Writing Portfolio - Camello

table of contents

// Architecture and Design Feature

Fuorisalone 2021: Top exhibitions spotted on this year’s Milan Design Week, 4 Mirei Monticelli: Light and Shade, 7 Pro-Bono Architecture: Can We Really Say “Yes” to Free Design, 9 Herzog de Meuron’s Tour Triangle set to rise in Paris amid over-a-decade-long scuffles, 11 More starchitects dominate the future Milan, 12 Italian fast-food chain serves burger in a Masquespacio bold-toned wonder, 14 SOM propels ingenious carbon-absorbing Urban Sequioa at COP26, 15 Defhouse is the new Gen Z home to go viral, 16 De Stijl’s Piet Mondrian on display for the first time at MUDEC in Milan, 17

// Academic Paper

From Dharavi to Tondo: Producing global urban trope through voyeurism of informality, 19

// Architectural Concept Paper

Sentro Haynayan: Made in Ortigas, 24 The Proposed New MMDA Complex: Enforcing Breathable Living in the heart if the Metro, 27

// Speech

Battling Architecture: A score of vulnerability and survival, 32

Fuorisalone 2021: Top exhibitions spotted on this year’s Milan Design Week

After the cancellation of the annual Salone Internazionale del Mobile and the Milan Design Week events in 2020, the world’s most awaited design fair filled with exhibitions, talks, performances and events has finally opened. Albeit delayed from its usual spring schedule because of the ongoing pandemic, Milan Design Week 2021 successfully hyped the global capital of fashion and design last September 4 to 10.

Coinciding with the Salone del Mobile, Fuorisalone is a simultaneous event that takes place across several districts in Milan, Italy. It’s no wonder why Milanese and tourists flock the city on the dates of this much-anticipated event; Fuorisalone has expanded its reach beyond the notions of fair and market, enough to pull people of varying interests together and celebrate design in prevalent ways possible.

Here are the top exhibitions and installations from various designers and artists spotted in the recently concluded Milan Design Week festivities.

Alcova

So much for boring hollow exhibition halls, Alcova, an independent design platform by Space Caviar and Studio Vedèt, transformed an abandoned military hospital in the west of Milan into an eccentric art and design compound. Known to intentionally reactivate abandoned built structures, Alcova highlights a spectacular exhibition from more than 50 international designers, brands, galleries, cultural institutions and companies set in a 3,500 sqm indoor and outdoor historic urban park. The vast area allows abundant and separate spaces to digest art at ease and converse with designers freely.

With such a knack for adaptive reuse in architecture, Alcova emerged as a spectacular event in a former “Military zone, no entry” space that catered to the contemporary art cravings of the visitors. The outdoor lawns backdropped with deserted buildings are roused by a conceptual house installation made from cement fabric by French brutalist designer Marc Leschelier, an Aria di Cantiere installation made from discarded construction materials by Italian designer Duccio Maria Gambi, handcrafted wood works by Japanese studio Schemata Architects, and the vibrant letterpress prints by Japanese duo SPREAD.

Contemporary art and furniture displays are distributed inside the three readorned buildings: Casa delle Suore (House of Nuns), Lavanderia (Laundry), and Tempio (Temple). Participating artists and designers include Nilufar Gallery’s Brassless that celebrates the material potentiality of brass; Studio Ariane Shirvani’s Sweet Yellow features a series of vases carrying the chemical compound developed from a yellow floral signal; Lindsay Adelman Studio’s Paradise, a jewelry-like lighting installation that is surrounded by ceramic symbols decorated on the walls; Muse Gallery’s Rattan presents an interior built in rattan, wood and ceramic; and Visionnaire’s De Rerum Natura is a collection of lamps by Gupica in the shape of tropical plants. Other institutions and companies contributing to the exhibition are product designers of the Pro Helvetia exhibition organized Swiss Art Council, a group of students from HEAD – Genève, Geneva University of Art and Design with their unique approach on The Milk Bar, Berlinbased Llot Llov’s Trash2Treasure with their light installation made from reused face cream containers, and MUT Studio with their allegorical papier-mâché roots display.

Elle Décor in Palazzo Bovara

Staged at the 18th century-built Palazzo Bovara, Elle Décor Italia’s La Casa Fluida or Fluid Home was created by Elisa Ossino Studio with landscape design by Marco Bay and interactive installations by Kokoschka Revival. It unveils a house responsive to the demands of lifestyle mid and post-pandemic. Considering the new needs of inhabitants, Elle Décor promotes comfort, flexibility, immediacy of advanced technological interfaces, sustainability, and close fundamental connection with nature throughout its concept applied in a succession of 11 indoor and outdoor environments. With the Fluid Home’s hybrid function, its domestic dimension clearly depicts it as a “house of the future.”

Brera Design District

Featuring nearly 100 events, 130 exhibitors, 140 showrooms with 15 new openings, the iconic district of Brera has proven its role in the commercial and cultural development of Milan, firmly standing as a benchmark of international design. Brera Design District promotes this year’s theme “Forms of Living,” focusing on exchange

of rising domestic and lifestyle trends as a direct consequence of the virus outbreak and addressing the design professionals’ challenges for the future. From classic Italian design labels to luxury brands, Brera brags its furniture and design sector-filled streets making it an international reference point for design culture.

LG’s built-in appliance brand Signature Kitchen Suite offers an immersive experience in their showroom as the South Korean brand transformed it into a garden filled with plant installations, a pop-up farm market and True to Food tastings – all while exhibiting their standard cutting-edge technology on refrigeration, cooking and washing.

Italian brand CEDIT – Ceramiche d’Italia of Florim Group presents the capsule collection of Hotel Chimera comprising of 80 unique pieces by Milan designer Elena Salmistraro who aims to reinvent ceramic products in the theme of illusion, imagination, dream and utopia.

iGuzzini illuminazione, a leading Italian brand in architectural lighting, brings an interactive The Light Experience to the visitors via a tour “Works Together” while sharing the brand’s innovative indoor and smart lighting systems in collaboration with renowned architects, engineers and lighting designers around the world.

Boffi and De Padova maintain its strong ties in creating excellence in bathrooms, beds, storage systems, kitchen solutions, and upholstered furniture and accessories. This year, they bring a new level of sophistication through their latest designs on interior design systems and furnishings.

Centered on contemporary art principles, Italian ceramic brand Mutina exhibits its latest Din collection by Konstantin Grcic in their new showroom in Brera. Called Casa Mutina, the showroom designed by Studio Urquiola displays how textures and materials harmonize in a functional living space. Mutina for Art, a project of the company in collaboration with various artists, currently displays Italian photographer Luigi Ghirri’s Between the Lines exhibition on a complementary ceramic display in Casa Mutina.

Iconic Italian wallpaper brand Londonart Wallpaper shows off its identity in an explosive combination of fashion, graphic and architectural elements expressed in its new collection The Daydreamer by GioPagani, displayed in its showroom located in the heart of Milan.

Visitors are brought closer to their luxury fashion desires as designer brands including Hermes, Dior and Missoni have dominated scenes in Brera. Hermès commissioned Charlotte Macaux Perelman to offer a towering display of its latest home collection. The designer clearly understood the assignment and altered an indoor sports center to a colorful set of five patterned cubic “houses” on a bed of terracotta-colored sand. Dior Maison collaborated with 17 artists to showcase and reinterpret the house’s signature chair Louis XVI–style Medallion chair in Palazzo Citterio. Missoni highlights its signature colorful patterns in a lofty installation of overlapping chairs upholstered in five zig-zag iterations in its showroom. Additionally, the brand showcased more of its new outdoor collection on another Milan Design Week site, the Università degli Sudi di Milano.

Interni Creative Connections

Leading Italian interiors and contemporary design magazine Interni of Mondadori Group celebrates the 30th anniversary of Fuorisalone with another Design Week protagonist exhibition-event called Creative Connections, set in three locations within central Milan: Università degli Sudi di Milano, Brera Botanical Garden and Via della Spiga 26. With its main intention to activate and multiply connections and relationships, Creative Connections focuses on building networks among designers and related professionals in the field along with their ideas and projects from varying places and cultures.

Revolving around three thematic ideas of “care”, “sustainability” and “mobility/speed”, Interni supported by the City of Milan and co-produced by Audi and Eni offers almost 30 installations by local and international companies, institutions and start-ups curated to bring an imaginative cultural experimentation that sparks a rhetorical exchange between people and the environment.

Universita degli studi di Milano

A new creative horizon awaits visitors in the former monumental hospital building adapted as the headquarters of the Dean’s office of University of Milan. The curated installations on display within the indoor hallways and outdoor courtyards are themed under recovery and regeneration, greater awareness and care for natural resources. Architectural projects include Kengo Kuma’s entwined bamboo and carbon fiber rings fused with advanced technology to produce music entitled Bamboo Ring: || Weaving a Symphony of Lightness and Form; MAD Architects’ Freedom created a large-scale seagull gazing the sky as a symbol of post-pandemic recovery; Peter Pichler Architecture’s Vertical Chalets prepared five small-scale models within the hospitality concept inspired by all-wood vernacular architecture; and Cino Zucchi Architetti’s Augmented Architecture amazed an optical illusive portal that drastically heightens the details of moldings and sculptures to invoke “explosion” of figure.

Other participating artists and institutions include New Academy of Fine Arts (NABA) – Claudio Larcher and Sara Ricciardi’s High Intensity Design Training, Davide Valoppi’s Il Design. Un Vaggio tra Italia e Spagna (Design. A Journey between Italy and Spain), Falso Autentico by Marco Nereo Rotelli, Uncracked by Stroop Design, Brasil –

Design in Motion by José Roberto Moreira do Valle, and on the central courtyard, Stefano Giovannoni’s Survival.

Brera Botanical Garden

Natural Capital, an installation by Carlo Ratti Associati with the contribution of Italo Rota, presents threedimensional infographic installation disseminating issues on decarbonization and conservation of forests in a historic garden and open-air museum inside the famous Palazzo di Brera. Deemed as one of the largest data visualizations produced, the project shows floating bubbles extended in a 500 sqm garden depicting infographics on the production of oxygen of tree species and its key role in capturing carbon dioxide.

Audi City Lab – Via della Spiga 26

Set in an urban regeneration project of the historic Palazzo Pertusati, Audi’s latest exhibition entitled “Enlightening the Future” designed by Dutch studio Marcel Wanders boasts an enthralling experience on light, technology and innovation. Visitors are greeted with a sensory tunnel leading to the grand showcase of Audi A6 e-tron concept and Audi RS e-tron GT.

R/evolution SuperDesign Show

Superstudio Group introduces a new exhibition format in line with its usual Superdesign show, R/evolution, that boasts 12 exhibitions focusing on re-explored concepts tackling the demands of concreteness, innovation, sustainability, lightness, interconnection, and inclusivity in the post-pandemic world. As one of the core events within Tortona Design District, this year’s Superdesign show – Special Edition is set in a 10,000 sqm exhibition space called Superstudio Più fitting the best of Italian and international brands and production and latest lifestyle and home trends initiated by female designers, young people, famous architects and icons of the beginning of the third millennium.

Oblong Contemporary Art Gallery brings the exhibition “Surprise! Art tells” with the works of Italian artist Stefano Bombardieri that includes his prominent monumental resin and iron sculpture “Marta e l’Elefante” representing a suspended life-size elephant rope-tied and supported by a little girl. The Gallery curates further collective exhibition by the artists Manu Alguerò, Mario Arlati, Pablo Atchugarry, Tiziana Lorenzelli, Flavio Lucchini, Antonio Signorini, and Gustavo Vélez.

Conceived by Giulio Cappellini, CULT&MUST 2000/2020 boasts the most evocative Italian design pieces that have made their mark throughout the last 20 years. The exhibition is participated by notable brands and institutions including ABTechLab, Alcantara, Alessi, Alfredo Wooden Bicycles, Arper, Baulificio Italiano, Bentley Home, Boffi | De Padova, Caimi, Cappellini, Cassina, Ceramica Flaminia, Cesana, Cinelli, Desalto, Flos, Geberit, Ginori 1735, Gobbetto, Icone Luce, IGV Group, Lamborghini, Living Divani, Istituto Marangoni Milano - The School of Design, Martinelli Luce, Nerosicilia Group, Or.nami, Poltrona Frau, Porro, Technogym, Trussardi Casa, Vanity Fair, Versace Home.

Proving a small mundane piece can reveal beauty in varied forms, 1000 Vases is a collection of unique pieces created by hundreds of international designers from 40 countries. As elaborated on its dedicated book published by Skira, the exhibition speaks collaborative diversity through its harmonious scenography that ranges from tribal, minimal, pop, complicated, purist, sophisticated, sinuous, fun, geometric and irregular shapes and sizes.

Other exhibitions filled Superstudio Più including Materially’s Materials Village – Special Edition, a display of environment-friendly and technologically advanced materials promoting dissemination of innovations on sustainability; Donne & Design, exposing women’s creativity value in design and architecture; Smart Home, interactive installations from Haier, Hoover and Candy on artificial intelligence and home automation; and Dream Cars, an enormous display of Automobili Lamborghini evoking the evolution of its design through progressive performance and innovation.

After the successful events, Salone del Mobile prepares anew for its anticipated 60th edition as it opens the city for another Milan Design Week spectacle on April 5-10, 2022. Who’s ready? Milan is waiting for you!

Mirei Monticelli: Light and Shade

Published on Tatler Homes Philippines, Volume 31 - 2022, Lifestyle Media Company Ltd.

and Digital:

In a mix of quirky furniture and hanging fixtures, one can easily spot a Mirei piece in SaloneSatellite in Rho Fiera Milano. Her centerpiece lighting sculpture Riva, resembling a wave crashing onto the shore, ethereally dangles along an aisle filled with signature creations of international young designers. On the circular podium of awardees hangs her sea-siren inspired Sirenetta, an ocean-blue lamp set seemingly dancing, as if luring you in a silent tune of waves.

Mirei Monticelli’s new collection Ocean Myths, a combination of sea elements and floating ripples of entwined abaca, pops in a vast showcase of talents, distinctively foreign yet native – at least, for the eyes of Filipinos. A rising name in product design, Mirei Monticelli, is Italian by brand but nothing short of Filipino. A Milan-based Filipina artist, Mirei creates sustainable lighting sculpture made out of Banaca textile, a fabric made from lustrous abaca fiber extracted from banana-abaca tree and weaved by local artisans from Catanduanes, Bicol Region in the Philippines.

Monticelli graduated from De La Salle College of Saint Benilde with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design. Her entry pass to Italy is a scholarship from Domus Academy where she finished Master’s Degree in Fashion Management in 2015. Soon after, she went back to her first love and decided to pursue further studies in Politecnico di Milano, earning a Master’s Degree in Design and Engineering in 2017.

By 2019, Studio Mirei was born that later evolved its name to Mirei Monticelli after marrying. She shares, “I decided to start my studio because it’s something I really wanted to do. I wanted to promote Filipino design in Milan, or in the world. It has been my goal ever since I was a child. I wanted to be a designer and an artist, to be able to follow my own path.”

Illuminated in pure Filipino allure

Mirei mainly draws inspiration from the roots of the material itself – the community of weavers from Bicol. At an early age, she has been exposed to designing with Banaca textile because of her mother Ditta Sandico, an award-winning fashion designer, who works with the same artisans. They have created a close relationship with the community that led them to support their sustainable means of living and initiate livelihood development programs. The proceeds of the products are currently collected and saved to build a structure that will serve as a new Banaca production facility in Catanduanes.

“I’ve seen how they lived and it really pushed me to want to help them. After seeing their vulnerable condition, considering Catanduanes braves storms and bad typhoons, they have to keep rebuilding and rebuilding again whenever a calamity hits the area. I think one of my goals is to try to break this cycle for them, try to not rebuild all the time so that they could at least get on with life,” Mirei explains.

This has driven the Mirei brand to stick with sculptural art that is deeply ingrained from sustainable Filipino craftsmanship. With her acquired skills here in Italy, she has infused such with various technologies to create something delicately eccentric. Abaca, the core indigenous material of her products, is a naturally sustainable fiber with low environmental impact production. She also uses complimentary materials to enhance her products, like recycled pen shells as seen on the Isole nesting tables on her latest exhibition. She ditched high-energy consuming ceramics and experimented on using eco-cement filled with abaca fiber as an alternative for lighting base.

“With all the products that I do, I always have to think about sustainability. For the Anemone lamp, I used 3D printing to make the diffuser, but I had to search for a filament that is at least recycled. There’s this company that makes this recycled filament from PET bottles, and the properties of that plastic is also good for making lighting fixtures so I used that,” she adds.

Gravitating towards pastel colors with gradients and surreal hues of nature, Mirei lighting is visually translated through organic embodiment and fluidity. She reiterates how she molds ideas from the material initially, and evolves them to an open sculpture that welcomes different interpretations. “I manipulate the material, and the inspiration becomes intrinsic and natural on the design.”

Abaca in the international scene

Since 2019, Mirei’s creations have been exposed in Milan Design Week. Her cloud-like Nebula Lamp inspired by galaxy clinched her first SaloneSatellite Award. Following her two-time participation in Milan’s prestigious fair,

Mirei has been making waves around Italy and overseas. She has been featured in several magazines in Italy and Germany. She has been selected among few designers to exhibit in EDIT Napoli, a fair for independent designers held in Naples in 2020. She has her few pieces currently exhibited in Contemporary Cluster gallery in Rome. Recently, she has launched Aquarius, a water-cascading shaped floor lamp, in the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) and WantedDesign Manhattan in New York last May.

As a young designer paving her career track in a foreign land, Monticelli gradually overcame barriers on her way. “I had to learn the Italian language and speak it well because in that way, people actually entertain you and you can collaborate with more people in Italy,” she elaborates.

In a boundless extent of international design scene, it’s been a challenge to keep up with the rising brands. While her products may seem too foreign in the typical European visual language, she recognizes how spectators gradually give recognition to her work as they become open to new things. “People have been supportive. People like the originality because it’s different for them. At first, they don’t notice you so you just have to be persistent,” she adds.

Mirei, being an aspiring designer aiming to diffuse Filipino design globally, continues to uphold representation among international brands. She has collaborated with various platforms and distributors to reach a wider market including Italian high-end department store Rinascente, Artemest and Salon Design. She has catered to luxury villas around Italy and now she’s started working on few hotel projects in the Middle East.

Mirei points out how crucial it is to gain constant support and pushes related entities to aid talented Filipino designers to keep up with contenders around the world. “It’s obvious that I’m not Italian and the stuff I do don’t look Italian, so they’re always curious. The materials are from the Philippines and I work with Filipinos. I’m really proud of it. I think that’s what also makes people like the product because they know that I’m really passionate about it. They also want to support it with me.” She exclaims, “I think the Philippine government should work to give more international exposure to Filipino designers. We shall be proud as a nation about our arts and craftmanship, and our government and institutions shall be able to showcase our skills to the world.”

While currently she has yet to expand in the Philippine local market, she’s more open to organic growth. Since it is laborious to handle a specialized business in two different locations considering the limited production and management, she aims to focus on her current market reach. She encourages, “Investing artisan pieces is important because it helps in supporting arts, culture and heritage of mankind.” Once the studio is ready, we may see Mirei’s work of art serving the Asian market sooner than expected.

Pro-Bono Architecture: Can We Really Say “Yes” to Free Design

Juggling the still-ongoing pandemic, economic crisis, political tensions and other global disputes, providing free labor seems to be an unrealistic concept today. Practically speaking, unpaid service has always been contentious in the creative industry. Architects, being one of the major proponents of the “say no to free design” movement, are living proof of businesses that thrive out of the wealthy. While we may see the profession advocating the right to access design, the industry inevitably poses the question on how much money are we willing to shed for beauty and functionality.

But in between such struggles, should creative professionals harness their skills for the betterment of the community? Can we actually say “yes” to free design?

Beyond a profit-making business

The architecture industry is mass-marketed and deemed as a profit-making industry, and more so, a business only the rich can afford. Good design undergoes a rigorous process that requires a significant amount of time and effort. Therefore, such a resource, more often than not, comes in huge sum. Looking at it, a typical architectural service may seem selective of its market: extracted from money, tactically expressed within a quantifiable budget. But how can good design reach those who cannot pay? This is where the profession goes beyond the notion of money-making business: an architect assuming responsibility while waving the design fees. In service to the society, architects engage in pro bono works, often public-centered projects as a way of giving back.

Literally translated to “for the public good” from the Latin phrase pro bono publico, pro bono is often used in the professional field referring to free service rendered or work done voluntarily without payment. Although honorary architectural service may not be as common as doing voluntary health service, pro bono works are often targeted on non-profit and charitable organizations as a way to support causes, from learning initiatives to spatial transformation. Through engagement in voluntary work, architects and designers create a larger impact to the community, carrying a social responsibility to initiate improvement and make a change.

Architects as catalysts for social change

With the rising humanitarian involvement in the architecture industry, architects, more than the known creators of the highest form of art, become social actors who initiate dynamic approaches towards the public good. In a broader scope of impact, the lack of design can merely imply a plain-looking façade, or worse, a menacing environment. However, design professionals devoted to philanthropy consider these interventions beyond aesthetics, sparking change to address sociocultural setbacks through building community relationships. One of the pioneers of pro bono services in architecture is San Francisco-based architect John Peterson who built the non-profit organization Public Architecture in 2002. With the aim to use design as a tool for social change, the interdisciplinary studio grew with like-minded architects, interior specialists, and designers to collaborate and provide services free of charge for the public good.

This social impact design movement led to a partnership with American Institute of Architects (AIA). It created published guidelines for a systematic pro bono practice and a nationwide program called 1+ that calls for firms to allot one percent of their time for voluntary architectural service. The program also assists in expanding networks and promoting alliances between studios, manufacturers, nonprofit organizations and funders. Notable firms stepping forward include Gensler, HoK, Perkins + Will and SHoP Architects, while clients involved include renowned organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, United Way, and KIPP Foundation Public Schools.

With more than a thousand companies ranging from sole proprietors to largest firms pledging on the good cause, Public Architecture has commenced community design workshops, revitalization of existing infrastructure, and full conceptualization and design of new buildings. One of their acknowledged projects is ScrapHouse, a demonstration home built in San Francisco for World Environment Day in 2005. Made of discarded materials like chandeliers, lamps and phonebooks, ScrapHouse is designed to showcase the possibilities of reinventing junks and turning them into effective construction materials.

Another advocate of non-profit architecture is MASS Design Group (Model of Architecture Serving Society), an architectural firm based in the USA, Haiti, and Rwanda. It promotes justice and human dignity and strengthening communities through architectural design, landscape, planning, engineering and research. Founded by Michael Murphy, MASS is a team of over 200 architects from 20 different countries working together in the goal of making purposeful, healing, and hopeful design accessible. The firm delivers projects that assist in local purchasing of materials, local fabrication, job creation and education.

The initiative of MASS kicked off in 2008 when they volunteered to design a 150-bed district hospital in Butaro, Rwanda for Partners in Health in partnership with the Rwandan Ministry of Health. Butaro District Hospital. It aligned with the mission to make high-quality healthcare accessible to the poorest regions of Rwanda. Intentionally built as an open-air facility, it was integrated with design strategies for plan layout, user flows, and natural light and cross-ventilation to mitigate the transmission of airborne disease. This first project of the organization eventually led to more projects within the Butaro District Hospital Campus, including Butaro Doctors’ Sharehousing, the Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence, and an Oncology Support Center. Aside from these, the team also opened the African Design Center, a school in Kigali committed to train and empower the next leaders in design through an intensive 20-month fellowship.

Possibly the resounding icon in pro bono and community-driven projects right now is Burkina Faso born Francis Kéré, the recent awardee of the Pritzker Architecture Prize for 2022. Kéré Architecture, a Berlin-based firm Kéré founded in 2005, is focused on designing diverse typologies from educational, cultural, civic and temporary sustainable structures using local resources, materials and construction techniques, and driven by participatory approach. Bringing the team’s “Afrofuturistic vision” to marginalized communities, the studio remains grounded on Kéré’s core ideals to create unintimidating structures built for people, alluding to his statement on architecture as a “service to humanity.”

A frontier on his architectural practice is Gando Primary School, the first building he designed and raised funds for through Kéré Foundation, realized with close involvement of the Gando community. Garnering the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the high-quality educational edifice made out of clay bricks eventually prompted continuous initiatives in building better learning environment in Gando. Kéré Foundation, a non-profit organization working towards a sustainable future for the community of Gando, has initiated funding partners to support the studio’s transformative design, strengthen Gando’s economy, sustain Gando’s built heritage, and engage the academic community in boosting interest on sustainable practice and participatory design approach.

Does it pay off?

While it may seem unsustainable in the long run, saying “yes” to free design has proven its benefits among professionals. More than boosting the team’s morale and enthusiasm on working for a humanitarian cause, the engagement among architects and related professionals has been perceptible through initiatives on education and building. This has become an opportunity to deepen specific expertise in the field. New design and technical innovations, particularly rising as a response to the present day crisis, have gradually built up from design workshops, community meetings, and learning programs.

Adding to these are succeeding collaborations among sponsors and think-tank partnerships with academes and universities in extensive search for adaptive solutions. With continuous initiatives that help sustain the momentum of pro bono involvement, architects uphold its ethical values and aspire further in the profession through the gradual ripple effect propagated by public-centered spaces.

The challenge now is maintaining unprejudiced service and genuine intentions. Since pro bono work prioritizes specific needs among other community issues, rendering free service may entail biases. In order to mobilize the design process, fundings from sponsors supply resources and commonly, the intentions of funding groups are solely given attention to. Architects engaging in pro bono works are also keener to connect with communities. As such, they are called to simultaneously listen to voices of various groups in order to shape a more egalitarian built environment.

It is beyond question that the popularity that comes along with the publicity of pro bono projects gives a range of opportunities for future revenue-generating commissions. The exposure on media and the general public interest spread like fire towards stardom where firms and sole professionals get offers for larger projects, remunerated and well compensated for their previous honorary services. This, however, may contradict the original intention of having pro bono work. Since the creative industry thrives big time on reciprocity through promotions and razzmatazz from various platforms, the provocation lies on how architects can stick to honest show of goodwill in the community.

Given that the pro bono activities in architecture frequently involve government intervention, charitable organizations, activist groups and funding sponsors with media partners, publicity is inevitable. The genuine intention of extending help to benefit communities lies on individual conscience. As Amelyn Ng reiterated on Australian Design Review, “would architects still do good if no one is watching?” Well-designed and peopleoriented built spaces, indeed, speak for this affirmation.

The heroic gesture of giving back and servitude to society gives off a different sense of fulfillment in the architecture profession. More than the participatory approach and raising awareness on the extreme needs of the people, the philanthropic act of producing design, in the same depth of research and quality output when it’s paid, is the authentic acceptance of responsibility to touch the many. On the hope to make a change, the resounding line of Architecture for Humanity — “design like you give a damn” — should soak up in every profession, with or without compensation.

Herzog de Meuron’s Tour Triangle set to rise in Paris amid over-a-decade-long scuffles

Published on November 26, 2021 | BluPrint Magazine, One Mega Group Inc.

After 15 years in the making and backlashes in between, Tour Triangle finally anticipates its groundbreaking at the end of this year in Paris, France. Initially presented in September 2008, the new game-changer of Paris’ skyline designed by Swiss studio Herzog de Meuron secured its financing from the insurance giant Axa after years of delay and is now targeted for completion by 2026.

Despite being enmeshed in multiple legal and financial battles, Tour Triangle will soon be part of the exhibition site Parc des Expositions de la Porte de Versailles, a 220,000 sqm exhibition and conference center built in 1923 in 15th arrondissement south-west of Paris. The 180-meter-high development will be the city’s third-tallest building outside La Défense business district, following the timeless eminence of 324-meter Eiffel Tower and the 210-meter office Tour Montparnasse.

Tour Triangle is a 42-story pyramidal glass skyscraper that offers dynamic perceptions recognizable through its tapered blade shape and sliding trapezoidal orientation. Its triangular profile is intended to preserve picturesque views of the sky and reduce the projection of shadows upon its neighboring developments. Imposing enough when viewed at metropolitan scale, the tower aims to reorganize the flows of the urban space and revitalize the historic axis from Paris’ longest street Rue de Vaugirard which links the 15th arrondissement and the adjacent municipalities of Issy-les-Moulineaux and Vanves.

Developed by French real-estate company Unibail-Rodamco, Tour Triangle is a mixed-use tower with 92,000 sqm area composed of office, luxury hotel, conference center and retail spaces. At the uppermost tip of the triangle, users will find a belvedere and a restaurant accessible by three panoramic elevators connected from the ground floor. Soft vertical circulation is also integrated through helical stairs designed to promote holistic interaction between users. The 130-room hotel is pierced on the heart of the structure and oriented on its north façade offering guests with terraces facing the scenic metropolis. High-quality workspaces, on the other hand, are indulged with abundant natural lighting as purposely planned from its unique shape. This crystalline structure is designed to accommodate flexible use of spaces for the current demands of users and to adapt for future needs.

As it seeks to stitch within the existing built environment, the tower offers a great diversity of urban spaces and convergence of public transport networks. Adding to the lively Parisian street is a rich spatial program that includes nursery, health center, cultural center, restaurants, cafes and shops. Aside from prioritizing soft mobility including bicycle and scooter slots and integrating photovoltaic panels on its facade, a wide range of green and outdoor areas have been envisioned to advocate sustainability and unification of users with the natural environment.

Before the Council lifted the tower ban for the new skyscraper, Philippe Goujoin, Mayor of the 15th arrondissement, attempted to postpone the plan at the recently concluded meeting of the Conseil de Paris. His reproval argues that the soon-to-rise office building is non-essential in the post-pandemic economy, considering the changing needs of companies and the trend of remote working. This prompted a heated exchange with Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, a key supporter of the project, who clapped back with a stance that the project can be an asset and influence for economic development of the city, creating more than 5,000 jobs upon its construction.

The project has long been a center of controversy. Ironically relating to the recently concluded COP26 summit in Glasgow, France’s green-ecologist political party The Greens scorned over the plan and dubbed it as “climatic aberration” and “catastrophic”, contrary to the climate pledges of Paris and commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of France by 2030. Adding to the raps is the anti-disruptive architecture advocacy organization SOS Paris who pointed that the construction and form of the skyscraper entail four times more steel and concrete and increased energy consumption.

While the French capital is keen to keep its historic character amid rapid modernization, the proposed skyscraper has received unfavorable reactions from its close attempt of likeness to the city’s iconic Louvre down to its seemingly out-of-context yet provocative form that resembles a Toblerone piece or a chunk of brie.

Will the Tour Triangle bridge the historically-acclaimed urban fabric and its surrounding agglomeration or will its hypermodern silhouette defy the city’s protected Parisian character?

Originally based in Basel, Switzerland, Herzog de Meuron is an architectural firm spearheaded by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. The first duo to win the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 2001 is known for their unconventional approach on façade design and architectural language of geometric forms. Few of their works include Bird’s Nest or the Beijing National Stadium in China, Tate Modern in London, Beirut Terraces in Lebanon and Elbphilharmonie in Germany.

More starchitects dominate the future Milan

Published on October 30, 2021 | BluPrint Magazine, One Mega Group Inc. https://bluprint.onemega.com/more-starchitects-dominate-the-future-milan/

Beyond its thriving fashion industry, Milan remains as a global design capital and architectural haven pulling visitors around the world. While the city houses century-old landmarks including the eminent gothic-style Milan Cathedral and the world’s oldest shopping mall Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Italy’s leading economic center is also reigned by distinct edifices of today’s modern architecture. From Pritzker Prize winners Norman Foster to SANAA’s Kayuzo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, more architectural icons continue to shape Milan’s urban fabric with contemporary and sustainable built environment.

Here are the new fast-developing additions to keep an eye on in the future skyline of Milan.

Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS + R) and Stefano Boeri’s Pirelli 39

After standing out among 359 firms from 15 countries during the international architectural competition last 2019, American studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) and Milan-based Stefano Boeri Architetti were officially commissioned by COIMA SGR to design the new access of Milan’s Porta Nuova Gioia District towards the city center. Strategically located in between the Central Station and Scalo Farini, Pirelli 39 (P39) is a new mixed-use development that is part of a massive portside regeneration process of the wider area.

Targeted for completion this year, Pirelli 39 is a complex comprising a new residential tower filled with 1,700 sqm of vegetation, recovered Pirellino Tower retrofitted with seismic and sustainability upgrades, and a multifunctional green bridge building engulfed in diagrid glass. As DS+R’s first project in Italy, P39 boasts its sustainability certifications and stringent building efficiency specifications to combat climate change, making it the first Italian redevelopment to be built along Next Generation EU standards.

Kengo Kuma & Associates’ “Welcome, feeling at work” Biophilic Office

Located in one of the biggest parks in Milan, Parco Lambro, in an abandoned industrial area on the Rizzoli district, “Welcome, feeling at work” project is a biophilic mixed-use development serving as a core catalyst in reviving the area. Commissioned by Europa Risorse, Japanese studio Kengo Kuma & Associates creates a “biophilic office of the future” that intertwines work and nature in their signature organic design approach: a synergistic combo of concrete, steel and wood to envisage a natural and contemporary architectural masterpiece best achieved through Italian craftsmanship.

Upon its target completion in 2024, “Welcome” shall serve its users with offices, co-working spaces, meeting rooms, auditorium, restaurants, shops, supermarket, wellness area and multifunctional places for exhibitions, all linked by a common green thread that connects to its surrounding foliage. With abundant vegetation conceptualized behind its hanging gardens and terraces and sustainable system of energy generation, the green infrastructure additionally brags zero carbon emissions, renewable energy resources, consumption control, and reuse of water

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)’s CityWave

The modern CityLife district in Milan adds a Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) piece in its roster of buildings designed by world-renowned architects including Zaha Hadid, Arata Isozaki and Daniel Libeskind. CityWave, an office building that serves as a new gateway of the complex from the north, is set to become the largest photovoltaic park in Milan and one of the largest in Italy with 11,000 sqm of solar panels. The building will be powered exclusively by renewable source making it the first office structure to overcome zero impact and designed to consume 45% less energy through the thermal use of groundwater.

Selected among high caliber architectural studios during an international competition in 2019, Danish architecture firm BIG envisions two new buildings joined by a curved canopy acting as an urban-scale portico that shall serve as a public green space and an iconic link between the existing three towers in the masterplan. This project marks the completion of the CityLife, a massive urban regeneration project in Milan’s historic former exhibition and trade fair grounds purposely turned into one of the main business districts in Europe. Completion of CityWave is estimated at the end of 2025.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)’s Milano-Cortina Olympic Village

Located in a former railyard site in Porta Romana district, Milano-Cortina Village is the anticipated mixed-use

development that shall host the Winter Olympics 2026. Following an international competition participated by 71 teams from 9 countries, American studio SOM was selected to take part on creating the new athlete’s village as a major component of the Porta Romana Railway Yard Master Plan, a redevelopment project of southern Milan spearheaded by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, PLP and Carlo Ratti Associati.

Milano-Cortina Olympic Village includes the revitalization of two historic structures and the construction of six new mass-timber residential buildings to initially house the athletes and to be reused for student and affordable housing later on. The Olympic Village Plaza shall serve as a neighborhood square filled with shops, restaurants and cafés and a dedicated outdoor space for farmers’ markets and community events. Boasting its sustainability certifications, the 2026 Olympic Village will stand as a new model for Olympic facilities to serve post-Olympic social goals built as a new urban laboratory for Milan abiding to minimal environmental impact in accordance to nearly zero-energy building (nZEB) principles. The project is due to complete in July 2025 in anticipation to the scheduled games in February 2026.

Populous’ The Cathedral (New San Siro Stadium)

Drawing inspiration from Milan’s two most iconic buildings, the Duomo and the Galleria, the new San Siro Stadium named as The Cathedral is a glass-enveloped 60,000-seat stadium centered in San Siro district west of Milam, designed to be a global icon for the two football clubs AC Milan and FC Internazionale Milano. American firm Populous, a design practice specializing in sports facilities, arena, and convention centers, visualizes an ambitious 365-days-a-year sports destination with bespoke seating bowl and avant-garde acoustic design that offers the most intimate experience for spectators in Europe.

The Cathedral features sports, entertainment, retail, cultural and leisure facilities in both outdoor and indoor setting. This new mixed-use development flaunts its low environmental impact and high sustainability standards with its photovoltaic roof panels, rainwater harvesting, natural ventilation, passive heating and cooling system, and 22-acre green space that reduces water runoff and counteract the heat island effect. The facility is expected to finish by 2026.

While the situation remains inconvenient for traveling, Milan looks ahead at a greener architectural future set in a dynamic metropolis that shall soon open to the rest of the world.

Italian fast-food chain serves burger in a Masquespacio bold-toned wonder

Published on November 6, 2021 | BluPrint Magazine, One Mega Group Inc. https://bluprint.onemega.com/italian-fast-food-chain-serves-burger-in-a-masquespacio-bold-toned-wonder/

Spanish creative studio Masquespacio broke the trend of vintage aesthetics and industrial design in modern fastfood chains by introducing an interior with a splash of pastel colors in vibrant foreground. Commissioned by Bun Burgers, a rising burger chain in Italy, Masquespacio designed the brand’s first branch in a 140-sqm space in Viale Bligny, Milan. Originally a pizzeria at the ground floor of a residential building, the restaurant was transformed into an instagrammable burger joint bringing a vibrant urban vibe that taps on a youthful market of late millennials and Gen Z.

Upon entering, customers are greeted with the neon burger logo backdropped with lilac and pear-green hues. The space features red brickwork arches that add a smooth contrast to the pastel atmosphere. The dining area splats subtones of green in its terrazzo bench seating, complemented by round leathered backrests and stools. Bringing a brighter ambiance are the classic white orb lamps, brass details and gold accents on signages, digital menu boards and tabletops. The L-shaped restaurant is furnished with typical Masquespacio aesthetic inspired by post-modernism and the Italian design collective Memphis Group founded by Ettore Sottsass in 1981.

In line with the brand’s commitment to sustainability through plant-based meat products and recyclable packaging, Masquespacio considered a plastic-free interior design on its fit-outs and auxiliary built-ins. Potted plants additionally surround the spaces as effective accent to the juxtaposed arrangement of colors.

Succeeding branches in Milan opened including its Dell’Orso branch at the heart of Brera district. With the same bold character of interiors, the burger joint is splashed with pastel yellow, coral, lilac and mint green ornamented with gold details, terrazzo plasters, and clean arches. Eating on its inner seating area brings more funky “immersive” experience as the reflective walls and blue tiles resemble a pool. Other Milan branches are situated in Bicocca Village, IULM and Arese.

After widening the market of plant-based burgers in Milan, Masquespacio designed anew its first branch in Turin while maintaining its distinct identity. With the goal of the design to be recognizable wherever they are located, the collaboration continued with the same bright-schemed character but this time with dividing blocks of pink, avocado green and pale aquamarine furnished with varied seating areas. Maximizing natural light through its floor-to-ceiling windows, the sugary-pink area pops the spaces with arched booths underlined with gold trimmings and terrazzo steps. On the other side of the restaurant features a rectangular pool-like area decorated with pool ladders that bring patrons “underwater” while indulging on their burgers.

Masquespacio is a creative studio based in Valencia, Spain founded by Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse in 2010. Renowned for their bold use of hues and form, they were named ‘Young Talent of The Year’ by Elle Decoration International Magazine in 2020 and have been awarded ‘Interior Designers of The Year’ by the Spanish edition of The New York Times’ T Magazine. With such international recognition, their projects revolve around several countries including Norway, USA, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

SOM propels ingenious carbon-absorbing Urban Sequioa at COP26

Imagine a paradisal built environment with buildings acting like trees – capturing carbon, purifying the air, and regenerating the natural fabric. Can we possibly break down the futuristic what-ifs and explore its feasibility? This is what Chicago-founded firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) proposed to transform dense cities into man-made “forests” equipped with advanced decarbonization technologies. In line with its commitment to a zero-carbon future, SOM devised a groundbreaking architectural concept dubbed Urban Sequioa that transforms buildings into a resilient network of green urban jungle that sequesters carbon and produces biomaterials.

SOM unveiled its newly designed system at 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) event last November 11 at Glasgow, Scotland. COP26 is the 2021 United Nations climate change conference that took place from October 31st to November 12th where world leaders and delegates from different countries were tasked to present ambitious plans to cut carbon emissions by 2030. Considered as the most significant climate event since 2015 Paris Agreement, COP26 tackled climate crisis in urgency with key points on carbon market mechanisms, funding for loss and damage, finance target, and nature-based solutions.

Alongside rapid urbanization within cities, global carbon emissions continue to be inevitable and 40% of such is generated by the building sector. With their progressive approach on climate action initiatives, SOM Partner Chris Cooper expounds the avant-garde plan: “We are quickly evolving beyond the idea of being carbon neutral. The time has passed to talk about neutrality. Our proposal for Urban Sequoia – and ultimately entire ‘forests’ of Sequoias – makes buildings, and therefore our cities, part of the solution by designing them to sequester carbon, effectively changing the course of climate change.”

Consistent with the team’s driving principle to reduce carbon impact, Urban Sequioa is initially developed through a high-rise building prototype comprising modules of systems. The initial design boasts its feasibility to sequester as much as 1,000 tons of carbon per year which is equivalent to 48,500 trees. Forecasted in 60 years, the initial prototype would absorb up to 400% more carbon than its calculated emissions when built. Dominantly assembled with bio-brick, hempcrete, timber and biocrete, Urban Sequioa’s approach on carbon reduction can reach up to 95%, an evident polarity when compared to the usual usage of concrete and steel for construction.

Its prefabricated archetype is wrapped in curved glass supported through undulating floor framings and mega columns embedded with an algae system for biomass collection. The modules are linked to its central core with vertical circulation acting as the heartwood, and direct air capture system encasing the open-to-below pith. The overall integration of structural and systematic components creates a viable trunk-like edifice that shall soon fill cities with holistic matrix of carbon-absorbing technologies.

The facades integrated with biomass and algae can turn the building into a biofuel source, enabling the structure to sustain heating systems, cars, and aeroplanes; and a bioprotein source for the utilization of various industries. Additionally, the byproducts accumulated by Urban Sequioa shall aid the infrastructure’s maintenance and its surrounding vicinity. The collected carbon and biomass can be used to produce biomaterials for roads, pavement, and pipes. Through the transformation of urban hardscapes and fusing carbon-absorbing techniques on further streetscapes, former grey infrastructure can seize up to 120 tons of carbon per square kilometer, which can eventually lead to saving up to 300 tons per square kilometer annually.

The redwood-inspired prototype is designed to adapt the needs of future cities through optimization of building design and minimization of materials, driving change on a larger scale and unprecedented rate. In the foreshadowing of a more sustainable planet, SOM remains unfaltering with positive potential on building Urban Sequioas in every city around the world, removing up to 1.6 billion tons of carbon from the atmosphere every year.

“If the Urban Sequoia became the baseline for new buildings, we could realign our industry to become the driving force in the fight against climate change,” explains Mina Hasman, Senior Associate Principal of SOM. “We envision a future in which the first Urban Sequoia will inspire the architecture of an entire neighbourhood – feeding into the city ecosystem to capture and repurpose carbon to be used locally with surplus distributed more widely.”

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is a global architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm engaged in wide range of international projects with 11 creative studios across the globe. Their interdisciplinary team of professionals has been a renowned merger of architecture and structural engineering through the years, channeling their expertise towards sustainability and innovative change for the future. Some of their renowned technically and environmentally advanced developments include Willis Tower in Chicago, Burj Khalifa in Dubai and One World Trade Center in New York.

Defhouse is the new Gen Z home to go viral The rise of the first Italian Collab House in Milan

Published on November 20, 2021 | BluPrint Magazine, One Mega Group Inc. https://bluprint.onemega.com/defhouse-is-the-new-gen-z-home-to-go-viral/

After the worldwide domination of collab houses that started with Los Angeles’ Spanish-style mansion Hype House down to UK’s Essex McMansion Wave House, the trend has reached the Italian soil with the creation of Defhouse, an ideal set for Gen-Z influencers producing double-tap-worthy contents and embracing entertainment through smartphones. The emerging influencer marketing craze opens its doors with aesthetic maximalism for young Italian content creators from Tik Tok, Instagram and Youtube.

Content house, collab house or creator house, is the new residential typology that rose alongside the trend of content creation among social media influencers. This shared dwelling space is particularly designed to host creators where they can live together and collaborate with each other, tapping more likes and following through cross-promotion. With the concept of “instagrammable” backgrounds making evident pay-offs for online contents, such houses typically feature abundant lightings, well-decorated bedrooms, quirky hallways and huge outdoor spaces for gatherings.

Created by the digital company Web Stars Channel (WSC), the first concept collab house in Italy situated in the heart of Milan is intended not as a mere place-stage but a real training hub for young influencers to cultivate their talent. The 500-sqm penthouse has initially hosted eight young TikTokers, each with a definitive skill, aiming not to entertain and engage but to offer contents that create culture and depth. With its mantra #FocusOnYourPotential, Defhouse brings the crowd who grew up with the internet to attend courses within and beyond the realm of online platforms.

The youthful interior of Defhouse is prompted by the WSC art director John Pentassuglia aided by the technical support of Milan-based studio Tresoldi & Architetti. Envisioned with a strong fusion of luxury and pop aesthetics, the house is inspired by significant artistic movements from the past like Alchimia and Memphis from the 80’s mixed with the vibes of Miami Beach art deco. From vivid geometric patterns, non-trivial graphics to fluorescent colors ubiquitous around, Defhouse becomes a post-modern visual stimulus perfect for curated posts on social media.

Upon entering, influencers are welcomed with an explosion of saturated hues in a living area surrounded by large windows. The natural light is directed towards the multi-colored sectional sofa and iconic armchair lipsticks from Italian brand Seletti. The space is enveloped in a psychedelic mix of stripes, zigzags and triangles on the walls and a neon-lit ceiling decorated with cloud-like wire mesh balls by Benedetta Moris Ubaldini for Magis. Adding to the quirkiness of the area are soft furnishings and decors including zebra print inserts, arcade gaming machine, and yellow polka-dot rug from Seletti’s joint collection with Toiletpaper magazine.

On the opposite side of the living area is the outdoor terrace accessible by glazed doors where inhabitants can relax in hydromassage tub and jacuzzi and enjoy a generous space for gathering.

The areas of the house are connected with eccentric linkages, from cloud-print floors to glow-in-the-dark walls. While one hallway is back painted in neon purple animated by photoluminescent scribbles of world-renowned Italian calligrapher Luca Barcellona, another walkway leading to the kitchen is rendered straight from a distorted chessboard. The stairways, on the other hand, is a splash of juxtaposed patterns ranging from stripes to polka dots, furnished with vibrant neon lights – a prevalent fil rouge in the whole house.

Clouds on laminated floor can be found again on the kitchen, and as you look above, the ceiling flaunts its eyecatching feature of printed vegetables. While they keep themselves busy on cooking, tenants are given ease as the white storage cabinets are playfully decorated with doodles indicating the placement of cooking utensils and ingredients.

The design of the bedrooms considers the personalities of the residents, defining the spaces in blue, gray, pink and red colors. Aside from accents walls filled with geometric patterns, neon emoji-shaped artworks are pinned to add more insta-friendly character. Complementing the bedrooms are bold-toned bathrooms illuminated in bright LED lights ideal for mirror selfies.

While the social media apps sustain its wide influence over various markets, it’s undeniable how architecture and interior design make a huge impact for content producers in reaching viral fame. Is the Philippines’ digital agencies and local influencers ready to hop on this collab house trend?

De Stijl’s Piet Mondrian on display for the first time at MUDEC in Milan

Published on December 9, 2021 | BluPrint Magazine, One Mega Group Inc. https://bluprint.onemega.com/piet-mondrian-on-display-for-the-first-time-at-mudec-in-milan/

An avant-garde pioneer of the 20th century abstract art movement and an influencing icon among renowned architects and designers, Piet Mondrian is seen on an exclusive display for the first time at MUDEC - Museo delle Culture in Milan. His works curated in a project entitled Piet Mondrian. From Figuration to Abstraction immerse the city’s art enthusiasts on the aesthetic evolution from the figurative impressions of trees, barns, and windmills to the abstract collocation of rhythmic lines and colors.

Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) is a Dutch painter born in Amersfoort, Netherlands. Dubbed as one of the most important colorists of his time, Mondrian is known as the founder of abstract art and father of Neoplasticism. He was introduced to the artistic field by his father at an early age, that eventually led him to enter the Academy of Fine Art in Amsterdam and begin his career as an artist and instructor. While he started with traditional Dutch realist paintings of landscapes and nature, his style made a gradual transition to cubist and abstract techniques after moving to Paris in 1911. This direction opened the doors for him and painter Theo van Doesburg to create the famed simplified aesthetic movement De Stijl, the Neoplastic expression framed on straight lines, primary colors and rectilinear planes.

Mondrian extracts his meticulous figurative convergence of non-objective elements that are linked to the purest academic style. His paintings evolved in gradual process of formal perfection from naturalism and impressionism to fauvism, cubism and abstract realism. Among his artworks include the neo-impressionist piece Devotion (1908), The Gray Tree (1913) in dark-toned cubism, Composition II in Red, Yellow and Blue (1929) representing the pinnacle of his abstraction, Broadway Boogie-Woogie (1943) dedicated to the buzzing city grid of Manhattan and his unfinished music-inspired painting Victory Boogie-Woogie (1944).

Pinning his distinct modern style through paintings, Mondrian has inspired architects, designers and musicians around the world to apply such movement in the transitioning works of modern and contemporary art and architecture. Neoplasticism influenced German architect Walter Gropius’ Bauhaus movement and decades later, the development of Minimalism. Driven by Mondrian’s principles, De Stijl architect Gerrit Rietveld designed Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht, Netherlands in 1924 while Charles and Ray Eames’ Case Study House rose in California in 1949. In 2017, the 100th anniversary of De Stijl Movement, Richard Meier’s City Hall of The Hague got a Mondrian makeover, transforming the edifice as the “largest Mondrian painting in the world.”

His artworks were paraded in catwalks, printed in bags, hung as posters on walls around the world. In 1965, French designer Yves Saint Laurent launched the Mondrian Collection with six cocktail dresses that embed Mondrian’s celebrated primary hues and lines. Color-compositions-inspired musical record covers emerged including The White Stripes’ album “De Stijl” (2000), Coldplay’s “X & Y” (2005), and Silverchair’s “Young Modern” (2007).

Piet Mondrian: From Figuration to Abstraction

Created by 24 ORE Cultura – Gruppo 24 ORE in collaboration with Kunstmuseum Den Haag, an art museum in Netherlands that holds the world’s biggest collection of Mondrian’s works, Piet Mondrian: From Figuration to Abstraction (Piet Mondrian. Dalla figurazione all’astrazione) is an on-going exhibition that brings 60 loaned works of Piet Mondrian, and master artists from Hauge School and De Stijl designers. Adding to the gallery are two works of Mondrian from Museo del Novecento in Milan and a neoplastic painting from the National Museum of Serbia in Belgrade.

Conceptualized by the director of Kunstmuseum Den Haag Benno Tempel and curated by the Head of Exhibitions Daniel Koep and the Head of Collections Doede Hardemann, the exhibit offers a narrative of Mondrian’s transition expressed through his pieces and comparison between the works of “figurative” period and “abstract” period. Visitors experience the itinerary of art evolution through the thematic sections of the gallery, from the early figurative process showcasing depiction of Dutch landscapes in subdued tones, down to the progressive phase of abstraction filled with synthesized lines, shapes and primary hues.

Shown as the core highlight and the last section of the exhibition, De Stijl is dedicated to Neoplasticism which triggered stylistic innovations in art, architecture and design. To expound on its influence on design, a section

curated by design historian Domitilla Dardi presents three aspects of the Mondrian Effect: the relationship between De Stijl and Gerrit Rietveld, designer of the Red and Blue Chair, briefed through the philological reissues of Cassina; Mondrian’s critical fortune in Italian artistic culture, with the materials showing the first solo show of 1956 set up by Italian architect Carlo Scarpa at the GNAM in Rome; and the influence of the Mondrian pattern on contemporary designers, like Shiro Kuramata’s Homage to Mondrian cabinet produced by Cappellini.

Alongside the art pieces displayed, jazz enthusiasm of the artist is reflected through the musical accompaniment of the itinerary. Mondrian regarded jazz as the musical equivalent of neoplasticism, as he strongly portrays resemblance of jazz bands and his painting. Complementing the entire exhibit, a video installation edited by Storyville unfolds poetry between his abstract works and music which gives the visitors an immersive opportunity for interpretations beyond spatial dimension.

The exhibit runs from November 24, 2021 to March 27, 2022 at MUDEC located in Via Tortona, 6, Milan, Italy, open every day in various times.

From Dharavi to Tondo: Producing global urban trope through voyeurism of informality

Academic Research Paper for Contemporary City Course | Politecnico di Milano Under Prof. Eduardo Nobre

Abstract

Considering the rise of megacities, urban slums have been an inevitable part of globalization in contemporary cities. While majority of these informal settlements are situated in underdeveloped countries, it’s evident that the rapid urbanization and economic globalization of developing countries contribute to the increasing inequalities in the urban peripheries. From the corrugated shacks of Dharavi in Mumbai to the shanties situated in the landfill of Tondo, Manila, slum is outlined as an embedded part of urban theories. In a world where one in eight people dwell in slums, leaning to a billion people living in deprived conditions according to UN Habitat, these settlements are sensationalized and subjected to influential and opposing opinions.

The media trends have evolved and alongside such evolution, poverty alleviation is disguised on slum tourism and poverty pornography as a tool for urban regeneration. Arguably, the visual and entrepreneurial approach on exposing imageries of the “third world” reality invokes the social divide uncovered as an emerging spectacle for the privileged.

This paper tackles the underpinning processes that bear spatial injustices, narratives of shanties alongside gated communities, trailed by exposition of informal urbanism by aestheticizing and politicizing poverty in India and Philippines context. Such depiction, conforming to further exchange, argues ethical debate on capitalizing over the poor conditions of the community. This opens a question on how authentic realism or basis mirroring of slum reality, which then creates an ideology of space between the first and third world, can generate interpretations in the realm of urban discourse.

Introduction

“The root cause of urban slumming seems to lie not on urban poverty but in urban wealth.” - Gita Verma

Viewing the claim of Roy (2011) that “megacity is a metonym for underdevelopment, Third Worldism, the global South”, the terrain of “slum” in the context of the realm of urban studies seems inevitably linked with the metropolitan areas of more than 10 million people. As a reality of the 21st century global development, the proliferation of megacities that coincide with large-scale urbanization, infrastructure building, business centers and city of the future concepts steadily uncovers higher economic value, a centralized market, more job opportunities and revenue-controlled expansion but following the population growth and migration trend, urban slums are clearly staying in the picture. Such urban fabric like Mumbai, Lagos, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Manila, developing continuously to be at par with the First World, unsurprisingly emanates the phenomenon of urban slumming.

A slum is defined in terms of poor sanitation and shelter; squatting in terms of legality of tenure; and informality in terms of practices that fall outside state control (Roy & AlSayyad 2004; UN-Habitat 2006). They are marginalized, large agglomerations of dilapidated housing often located in the most hazardous urban land – e.g. riverbanks; sandy and degraded soils, near industries and dump sites, in swamps, flood-prone zones and steep slopes –disengaged from broader urban systems and from the formal supply of basic infrastructure and services, including public space and green areas. (UN Habitat, 2016) Other terms used to denote slums include blighted areas, lowincome areas, renewal arenas and ghettos, among others. (Akanle & Adejare, 2017) As elaborated by Davis in his book Planet of Slums, “megaslums” arise when shantytowns and squatter communities merge in continuous belts of informal housing and poverty, usually on the urban periphery. (Davis, 2006)

According to Davis (2006), majority of the world’s urban poor no longer live in inner cities but most have been absorbed by slum communities based on the periphery of Third World cities. They live in slums to be close to work opportunities which in many cases tend to be exploitative and informal or sometimes criminal. (Akanle & Adejare, 2017) Belonging to the class of low-income households, the urban poor survives trying to optimize housing cost, tenure security, quality of shelter, journey to work, and personal safety. (Davis, 2006). Based on Hart (1970), the “informal” urban poor engaged in petty capitalism as a substitute for the wage employment to which they were denied access. Such expansion, as enumerated by Akanle & Adejare (2017), is caused by “absence of serviced

land, rural–urban migration, advancement in transportation and communication technologies, government policy and tenure system.”

Recent demographic trends based on World Cities Report 2016 of UN-Habitat, a quarter of the urban population around the world dwell in slums, and additionally, 881 million urban residents live in slum conditions in developing countries. Such trend, when compared to past figures, does not only prove a huge increase in percentage of slum dwellers, but it also proves the direct proportion with the rapid urbanization of megacities. This goes to show that informal settlements are not a developing world’s exceptional feature but they thrive in the developed world, too. (UN Habitat, 2016) From South America, Africa to Asia, slum growth continues to outpace the perceivable development of the cities of the future. If such trend remains unabated, planning expert Chatterjee (2002) warned “we will have only slums and no cities.”

In this time of observable phenomenon brought by the urban shift over time, informal settlements become an inescapable spatial and political dialogue in the field of urbanism. Slum, in terms of “space of difference” (Spivak, 2005), was coined by Roy (2011) as a prominent space under subaltern urbanism. Subaltern urbanism, generally described as an attribute of subordination, is an important paradigm, for it seeks to confer recognition on spaces of poverty and forms of popular agency that often remain invisible and neglected in the archives and annals of urban theory. (Roy, 2011) In such urbanistic domain, entrepreneurialism becomes a succeeding theme, in which voyeurism of informality turns out to be an inevitable disposition.

Voyeurism of informality is poverty pornography

Derogatory in context and argued to be morally ambiguous and unethical, pornography of poverty is not a new theme in Third World cities. This is a term used by development practitioners in the North and in the South to describe the worst of the images that exploit the poor for little more than voyeuristic ends and where people are portrayed as helpless, passive objects. (Plewes & Stuart, 2006). As more concerned ethicists want to generable ethical debate and argue on its moral and social construct, poverty porn remains as “a shocking theme and a product easily sold, especially abroad, where it is the counterpart to the opulence of consumption” (Ospina, 1978)

Poverty porn is a tactic used by nonprofits and charity organizations to gain empathy and contributions from donors by showing exploitative imagery of people living in destitute conditions. (Dortonne, 2016) As cited by Faguet (2010) in an article What is Poverty Porn? Aguirre wrote on II Festival de Cine Colombiano: “Poverty is morbidly displayed and discussed at length in order to provoke commiseration in a gesture similar to that which moves the bourgeoisie to pursue charitable acts.”

We have seen the blatant images of misery, sensationalized clips of the needy, and exposure of dreading ways of survival in the poorest of the society. Much have been uncovered in charity campaigns in order to share sympathy, in media as seen on paper and digital platforms, in art where the poorest becomes a focal subject to be auctioned to the wealthy, in television and film as a very apparent and pervasive way to trigger emotions and inculcate eyeopening scenarios in the audience’s head, and discernably, in politics as a powerful weapon to make impression.

As this theme continue to evolve, Roy (2011) pointed how slum becomes the most common itinerary through which the Third World city is recognized, and she quoted Freire-Medeiros, (2009), considering Third World slum as a ‘touristic transit’ in the well-known example of slum tourism. Malte Steinbrink (2012), the chair of social and cultural geography at the University of Passau in Germany, mentioned the widened reach of slum tours in townships of South Africa, particularly the Soweto township of Johannesburg, and favelas of Brazil like Rocinha favela in Rio di Janeiro, evolving as a professionalized business. Adding to this list are organized slum tours in Jakarta, Cairo, Buenos Aires, Nairobi and Mazatlán, Bangkok and Windhoek.

Two case studies are tackled in this paper in an attempt to dig on the concept of voyeurism in an Asian context. Worth mentioning is the Dharavi slum tour of Mumbai, which garnered even more attention during the release and international recognition of Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire in 2008. Another city is Philippines’ Manila, a developing metropolitan area densified by a huge population of slum dwellers, where slum tours ranging from a mountain of dumpsite to cemetery are offered and internationally acclaimed films are recognized in the common narrative circling around poverty and corruption. If opened in an urban discourse more than a critical ethical debate, poverty porn in global recognition may seem to prove how it brings “elements of delight - the experience of nostalgia, the quest for authenticity and the pleasures of the exotic and picturesque; moving towards the shock of the real, the potency of dialectic juxtapositions and the lure of labyrinthine intensity.” (Dovey & King, 2012).

Inside the Dharavi slums

Dharavi, a 225-hectare locality located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, is considered as one of Asia’s largest slums. Inhabited by more than a million people, Dharavi is composed on unending stretch of narrow dirty lanes, open sewers and cramped huts that seem to be an imposing setting to bring the people in the Third World. But apart from an impoverished depiction of reality, The Times journalist Simon Crerar (2010) mentioned that the Mumbai’s

poor can be linked to “spirit and enterprise”, where the pace of work” amidst “buzzing flies” is “breathtaking” (Roy, 2011) Supporting the statement is Nijman (2010), arguing that the urban slum is more than a warehousing of surplus labor; it is also a space of ‘home-based entrepreneurship’ (Roy, 2011) This is evident on the renowned slum tour of Dharavi.

Reality Tours and Travel, founded by Chris Way and Krishna Pujari in 2005, is best known to represent to famous slum tours in Dharavi, Mumbai. Inspired by the favelas tour in Brazil, the excursion offered by Reality Tours and Travel in “Asia’s biggest slum” claims to break down the negative stereotypes of informal settlements and aims to highlight Dharavi as an economic powerhouse by bringing tourists inside the everyday life of Mumbaikars. Currently housing a million inhabitants, Dharavi, identified with numerous houses, shops, temples and mosques and boasting an annual turnover of approximately 665 million USD, is described as “a place of poverty and hardship but also a place of enterprise, humour and non-stop activity.” (Roy, 2011)

As any common slum tour aiming for poverty alleviation, 80% of the profits from every tour in Dharavi are given back to the community through the programs of the community-based non-profit organization, Reality Gives which provides access to quality education for children and youth from poor urban communities in India. Although this may seem to be a humanitarian approach to help the communities in hope to upgrade their conditions, this has been an on-going debate among critics regarding the issues of exploitation and as and entertainment to uplift the wealthy: “Without discussing the reason the slum existed, the tour decontextualized the plight of the poor and seemed only to empower the wrong people–the privileged, western, middle class visitors.” (Bednarz, 2018)

Garnering a more critical attention, yet a beneficial rise to fame, Dharavi aced in the exposed imagery of the Global South through the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), narrating a story of an 18-year-old slum dweller being accused of cheating on the Indian version of “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” show, backdropped in the slums of Mumbai. The world may regard the film as a prominent artistry of the underprivileged in megacity and some may consider it as a “masterpiece of a movie” that depicts “the energy, entrepreneurship and imagination of slum kids” (Dutt, 2009), but it continues to entail refusal over a plot designed in poverty pornography.

On the article of Sign (2009), Indian critics have accused the filmmakers of practicing poverty porn by reducing the rich complexity of everyday life in Mumbai to stylized stereotypes of an impoverished India. (Gonzaga, 2017) As quoted by Roy (2011) from Flood’s article Rushdie attacks Slumdog Millionaire’s ‘impossible’ plot (2009), “the film, with its story of a young slum-dweller and his dreams and aspiration, has been the focus of protests in India for both its apocalyptic portrayal of the ‘slum’ as poverty pornography — we are not ‘dogs’ the slum dwellers of India have bellowed — and its romanticization of a way out of the slum — Salman Rushdie has thus dismissed the film as impossibly unreal.”

While Pukar argued in his piece in the New York Times that “Dharavi is an economic success story that the world must pay attention to during these times of global depression. Understanding such a place solely by the generic term ‘slum’ ignores its complexity and dynamism (Echanove and Srivastava, 2009).”, narratives vary according to perception of urban theories on slums, and more so, depending on the views upheld by the hierarchy in the society.

Inside the Manila slums

Moving to Southeast Asia, another well-known developing megacity linked to slums is Manila. Based on the latest report of World Bank and United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in 2018, 43% of the urban population in the Philippines is living in slums and declared as urban poor and 4 million of this percentage is situated in the congested Metro Manila. Indeed, despite its emerging economic growth toward globalization, the Filipino capital cannot veer away from the common depiction of a poor densely populated metropolis – shanty towns by the shore, riverbanks, train tracks and dumpsites.

Smokey Tours, a tour offering a unique experience to witness the underprivileged communities in the landfill of Tondo, Manila popularly called as Smokey Mountain and the slum “refugee” camp called Happyland, has been introduced as first of its kind in the South East Asian region in 2011 by Juliette Kwee, a Dutch woman living in the Philippines for 12 years. Following a comparable concept by that of Dharavi’s and with Chris Way, co-founder of Reality Tours and Travel from Dharavi, as a consultant, Smokey Tours claims to be an “eye-opening” excursion that should spread awareness, raise proceeds to improve the conditions of the inhabitants, and bridge the gap between diverse societies.

Upon the closure of Smokey Mountain, Smokey Tours created a new slum tour in 2014 located in one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in the Philippines’ capital, the Baseco area. The infamous slum of Bataan Shipping and Engineering Company compound or simply Baseco is located in the Port Area of Manila spanning in a 520,000 square meters of land. Organizers engage guests to witness the actual lifestyle and ways of survival of communities under the lowest bracket of the economy. The experience offered highlights on the struggles on fishing industry in a polluted water resource, walking along the congested residential shanties, a glimpse on the

slum beach of Baseco, and an unforgettable journey through a ride by the jeepney and tricycle, the eccentric public transportation in the Philippines. As declared by the operators and partners of Smokey Tours, 100% of the profit are given to the community, adding to their efforts to sustain talent development and livelihood programs in collaboration with NGOs and government agencies.

In a landfill densely populated by the urban poor, Baseco depicts a common yet contrasting imagery of an informal settlement within a developing bustling city. As emphasized by Streinbrink (2012), “the slum has always symbolized the ‘dark,’ the ‘low,’ the ‘unknown’ side of the city; From the bourgeois perspective, the poor urban areas have constantly been constructed as areas containing ‘the Other.’ Visiting a slum for leisure purposes has always been done in the wish to experience the Other.” This experience of encountering the “Other” seems to hark back to Smokey Tours’ catchline on its website, which calls on tourists to “see the other side of Manila” (Cepeda, 2020)

Adding to the media exposure of poverty are the rise of critically-acclaimed Filipino films that exhibit slum as a major focal setting. Erik Matti’s Buy Bust released in 2018 depicts a resonant scenario of rampant corruption backdropped in a dilapidated setting of Tondo. Another Matti piece On the Job (2013) and Lav Diaz’s 4-hour film Norte, the End of History stress gangsterism and police corruption amid the ongoing plot of insurmountable poverty. In order to garner attention and appreciation from international critics and audiences, these films, as argued by Gonzaga (2019), “rely on autoethnographic self-representations that reiterate legible iconographies of cities and populations in the Global South as being sordid, listless, and despondent, trapped in a perpetual cycle of poverty and underdevelopment.”

As local artists aspiring to make it in the international scene, Gonzaga (2017) quoted Falicov (2010) from the piece Migrating from North to South: The Role of Film Festivals in Funding and Shaping Global South Film and Video: “they are obliged to create cinematic narratives that cater to the demands and expectations of the global cultural marketplace, inasmuch as inclusion in an international festival is supposed to provide access to larger networks of distribution and communities of spectatorship.” Bearing the distinguished transition of cinematic themes that serve a greater audience and guide them to the immersive depths of despair, such artistry that may appear to mask poverty voyeurism in motif prevails a mirror of urban representations that needs to be tackled on. Whereas global news organizations and policy institutes continue to be voyeuristically fascinated by their slum aesthetics, these geographic areas are rapidly undergoing economic growth but with material benefits that are acutely unequal in distribution. (Gonzaga, 2019)

Slum as a thematic urban conception

Slums, stereotyped as communities drenched in scarcity and deprivation in shelter, health, services, and opportunities in life, have undeniably made its mark to fit in rapid urbanization of developing cities. As described by AlSayyad (2004), urban informality located in Third World cities can emerge as a new paradigm for understanding urban culture. In relation of Koolhaas’ conclusion how the Global North may seem to catch up with the Third World, informal settlements, labeled and neglected, appear to be an urban “asset” on the consequent growth of cities. These people’s economies are also the active frontiers of contemporary capitalism and, in its territorial density, slum represents a crucial space for bottom-billion capitalism, one where poor population can be easily rendered visible for global capital. (Roy, 2011)

In this sense, slum voyeurism, in tourism, films, media and other platforms of communication, may not necessarily serve as an urban tool to impose regeneration but an effective and communicative cue varying expositions towards the awareness and development of the advanced urban marginality. Consequently, despite verging on sensationalism and aestheticizing despair, the authentic realism of urban slumming awakens initiatives towards urban development, in response to the failure of government policies and lack of strategies to act on the needed urban upgrading.

In the urban Third World, slum-dwellers know that they are the “dirt” or “blight” that their governments prefer the world not to see (Davis, 2006) and despite the conception of filthy and congested space, slums become recognized as the paradigmatic urban space of the third-world megacity. (Gonzaga, 2017) These settlements play a role in linking geographies and purposely undefine boundaries. The particularity of slums among informal settlements, and what makes them an appalling global urban phenomenon that should be urgently addressed, is the level of perpetual poverty, deprivation and socio-spatial exclusion to which the people residing in them are subjected to live in, a condition that also affects the overall prosperity of the cities and towns in which they exist. (UN Habitat, 2016)

The question lies on the matter of interpretation. How do we conceive voyeurism of slums to reaffirm urban theories in informal settlements? Can mirroring of realism exposed in media and other platforms be an instrument to understand urban informality beyond the frames of globalization and liberalization?

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Business Standard. (2021). Things to know about Mumbai’s Dharavi slums. Retrieved from https://www.business-standard.com/about/where-is-dharavi-slum Cepeda, C. & Cariga, C. (2016). Smokey Mountain, Tondo: Poverty porn and Slum tourism. The LaSallian. Retrieved from http://thelasallian.com/2016/03/31/smokey-mountain-tondopoverty-porn-and-slum-tourism/ Cepeda, C. (2020). Baseco and the ‘kick’ from slum tourism. Philippine Daily Iqnuirer. Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1235528/baseco-and-the-kick-from-slumtourism

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UN-Habitat. (2016). Slum almanac 2015-2016: Tracking improvements in the lives of slum dwellers. Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Human Settlements Programme.

Sentro Haynayan: Made in Ortigas

Environmentally and culturally speaking, the world today is entitled to gradual changes. Based on United Nations’ World Population prospects 2015, the population is expected to increase by 60% by year 2050. According to World Meteorological Organization, the global temperature is expected to rise at 4 degrees Celsius. Water levels in the country could increase one meter every 10 years, which is at most an increase of 3 meters in 2050. The underlying question is: how do we cope with these changes?

Despite the adversities that will soon lie ahead, the Philippines is expected to innovate with the foreseen rapid progress in the economy. Thus, Arch Haus Asia pictures the developing image of year 2050 in the country. While it may sound alarming how the world can actually face the threats of climate change, growing population, and depletion of natural resources, we have envisioned that the answer to these changes is not merely solving the problems by seemingly eradicating the existing detriments but responding alongside the human race’s simultaneous progression. Arch Haus Asia aims to design a recreational space, initially set in Ortigas, strategically planned according to the country’s growth and innovation.

In early Filipino culture, plaza was often regarded as the heart of a city. As an outdoor living and meeting place, a site for markets, celebration and excursions and a place for interaction and information dissemination, public spaces have obviously played a big role in our society. However, do we still find urban open spaces important? At this age, public activities of plazas have been moved to other special purposes places like malls, theaters, stadiums, hotel and conference centers and other indoor recreational spaces, making public life reconstituted. Public events now occur in a variety of places and often accessible to only few audiences when these are actually intended to reach out to many. The recent trend is a plaza moving “indoors”, leading to idea that it is not truly public, accessible and usable enough.

Arch Haus Asia proposes SENTRO HAYNAYAN: Made in Ortigas initially located at the heart of Ortigas central business district, adjacent to corporate towers and bounded by shopping malls, condominiums and other building complexes. SENTRO HAYNAYAN is designed as a prototype open recreational facility that includes amphitheater, garden spaces, terminal, retail spaces, locker room, and jogging path planned to rise in other financial districts in Metro Manila.

Haynayan is the translated Filipino term for biology, a natural science involving the study of life and living organisms. Inspired by the idea of a central park, Sentro Haynayan serves as a place for congregation, a venue where viability around the busy district revolves, and a breathing node for the community’s growth and identity. Hence, it depicts its name as a center of life within the city.

Why park?

According to studies, open spaces are designed to have an architectural effect on an out-of-door scale which is comparable to that sensed upon entering a well-proportioned room. It must embrace a wider field of endeavor, the scope of which might be suggested by the term “beautification.” Thus, more than the call for functional purpose, parks are also expected to offer the community a good aesthetic experience.

It is true that along the rapid expansion of our cities, we tend to neglect open spaces. However, at the future time of urgent need of urban renewal, it is likely for the community to adopt a fresh concept of the city. This can be a basic network of open spaces formed and embellished by building masses in relationship in which each gives character and meaning to the other. SENTRO HAYNAYAN, therefore, shall not only create unity among its surrounding buildings but shall stand as a symbol of progression in 2050.

With the prospective need for ecological balance, urban public space is considered an essential part of a sustainable built environment as it is also proven that without them, we are likely to drift into an increasingly private and polarized society, with all the problems that would imply. Moreover, by providing urban open space, the city can find a way to protect what remains and restore at least a part of what mankind has ruined throughout the years.

The rise of a prototype vertical park at the heart of Ortigas CBD shall not only provide a typical recreational facility within the area but shall stand as a breathing space complementing the surrounding landscape of buildings and back dropping the distinct architecture around it. By year 2050, preservation of Philippine architectural icons designed by prominent Filipino architects is presumed to be passed by law and these shall then be deemed classic at the future time of innovation. SENTRO HAYNAYAN shall harmonized with the Tektite Towers designed by Architect Rogelio Villarosa, the San Miguel Corporation Building designed by The Mañosa brothers, and the landscape of San Miguel Coporation designed by one of the Philippine national artists, Architect Ildefonso Santos Jr.

A

What we see today may not be the same as it is in year 2050. It is envisioned that in such year, there will be a remarkable shift on the building typologies in the central districts. Corporate towers may subside and people by then are expected to work at home, following a sudden rise and adaption of residential developments in the area.

A distinct character of an urban park is its versatility to fit in any surrounding. At this case of anticipated revamping of work culture, the longevity of an urban park is proven by its necessity in every community. Whether or not the adjacent building typologies change, in the long run, park is still essential for community interaction.

Along with the gradual change in cultural trends is the rise of efficient transport innovations. While SENTRO HAYNAYAN aspires to create a hub for public recreation, the design also considers the future of transportation: from self-driving cars to high-speed capsules Hyperloop to space elevators. SENTRO HAYNAYAN shall not only be a place for community interaction but a node for intermodal transport creating terminal points for vehicular and commuter access as well.

At this age where automobiles dominate the road, parking has been a crucial issue within communities. As for Ortigas, the area has been congested with corporate towers and other commercial buildings, putting parking facilities aside. In crowded and busy financial districts, where can we safely park our vehicles?

By year 2050, new technology among cars will rise and at this point driving without human intervention is likely to happen. Autonomous driving will govern the roads and highways. With electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles, it is also presumed that electricity grid is distinctly possible to include a higher percentage of renewable energy by then, cutting carbon emissions and contributing to a cleaner everyday driving. With this future view of transportation, SENTRO HAYNAYAN offers an advanced parking facility that shall accommodate electric vehicles and hydrogen-fueled automobiles.

The initial site of the prototype park is set in Ortigas Central Business District. Green spaces in Ortigas are mostly considered obscure and there is still no vast open space for landscape and recreation. Furthermore, people prefer to stay indoors due to discomfort brought by our country’s tropical climate. This follows the idea why people choose to remain in air-conditioned facilities and spend their time gathering in the malls around the district.

This shift is also influenced by the loss of sense of security among parks today. Open spaces, at this current state in our country, are not as safe as we previously think they are. Since parks are difficult to patrol and at some point, natural vegetation may also inhibit surveillance, such places are marked by many as crime-prone, discouraging people to enjoy the real purpose of the space. Adding to that are homeless people lingering in parks.

During the early colonial period in the Philippines, Spaniards introduced the plaza complex to bring the natives closer to Catholicism. This consisted of an open space, usually rectangular in shape, surrounded by church and significant civic buildings such as municipio or tribunal. This has been an effective way to manage and control the people. These plazas are situated in strategic location to promote defense and accessibility. Foremost, plazas then were the core venues for interaction during fiestas and other religious celebrations. Have we forgotten the parks we used to have?

The rise of SENTRO HAYNAYAN within the modern financial districts in 2050 shall bring back the ideal plaza we once had parallel to the future technologies and various changes we will soon face. SENTRO HAYNAYAN aims to create a sense of place in order to build an investment in a location, encouraging people to mingle in a public space for healthy recreation once again. Arch Haus Asia perceives the future age with modern progression without compromising our remarkable culture, proving that the revival of our once embraced Filipino identity can actually lead to further advancement in our cities.

Synapse as SENTRO HAYNAYAN’s design concept

Synapse, as defined by the dictionary, is the point at which a nervous impulse passes from one neuron to another. According to faculty.washington.edu, for communication between neurons to occur, an electrical impulse must travel down an axon to the synaptic terminal. Synapse, thus, serves as an essential part for neural function and plays a big role in the formation of memory.

SENTRO HAYNAYAN is designed according to synapse’s function: a linkage for communication. Just like synapses in the brain, SENTRO HAYNAYAN shall stand as a multi-purpose facility where everyday activities occur. It shall serve as an active place to accommodate significant functions within the district and a busy venue to boost participation, information dissemination, and healthy interaction between people.

Such concept is also evident on the evolution of its form. Biomimicry is interpreted in the design creating curvilinear forms corresponding synapses. Living organisms have been adapted in architecture to solve existing complex problems. This follows an approach to sustainable design by replicating the natural human forms. While mirroring its function, the curved interwoven envelope resembles the actual imagery of neurotransmitters and synapse in the brain.

Along with these anticipated changes, the world is also expected to obtain its energy from renewable sources. In order to address the need for sustainability, SENTRO HAYNAYAN boasts its design strategies that shall generate energy and a self-sustain its everyday functions.

Solar Energy Harvesting

Solar energy technology has been advanced by leaps and bounds and in the last 6-7 years, efficiency has risen from a measly 2-3% to a more considerable 20-22% and this trend shows no signs in stopping any time soon. Taking into account the rate of advancement present in today’s solar technology it should be safe to assume that in around 30 years solar energy will become one of the world’s main sources of energy. Taking advantage of this renewable source of energy, solar panels and other such devices are placed strategically above and around certain elements and areas of the project to enable energy generation at any time of day while enhancing the overall impact and that the area provides.

Traditional solar panels are used in certain areas to provide shade due to the high possibility of it having advanced the furthest in terms of conversion efficiency. Other photovoltaic applications such as solar paint and transparent are applied where ever possible to increase potential energy generation without compromising the project’s aesthetics. Surrounding structures will also be outfitted with solar harvesting devices which connect to unobtrusive energy transmission lines in order to boost potential energy generation.

Grey Water Harvesting

The integration of water catchment and filtration systems will help provide water for the projects maintenance. Due to the naturally sloping form of the structures, with proper irrigation, water collection will pose little problem

The presence of multiple water features on site will also help offset the predicted higher temperature in the country by helping dissipate the heat and raising humidity by helping the project dissipate heat while maintaining humidity. Due to the open nature of the project, even with the multiple water features, humidity should dissipate to the surrounding areas preventing any discomfort due to high humidity while still providing significant relief from the heat.

Wind Energy Harvesting

Due to the project’s site and other potential sites’ locations at central business districts, it is highly possible that the sites are surrounded by relatively tall buildings. The high density of tall buildings may cause a phenomena called the “wind tunnel effect” which is basically the tall buildings redirecting the wind in such a way that it is concentrated along a path. Given the nature of the areas, vertical axis turbine generators or bladeless models are used for the project to provide clean energy.

PAVEGEN Tiles

Pavegen technology is integrated in the project to decentralize power solution. Every time a Pavegen tile is stepped on, kinetic energy is converted into electricity. Every step generates four to seven watts of power. These tiles can monitor foot traffic and can actually conserve the energy it produce from monitoring. The energy is stored within batteries, and it is often used to power lighting. It is made out of recycled materials including rubber and marine grade stainless steel. It is considered as an off-grid power source of cities.

Cooling Strategies

Considering a remarkable increase in global temperature by year 2050, SENTRO HAYNAYAN incorporates water features and landscape to allow convective breezes within the complex. Aside from breaking monotony in the design, water features contributes to passive cooling and maximizes heat loss due to evaporation.

Sure it would be frightening to think how people can survive 2050 with thicker pollution, surging population, inadequacy in resources, radical transformation in media, evident rises in sea levels, crop shortfalls, extinction of species, annihilation of forests, spread of diseases, frequent calamities, and digital revolution. Nonetheless, there are reasons 2050 can be an enlivening age for the future generation. Cures on diseases, reinvention by urbanization trends, technological advancement, safer and cleaner transportation, healthier food operations and lifestyle, rise of artificial intelligence, reliance on renewable energy, less significance on racial issues, gender equality, increased literacy rate, crime prevention, less warfare, and remarkable economic progress are anticipated to happen in 2050. Considering all these scenarios that will come along the way, the future age needs a balanced solution aided by avant-garde ideas and leading-edge technology to counteract these detrimental changes. With the optimistic predictions in the Philippines by 2050, architecture shall then aspire to create a sound environment fit to embrace the benefits of future technology, gradually solving the outlying issues that lie ahead.

SENTRO HAYNAYAN, may it be made in Ortigas or elsewhere in the metro, will indeed be a stepping stone towards the nation’s progress.

The Proposed New MMDA Complex: Enforcing Breathable Living in the heart if the Metro

A Concept Paper | Arch Haus Asia Consultants, Inc. - Outstanding Entry

The New Metro Manila Development Authority Complex Design Competition, 2017

The MMDA continues to build Metro Manila to provide convenience, and efficiency within the urban community. As they are known to perform planning, monitoring and coordinative functions and supervision over metrowide services, MMDA are expected to execute all plans effectively and implement such works according to the advantage of many. In an extensive range of responsibilities in traffic, solid waste, flood control and sewerage management and health, public safety and environmental protection, MMDA needs a headquarters that could cater all functions and provide sufficient workspace for all its employees.

It would sound ironic to think that MMDA handles all the duties for metro-wide services for the development and management of the metro while their headquarters sit at a congested and inadequate environment. Thus, a good design first dwells on solving the existing problems. At the current location of MMDA in Orense, Makati, the call for a change in its domain is evident and moving to new home in Ortigas Center is a good step ahead.

In line with MMDA’s mission of making Manila a livable and workable physical environment, the new MMDA Complex is envisioned as a fresh start of attaining the progression that all are yearning for. The new MMDA Complex will sit at the edge of Ortigas central business district, adjacent to corporate towers and bounded by commercial, and residential areas. As the Ortigas Center continues to draw crowd and sustain its economic and business transactions, MMDA shall keep a renewed image that fits the urban context of Pasig City.

The Rise of a Breathing Metro

Manila has been ranked as one of the most stressful cities in the world. According to a recent study and data compiled by the UK-based firm Zipjet, Manila took a bottom spot mainly because of its rapid urbanization. Long hours of traffic and poor public transportation contribute to stress of Filipinos. The pollution still stays out of hand and unfortunately, there are fewer green spaces that could counteract the reducing air quality of the city. The downfall of mental health in general and unemployment rate have also been considered to derive Manila’s place on the list.

The image of the Metro is a reflection of what the architecture today has to answer. Considering the current state of the city, we desire to create a breathing place to address the needs of the community. Our perspective of an office space need not to be secluded from a breathable space. From a gloomy and crowded district, we desire for spaces that are light and airy. The new MMDA Complex shall stand as a breathing space complementing the surrounding landscape of buildings and back dropping the distinct architecture around it.

Forming the Complex

Government buildings are often perceived to be massive and monumental. They stand as a reflection of authority and symbolic embodiment of the mandate of a specific system in the country. As such, the MMDA Complex is expected to be at large-scale to also accommodate the multiple workspaces essential for the MMDA to function effectively.

Although distinguished as monumental, large buildings can be isolating and heavy. Picturing yourself inside an immense box can be suffocating. Spending half of your day in the office can be confining. The more employees weaken their mind and body, the less productivity the office generates. In order to change the oppressing ambiance of a work place, our take is to reduce a mass in the block and let the outside in.

1. Maximizing the potential of the lot, the main building is oriented in east-west axis facing the Julia Vargas Avenue

2. The block is elevated 6 meters above the ground for the provision of public space and separation of users

3. Breaking the monotony, the block and the lot are outlined to accommodate breathing spaces. These potential areas shall aid the exposure of the building to nature and continuous breeze

4. Carving out the outline introduces the sunken plaza, an assembly park surrounded by commercial areas, and the Wind Hub, the corner pass-through portion of the building which consists of the turbine, green pockets, and outdoor deck

The Wind Hub

A building that breathes calls for a good natural ventilation. This entails a supply of fresh air into the building, supporting the healthy breathing of users as well. By providing natural ventilation, the structure promotes good indoor air quality through the removal of air contaminants. Our team introduces The Wind Hub, the core bracket of breathing elements that dominates the corner of the Main Building.

Upon the extraction of spaces on the Main Building, we open the once secluding block a peak of nature and allow the air to flow inside the building. The Wind Hub aims to achieve consistent optimal thermal comfort among occupants and in order to maintain the abundant flow of natural air, cross ventilation is utilized through the opening at the rear portion of the building and through the roof deck.

An outstanding feature of The Wind Hub is The Vane, an enormous wind turbine placed directly at the carved-out portion at the corner of the building. Wind power converts kinetic energy to generate electricity or mechanical power. As the wind passes the turbine it moves the blades, which spins the shaft to drive a generator and make electricity. Power stations and fuse boxes receive the current and then transform it to a lower voltage that can be safely used by buildings. Being abundant, clean and emission-free power generation technology, wind energy is considered as the fastest growing sources of renewable energy. These are manufactured smaller and more lightweight to allow easy mounting on roof, pole, or tower.

The capacity of a turbine, which is a measure of electricity generation, is determined largely by its rotor diameter and the wind speed through the rotor With 18-meter diameter rotor, The Vane has an approximate rated capacity of 150 kW.

An alternative energy source is best paired with architectural elements that aid air purification. The Turf, a part of The Wind Hub, are mini meeting places for group tasks and interaction or recreational areas during coffee breaks located on outside decks. These green pockets provide interior landscape in the office. Considering that approximately 90% of people work indoors, inclusion of biophilic design in the office contributes benefits to the industry standards.

Based on studies, employees reveal that chill-out areas within the office are not a priority. Through The Turf, the design further promotes collaboration among employees. Some actually prefer to converge in areas for brainstorming and breathe away from their desks. Such work environment aims a good balance of comfort and functionality.

Incorporating nature in the interiors brings out a sense of calm, focus, and energy. This concept will not only beautify the building but it can increase the wellness and promote a better mental health for its users. More than the greens planted within the workspaces, nature molds the actual architectural framework of the built environment through the utilization of natural lighting, ventilation, and other green textures.

Also supporting the efficiency of the Wind Hub is The Atrium, a 12-floor central hall surrounded by hallways that opens through the roof. This high court shall serve as green lungs to aid the cross ventilation from the carvedout portion of the building. With the vast multi-story space for recreation, the atrium creates an airy and vibrant atmosphere at the common spaces. Through The Atrium, the building maximizes ventilation in all floors.

A new take on the Complex

It is prevalent how displeasing the current MMDA Complex is at an exposed strip of Makati. The disarray of buildings has caused inconvenience among users, affecting the order on specific functions within divisions. The lack of appropriate spaces for vehicles and assembly area for pedestrians has created congestion among the surrounding streets, which disturbs the adjacent residential vicinity. With its existing state, the MMDA Complex clearly needs a revamp and moving to a new home in Ortigas is a great leap in embracing improvement as an institution.

Considering the busy neighborhood as the new home of MMDA, the masterplan is strategically studied to accommodate crowd of pedestrians and motorists from various points around the area. The master plan is oriented according to the priority of spaces considered parallel with the road and vicinity surrounding it. The Main Building, which houses the major offices and complementary spaces, is directly oriented towards Julia Vargas Avenue. From the initial point of the site, the focal feature of the Main Building is positioned at its corner. Such dominating character is evident from the edge of Ortigas central business district.

To utilize the site efficiently, the Annex Building, which houses the auxiliary spaces and utilities of the complex, is

situated at the back of the lot. This is integrated with the Steel Parking Building in order to maximize the back-ofthe-house space. To effectively cater the needs of the users from the Main Building, it is connected by a bridge.

A dominating feature of the complex is the colonnade found at the foot of the main building. Serving as a covered passageway and public convening area for users, the upper ground floor is exposed with 6-meter pilotis along and inside the building footprint. Adding to the necessary structures of the complex is The Oval, a sunken plaza as a place for assembly surrounded by commercial establishments adjacent to the basement parking. This is strategically located at the lower part of the site with regards to its natural slope.

Since green spaces in Ortigas are mostly considered obscure and there is still no vast open space for landscape and recreation, The Oval adds a fresh take in a busy office environment and counteracts the massive blocks around the area. Through the sunken plaza and green pockets within the building, we contribute to the needed breathing spaces in a congested district. More so, it aims to create a sense of place in order to build an investment in a location, encouraging people to mingle in a public space for healthy recreation once again.

In early Filipino culture, plaza was often regarded as the heart of a city. As an outdoor living and meeting place, a site for markets, and a place for interaction and information dissemination, public spaces have obviously played a big role in our society. However, at this age, public activities of plazas have been moved to other special purposes places like malls, and other indoor recreational spaces, making public life reconstituted. Along the rapid expansion of our cities, we tend to neglect open spaces but at the urgent need of urban renewal, it may be an admired solution to adapt a fresh concept of the city.

Based on studies, open spaces are designed to have an architectural effect on an out-of-door scale which is comparable to that sensed upon entering a well-proportioned room. It must embrace a wider field of endeavor, the scope of which might be suggested by the term “beautification.” Thus, more than the call for functional purpose, parks are also expected to offer the community a good aesthetic experience. The revival of the traditional plaza is not only our take in answering the separation of vehicles and pedestrians, but also a modern reflection and progression of a Filipino culture.

The Office

The circulation scheme responds to the particular functions per building and portions of the lot. All-access public areas are located on the lower ground floor, where the Oval is located, and the upper ground floor, a distinct level confined with pilotis as a grand welcoming space and point of entry. Vertical passage is provided through the six elevators and four staircases.

The second floor is designated as a semi-public space. This shall accommodate areas for the transactions of the public and common spaces like the museum and library where visitors are free to roam. The rest of the floors are designated for authorized areas, specifically for staffs and executives. Private vertical circulation is contained in particular cores and often separated from public user flow.

Any office design is expected to prioritize productivity and well-being of users. On its interior layout, the specified floor zoning preference is considered. The space adjacencies given are deliberately followed although we proposed certain changes for spatial distribution and consistent flow of operations. Offices that are connected by function are strategically located in close proximity for ease of access.

Aside from efficiency at work, all users are also expected to allot their entire day in a convenient and comfortable workspace. Such primary concern is needed to prompt positivity and enthusiasm within the entire working domain. According to Forbes, employees who enjoy the environments they are part of end up being more engaged, productive, happy and healthy.

With ample spaces allotted for each division, offices are integrated with flexible work areas. Although the usual cubicle set-up may be integrated, minimal restrictions within the plan can still be applied so rearrangement can be done easily. Traditional workstations allow privacy and concentration among users but may hinder collaboration as well. The designed workspace shall cater for specific tasks and engage the whole workforce. These dynamic spaces shelter changes and transformation according to fluctuations in work trends.

In order to fully utilize the complex in favor of all kinds of users, the new MMDA Complex applies universal design. This shall accept the diversity of the occupants by providing accessible features all throughout the complex. Ramps, elevators, and further perceptible information devices and way-finding elements are few of the concepts applied on the over-all design.

Although the site is located in high terrain of Pasig City, flood may be a prevailing issue within the complex because of the creek adjacent to the lot. With immense public space, these areas can be adapted for evacuation in times of disaster. The materials used in the construction are also known to withstand typhoon winds. Safety

measures including appropriate location and number of fire exits in case of emergency are considered based on the Fire Code. Considering that the lot is in close proximity to the fault line, with further earthquake study necessary, independent foundation for seismic gaps and designed column span ideal to withstand earthquake are also applied.

The construction of the new MMDA Complex considers an implementable design by considering the use of conventional technology and locally available materials. Utilizing the natural slope of the site, the elevation of each building is planned to lessen the need for huge fill and excavation. Such strategies shall reduce the costs of labor, production and transportation. With the locally available materials and no special construction method employed, we have perceived that the cost of the design is within the allotted construction budget of the new MMDA Complex.

Approach on Energy

Along with the anticipated environmental changes we need to address, it is best to utilize alternative energy from renewable sources. In order to answer the need for sustainability, the new MMDA Complex boasts its design strategies that shall generate energy and a self-sustain its everyday functions.

Aside from the massive wind turbine, solar panels are placed at the roof deck as an alternative source of energy within the complex. Solar energy technology has been advanced by leaps and bounds and in the last 6-7 years, efficiency has risen from a measly 2-3% to a more considerable 20-22% and this trend shows no signs in stopping any time soon. Taking advantage of this renewable source of energy, solar panels are placed strategically above to enable energy generation at any time of day while enhancing the overall impact that the area provides.

The new MMDA Complex aims to contribute to the betterment of a livable built environment by reducing the depletion of resources and further degradation to our natural domain. With a design promoting the lowest carbon footprint possible, materials used are readily available within the reachable radius from the site to lessen transportation from the place of production and manufacturing.

Orientation is considered to control the admittance of solar heat among the office spaces that are strategically placed on all sides of the building. With workspaces on the perimeter, the ample glazing promotes transparency, optimizing natural light and views of the outdoors. To reduce excessive permittance of heat and noise, the Main Building, where all functions, services, and major transactions take place, is wrapped in double-glazed glass technology implemented on the curtain walls. Facade articulation also supports the design intention as most of the buildings are oriented on the east-west axis.

The trends in architecture continue to evolve as the demand for new technology begin to rise. With the new character of the MMDA Complex introduced in the heart of Pasig City, the design calls for strategies and technology that shall set apart with its previous notion and be at par with the modern architecture sprawling around a busy business district.

We intend to innovate the usual double-glazed glass technology used in the main building by incorporating electrochromic glass. Electrochromic glass is intentionally used on the facade to counteract its orientation along the north-south axis. This smart glass or electronically switchable glass, is an innovative and modern building glass that can change the light transmittance, transparency, or shading of windows in response to an environmental signal such as sunlight, temperature or an electrical control. This continues to gain traction because of its ability to manage solar heat gain, visible light transmission (VLT), and glare. This glazing allows users to control the amount of heat or light that passes through the glass at the flick of a switch, giving them the ability to regulate temperatures or create privacy at the flick of a switch. By automatically controlling the amount of light and solar energy that can pass through the window, electrochromic glass saves energy in buildings.

This kind of glass change from transparent to tinted by applying an electrical current. Electrochromic glass utilizes the principle of electrochromism, which allows certain materials to change color or even opacity when a burst of charge is applied. While a small burst of electricity is required for changing the opacity of the glass, no electricity is needed for maintaining a particular shade once the change has been effected.

Workspaces and other auxiliary rooms for functional purposes are always connected to natural light promoting calm spaces and energy efficiency. Waiting areas and offices have available views to the outside, which may as well reduce stress and confinement of users. Most offices maximize 10-meter space from the window to reduce artificial lighting. All common areas and hallways are also naturally ventilated through the Wind Hub on the northwest corner and the grand atrium that ends above the roof deck.

To lower water consumption, water harvesting system is also utilized in the complex. Gray water is treated for recycling and usage in the water features at the upper ground floor. The integration of water catchment and filtration systems will help provide water for the complex’s maintenance.

Pavegen technology is also integrated in the project to decentralize power solution. Every time a Pavegen tile is stepped on, kinetic energy is converted into electricity. Every step generates four to seven watts of power. Specifically placed at the plaza and open upper ground floor, these tiles can monitor foot traffic and can actually conserve the energy it produces from monitoring. The energy is stored within batteries, and it is often used to power lighting. It is made out of recycled materials including rubber and marine grade stainless steel. It is considered as an off-grid power source of cities.

Reflecting a humane metro

Amidst the busy and crowded Manila, the balanced solution in improving the living urban environment comes progressively. Considering various scenarios that may hinder continuous development, there are still positive predictions towards the advancement in the metro and it is taking step by step, through the aid of avant-garde ideas, leading-edge technology, and above all, through proper management and discipline of the people.

Architecture, which plays a big role towards such progression, shall then aspire to create a sound environment fit to embrace the benefits of future technology and trends, gradually solving the outlying issues that lie ahead. The new MMDA Complex stands as a reflection of what the Metro needs, an interlude the society demands, and a primary mirror of the vibrant future Filipinos long for.

Battling Architecture: A score of vulnerability and survival

Speech delivered at the Solemn Investitures of the College of Architecture, June 3, 2016 Published at tomasinoweb.org, June 2016

Very Reverend Father Gerard Francisco Timoner III O.P., Vice Chancellor [of the] University of Santo Tomas; Reverend Father Manuel Roux O.P., Regent, College of Architecture, Architect John Joseph Fernandez, Dean, College of Architecture; Asst. Prof. Warren Maneja, College Secretary; Architect Mariano S. Arce, President, College of Architecture Alumni Association; our esteemed faculty members, beloved parents, fellow graduates, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon!

I don’t know how to religiously deliver such a formal speech since it took me time to sink in the task Sir Warren told me, “maghanda ka na ng speech mo iche-check ko sa Monday.” I was stuck for days and admitted by Monday: “Sir, wala pa akong nagawa.” And flourishing my excuse “kasi Sir feel ko hindi pa ako enlightened.” Convincing enough – but I honestly just overslept.

This, my friends, is an epitome of procrastination that we, Architecture students, graduates rather, are most wellknown of.

I wish not to sound too dignified in front of the academe as it would make me look pretentious. I decided not to quote prominent people to make you feel how significant our roles we are about to take or to make you realize that perseverance and other countless virtues are the keys to success. Expect that I will not give you any anecdote of realization how life-changing a novel I once read, and purposely compare you to the characters behind the story. I am standing in front of you today, to scrap all the metaphors and stereotypes of graduates and for once, to get real.

Fellow batchmates, gone are the days that choosing the most appropriate crayon is the hardest decision we could ever make. Who would have thought we would have to choose the best color after knowing Kurecolor offers 11 shades of cool gray and 11 shades of warm gray? Not to mention the slate gray, dark gray, and gray tint in between. We were torn with choices. One day, it took me time to decide over which brand of T-square would make me look cool as I walk down the campus. The next day, the crucial moment of choosing a topic for thesis daunt my innocent being.

Let’s not be hypocrites and admit to ourselves that Architecture students are not the ideal ones and to be honest, we don’t love architecture all the time. In those five years, can you count the times you had a break down, or the times you’ve cried, “Ayoko na?” I know some of us here enrolled in this course for reasons other than passion. And yes, the popular phrase of, “’Di ko nga alam ba’t ako nandito e,” still dominates. As for us who had Architecture as our first choice, we entered the College with [a] heart full of positivity, but I guess no hype can overthrow the pain of this dreadful course. I never knew I would tell myself, “Bakit ba kasi ako nag-Arki?” but well, I actually did. So why are we hating architecture?

The endless paper cuts will forever be an inevitable torture. The Mighty Bond on our hands when we make scale models and the gross pain of peeling them off with skin attached. The frustrations of crashing AutoCAD and SketchUp [a] few hours before the deadline. A test of patience on long lines in Joli’s and Nitz for printing. The family and important events we’ve missed just to finish our plates. Not to mention the tuition and expenses paid (sic).

We had doubts, of course. The scale of the sketch of the Benavides statue, the champectives we passed because we have no choice, the zoning of required spaces down to the man-eating last two semesters of thesis. I even dreamt of my site development plan once, and that was a subtle warning that thesis will eat all that is left of me. We shrink from Architecture because at some point we realize that despite all our efforts, it will never be enough as design is a matter of perspective. It will always be subjective. Creativity, no matter how much we force it to happen, it will not come out the time or the way we want it.

But you see, despite all the pain we have endured, all the tears we’ve shed, all the hangouts we passed, all the money we splurged, all the sleepless nights we suffered, all the times we have failed and broken down, and mostly, despite how Architecture can actually devour our entire being, we have to admit, we still love this drastically compelling five-year course. Yes, I can say, we are martyrs, true heroes and soldiers of love.

We cannot deny that within those five years of hardship, drafting and rendering can also be fulfilling. The happiness after finishing the major plate and the victory of getting a high grade over a plate you crammed in one night. The fun part of enhancing our perspectives by putting our friend’s photo as entourage. The satisfaction we get after pulling off our design from rough sketch to a virtual reality in SketchUp. And of course, the unequalled feeling of getting your thesis defended.

In my nine-year stay in this University, I realized that success was a mere open cloud waiting for people to hop on. The travel time to reach this destination matters by your choice of transport. It is not an imagery of flowers by the field, nor a domain of high grades or currency.

Architecture has driven us to become the brave souls we are today. We have survived, my fellow graduates. We have conquered the complexity of this course. This is probably the most authentic image of success, perhaps in an Architecture student’s perspective: Painstakingly bearing all the hardships in five years despite the downfalls we’ve been through, and ending college life with [the] sincerest smile and humility.

With this, I am very honored to speak in behalf of my entire batch that these students could not have worn that well-ironed toga if it wasn’t for the people that have been with us throughout this journey.

This is to our dearest alma mater, University of Santo Tomas. You were more than our training ground to victory but our second home where we will return to cherish all our memories together. Let’s keep our words as we say, UST, you will never be forgotten for our journey within your four walls has molded us to become the alumni you will be proud of someday.

We have entered your portal with the initial 3Cs marked in our souls: commitment, competence, and compassion. And after spending five years in Beato Angelico, thank you College of Architecture because by the time we leave your historic fortresses we are carrying another 3Cs – courage, camaraderie, and the innate skills of cramming. This is to our dearest College for shaping us to the future architects ready to make a change and beautify the world.

And with this, we give our utmost gratitude to our professors. They have been the soil to our initial roots, the trunk to the brittleness of our branches, and the twigs to our withering leaves. Thank you for generously sharing the knowledge we are to carry on in the real world. There will never be a perfect student as there will never be a perfect mentor. And so, let me also take this opportunity, to say sorry for all the times we hated you for moving the deadline earlier than expected, for giving us questions we never really encountered on (sic) discussions, and for scrutinizing our plates and engraving to our minds that our design was once (sic) hell of a trash. This is to all our mentors, most especially to our respective thesis juries, who gave us the wakeup call that we all need tons of criticisms to make way for improvement and that, great architects are rooted from failures and disappointments. Allow me to specially mention my thesis adviser, Architect Rogelio Caringal. Sir, your fatherly love and concern have overthrown all those vicious looks you gave upon our works. Sir, know that 5AR9 will always be grateful for having the sincerest and sweetest mentor we ever had. Thank you to all our professors, we will forever be indebted in you!

My fellow graduates, let us also take this moment to give our sincerest thank you to the person on your left and right, to that person in front of you, and the one behind your back. Batchmates, we were survivors by the time we overthrow the nightmare of cutoff during our first year. We have battled the AUSAT and ARCC with rushed nights of reviewing handouts, desperately squeezing [four years] worth of knowledge in one night and by alternative, holding on to the stock knowledge we never actually trusted. We have faced issues together and shared the remorse after announcing that the Architecture Week float parade we had was our first and last. Nonetheless, our journey, may it be a rolling stone of stress and tension, we keep our heads up because at the back of our minds, we do believe our batch is now leaving a legacy to be remembered.

To your friends and blockmates, who have lent you pens you never returned, who gave you [sheets of] yellow pad [during] surprise quizzes, who have been your partners in “Walang magre-remind kay Sir na may homework,” who have been your echoes on, “’Wag na mag-quiz!”, “Pa-move ‘yung deadline!”, “Free cut na!”, who have influenced you with the hype of Kopiko and a toast of energy drinks the night before submission, who have shared the buckets of cold beer after handing the major plate, and who have been your fellow crammers at times of “May nagawa ka na?” “Wala pa.” “Ako din!” Thank you for we wouldn’t have come this far without them. Their presence, in any way, has led us to reach this memorable day. Let me also give my personal gratitude to my UST High School friends, TomasinoWeb family, CASC 2014-2015, previous blocks, 1AR3 and 2AR7, and as promised, my blockmates since second year, please stand to be recognized, as I am most endeared to shout to the entire Batch 2016 that I would not be able to speak in front of you today without the best company of my college life, 5AR9!

Allow me to mention this great army of friends who have always been there for me since day one: Miguel, Gio, Jett, Pau, Andrea, Krizia, Fatima, and Maricar, thank you for all our sleepless nights, cramming sessions, and all our

exchange of conversations (sic) of “Matatapos kaya tayo? Girl, tiwala lang.” Thank you for being my withstanding and unbreakable support team. Most especially, thank you to RD, for enduring all my rants and stress, for cheering me up at times I feel emotionless over my thesis, and for giving me encouragement when I needed the most. With you, I am indeed #blessed.

Above all the people we are surrounded today, this is to our parents and guardians. For all their hard work and sacrifices, we wish to repay you in whatever way we can. This may be our ending rites but this ceremony is also dedicated to you. Finally, they are also graduating from printing expenses, repetitive reminders that we need to rest, and satisfying service on our sleepless sessions. This is to our parents for constantly seeing the best in us when the whole world has ignored us.

Thank you, Mommy and Daddy. I would not be standing here at this moment if it wasn’t for your undying love and support. To my dad, thank you for all the hard work. [Even if] you are […] away from us right now, he’s watching right now, your presence is always felt. Thank you for making me laugh despite all the crankiness Architecture has caused me. And of course, I am proud to give recognition to my ever bibo and stage mom of all time, please stand as I wish to give you the spotlight you truly deserve. Mommy, this is to all the times I dragged you to places for printing and buying materials, to all the times I cried at the edge of giving up, and to all the times I can’t believe in myself anymore but you still continue to lift me up. I know I may not be the perfect daughter, but I hope I made you proud. I love you Mommy and Daddy, and to my sister, I love you, sometimes! Congratulations dearest parents, you also made it! And no matter how many times we thank you, it will never be enough.

Let me close this speech with the last genuine thing I experience (sic) in my struggle for survival in this field. I get teased with questions of “Ano bang kinakain mo? Paano mo ginagawa?” Let me tell you that no special food or vitamins or potion intake actually made me stand in front of you today, but only prayers. This is to God Almighty, for giving us strength to reach this moment and for guiding us to the path we took and the roads we are about to take. At times we felt undeserving for your love, you still continue to shower us with countless blessings. Lord, thank you for giving us double quarter pounder beef burger when we asked for a simple ham sandwich.

Batch 2016, we may have been a controversial batch, I must say, but we were survivors after all. So by now, let’s continue chasing our dreams, choosing our transport towards our goals and hopping on to the success we will soon reach. Let’s claim it, congratulations future architects! Ang galing nating lahat!

Maraming salamat at magandang hapon!