alternative means to travel and experience the city.

Water Lilies

We walk on what seems to be discs floating above Edsa. The discs give the elevated street a lighter impression. The openings provide daylight to the road and concourse underneath. Instead of the usual overpass, or elevated access, the discs can seemingly hover towards the second level of the buildings along Edsa. Imagine a vibrant street life on the discs. Enjoy the sights of cafes and restaurants people walking, jogging, or biking. At night, the underside of the discs emits yellow light providing the floor surface a diffused glow.

Flores de Yellow

If trees are not possible, let’s use vines! We construct giant arbors where yellow flowering plants can creep or crawl on. The elevated walkway or street becomes like a stretched tree canopy where you see movements of people inside. It will be an elongated blob that will soften our perception of the concrete MRT concourse. For access and overpass, the blob can stretch to
reach both sides of the road.

Both schemes will introduce yellow flowering plant or tree. It will be ideal to find plant specie that flower during the Anniversary of the first People Power. Imagine on ordinary days, Edsa is a lush tree-shaded road. During the season of People Power Anniversary, these trees or plants bloom its yellow flowers. While walking on the elevated street or driving, petals will fall, reminding us of Edsa’s story. Wind will also sweep the petals, providing the road a shower of yellow flower-confetti. That way we do not only green the city, we also romanticize our history.

CREDITS

Photo of Edsa by Angry little Boy of Flickr

P A T R O L

E D S A 4

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

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

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

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

Time to do something! (MetroFlex)

CREDITS

chad041893 of Flickr