BRUTALIST ARCHITECTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Brutalist Architecture

Le Corbusier

A no-nonsense style. "raw" which Le Corbusier described his choice of material, beton brut (raw concrete).This type of style became popular in the mid-1970s and was introduced by Le Corbusier. It was been slammed for lacking the the characteristics of historic architecture.

Brutalism refers to a dynamic geometric style that is massive, monolithic and blocky in appearance. The term originated from the French word".

Brutalism makes the whole concept of the building plain and comprehensible, No mystery, no romanticism, no obscurities about function and circulation.

Palace of Assembly (Chandigarh)

Brutalism became popular with government structures or institutions in Britain, Franch, Germany, Japan, US, Italy, Canada, Brazil, Israel, Australia and the Philippines.

Brutalist Architecture in the Philippines

1) Philippine International Convention Center (PICC)

PICC was originally built to host the World Bank's International Monetary Fund Annual Meeting and was formally opened on September 5, 1976. Leandro V. Locsin, a Filipino National Artist in Architecture, was the mastermind behind the design of the structure. 

PICC established itself as on of the most versatile event arenas in the Asia-Pacific region with more than 70,000 square meters of floor area. It was the event place of political summits, medical conventions, concerts, and many more. It has 5 building modules - the Delegation Building, Secretariat Building, Plenary Hall, Reception Hall and the Forum. 

It is an enormous, adaptive, equipped and has a well planned out architecture that made myself, along with many other people, admire its beauty and function. I thought PICC was just one of those regular large buildings people talk about in the news but as time passed by and as I became more aware or my surroundings, I realized how iconic and proud it is - being the first in the Philippines and the first international convention center in Asia. Its architectural sense are one of the things I admire, especially its adaptability in events since Philippines is a country known for being adaptive. 

http://www.picc.gov.ph/about-picc 

2) Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)

An 88-hectare government own structure that showcases different kinds of art not only in the Philippines but also from all over the world - music, dance, theater, visual arts, literary, cinematic and design. This beautifully "floating volume" was designed by Leando V. Locsin. 

The buildings impact on me was more on the personal side. I've already known the structure because of word of mouth but in a deeper sense, I know the structure because of my inclination to music and arts. Personally, I've performed and watched multiple orchestras, bands and music related events inside the theaters. It was an achievement to actually be able to perform inside an iconic structure like this. At the same time, its architecture made me aware of how space and sounds collide - the shape of the structure to echo a beautifully made sound by the performers and the amazement by just looking and walking around the interior of the place.

Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo

3) National Arts Center

A sanctuary for young and aspiring Filipino artists that is located on top of a mountain - Mount Makiling, Los Banos, and was designed by no other than Leandro V. Locsin. It is surrounded by multiple buildings and facilities and is spread over 13.5 hectares and is currently administered by the CCP.

I have heard stories from my friends/mentors/band-mates about this place and their overall response were mostly positive. They went there for a music camp where electronics aren't allowed. The place is obviously open to nature and embraces whatever they can get from it. I think its a simple sanctuary where aspiring artist can actually focus and socialize with the people around. One of the things I believe in this specific nipa-hut inspired structure is that it incorporated the openness of a hut to cut down boundaries and somehow be free. The structure itself inspired me to be open to Philippine architecture and to the Philippine beauty since it is inspired by a nipa-hut and is promoting Filipino talents

Overall, the three (3) structures are simple yet extraordinary for its uniqueness in style (the "floating volume"). They all use concrete as their main material and even though concrete is hard, it was able to show smoothness in their textures.

Koolhaas vs. Mayne

"THOM MAYNE"
An American modern architect, was one of the founders of the "Southern California Institute of Architecture" (SCI-Arc) in 1972 which he is positioned as one of the trustees. Additionally, he is the principle of the architectural firm, "Morphosis". 

Notable Works:

"New Academic Building" or "41 Cooper Square"

"U of T Graduate House"

"REM KOOLHAAS"

Koolhaas is a Dutch Architect, a theorist, urbanist and a Professor in practice of Architectural and Urban Design at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He is the founding partner of OMA and is widely known as an important architectural thinker and urbanist in his generation. 

  Notable Works:

"Beijing skyscraper"

"Seattle Central Library"

These two modernist architects, Thom Mayne and Rem Koolhaas, have a number of common traits when it comes to making buildings/structure. Their structures both consist of glass and concrete, like how a usual modern structure would. They both contain a suitable functionality in their works and even better, they are both pragmatic in the sense of how they use their materials and their function along. These are just a few of their traits that make them sustainable and timeless.

Good as they are, there are still those instances that I would most probably favor one than the other. In this case, I'm more likely leaning over to Thom Mayne. The term "form follows function", was my basis. In the works of Mayne, his structures are more on functionality than the actual form. Although his works are monolithic, he is still able to show great art in the environment. I like how his works contain the characteristic of "adaptability". I believe that adaptability is one of the key aspects I look for in architectural works. In the Philippines, my home country, adaptability is one of the key aspects in buildings because of the changing environment and the different needs of the people.