Re-defining what Architecture means to me

Architecture is something that every person or architect needs to find out for himself/herself. As we have established before, architecture can be defined in numerous ways.

The standard dictionary’s definition of architecture is as follows: ‘the art and science of designing structures and buildings’. Although this is correct, it is too general and does not exactly pinpoint what it is. From my knowledge, the dictionary cannot fully define architecture because individuals experience architecture in different ways. Several discussed definitions include: ‘it is a shelter from nature’, ‘architecture is an expression of who we are’, and ‘it is a designed environment’. Although all these definitions are true to an extent, but it may be more true to someone in comparison to others, depending on their perspective on architecture. The importance having a personal definition of architecture is that nobody can define it for you. This means that although people may not like or appreciate a building, but the architect would understand and appreciate his design through his understanding and views on architecture; therefore nobody may take that away from him/her.

From what I have learnt over the last months, many factors are put into consideration before making architecture. Context is a factor of the design elements of architecture, due to the need of providing comfort for the people using it. This, mainly, is referring to what surrounds the building, such as a climate. Depending on the different types of climate in various countries, architecture may be different in among countries as well. The three main climate types according to Rapoport are hot-humid, hot-dry, and cold. Among these three climates, the architecture is created as much as possible to adapt to its climate. For instance, in a hot-humid climate, the main objective of architectural adaptation is to cool the body. This may be done by an extensive use of shading and roofing, having large open spaces inside the structure, and designing an ideal building configuration where a lot of wind may hit the surface of the building. Different from hot-dry climates, where the objectives are to cool the body during the day and warm the body during the evening. And finally, cold climates where the body needs to be kept warm at all times.

Another influencing factor that we have established during discussions are the cultural factors. According to Rapoport, house form is also heavily influenced by socio-cultural factors including ‘’religious beliefs, family, clan structure, social organization, way of gaining livelihood, and social relations between individuals.’’ However, his basic hypothesis is that “house form is not simply the result of physical forces or any single casual factor, but is the consequence of a whole range of socio-cultural factors seen in their broadest terms.” This means to say that all kinds of factors affect house form, rather than only one single factor. For instance, caste may influence architecture in terms of the placement of rooms in the house, possibly that parents’ stay in the largest room of the house, and the youngest child stays in the smallest room of the house.

Therefore we are able to conclude that architecture is influenced mainly by two major factors: culture and context. Because of this, we are also able to state that house form does express our culture, due to the influences of all the factors while it was being designed and built. From the theory of diwa ng lunan or spirit of place, a ‘place’ is implies feelings and memories of a space. These feelings and memories may be experienced individually or collectively. Different architecture may induce new feelings to individuals due to how it looks or feels, and what function it serves. Similarly, feelings and memories may be shared collectively from the memories they experienced together, and what feelings were induced. Theoretically, architecture makes us feel different emotions, therefore is shaping our personality by the provision of new experiences.

In my opinion, architecture is a built environment for several purposes. Firstly, architecture is built and used as a shelter from nature. According to what I previously stated about climate as a modifying factor, architecture is designed to adapt to its context, for the comfort and safety of the people using it. Secondly, every culture is different from one another, and may be shown through architecture. Architecture is a built environment towards cultural norms and values. For instance, houses of different cultures may be drastically diverse in terms of design and the way it is organized. This is because of factors such as family structure, religious beliefs, lifestyle etc. that affected the way the structure was designed and built. Therefore by analyzing architecture, one is also analyzing a culture. Thirdly, architecture provides a space that serves a function.  This is because architecture is always built for a reason. For example, the obvious functions include: houses are built for people to have homes, or buildings are built for people to work in. Other reasons may be to remember an event, such as the Eiffel tower in Paris, which was initially built to honor the 100^th anniversary of the French revolution. Thus, architecture is always built for a purpose, even when it is just for viewing. Furthermore, architecture is also a place. From my previous explanation of diwa ng lunan, a place refers to a space with a feeling or memory. This theory suggests how a house may become a home. When people are in a space, they are experienced with new feelings and memories that are induced within the space. In this case, the feelings that turn house into a home could be safety, comfort, and warmth. Consequently, architecture is a method of providing people with human feelings and memories, which to me means putting life into mankind.

In short, my final definition of architecture is as follows: “The mastery of designing environments in order to shelter, express, and create life to those experiencing it”.

Architectural experiences of Ongpin St.

Information and History of Binondo, Manila

Ongpin Street, Binondo, is Manila's 'chinatown' district. The name Ongpin was named after a man named Don Roman Ongpin, a Chinese business man who was known for his financial support of the Katipunero aka KKK (a society aiming to gain independence from Spain). Binondo was the center of commerce during the American reign, however, many establishments have been destroyed after World War II, forcing companies to move to Makati, now the financial capital of Manila. 

Nonetheless, many establishments still stand in Binondo today. These mostly includes restaurants, jewellery stores, and modern hardware stores. 

Binondo was made by a Spanish governor Luis Pérez Dasmariñas in 1584. It was made predominantly to accomodate Chinese immigrants known as Sangleys. Cunningly, Dasmariñas made this district to convert Chinese immigrants into Catholicism, and whoever rejects is to be executed. As a result, a massacre of 24,000 immigrants took place. 

Personal Experiences in Binondo

We arrived on a Sunday morning, after experiencing a hell-like amount of traffic. Our first site in Binondo was of an old church, known as Binondo Church. This church was built in 1596, named after a Filipino-Chinese saint, St. Lorenzo Ruiz. A thought was that it had seems out-of-place, in the context that everything else in Ongpin street was Chinese. The cramped, chaotic, and crummy street of Ongpin is home to many Chinese herbal stores, restaurants, and jewellery stores. For a place with companies and businesses still alive, the maintenance of the buildings were below unmaintained. 

From the photo above; it is clear that the streets are not capable of fitting more than 2 vehicles at a time, the signs were all over the place, and messy wires ran through the street.

Furthermore, red lanterns are placed throughout the street, showing the authenticity of the Chinese culture. The overuse of red on Ongpin street simply screamed 'CHINA!' to all those walking through it.
The pictures above display hotels on the street. The facade is unwelcoming, due to the small windows, and the dark entrance into the building. These are examples of the sketchy aura that this area emits. I was skeptical of whether it is a legitimate hotel, or could it be something else.

In conclusion, Binondo really is a historical experience which takes you back in time of when the Spaniards had power over Philippines. Although it is not the most pleasant place to be in the Philippines, it is definitely a symbolic place towards the Filipino culture worth visiting.

Critiquing Magallanes Church

Magallanes church is located in one of Metro-Manila’s financial capitals, Makati city. The structure that stands today is designed by Dominic Galicia Architects, and was completed in October 2009.

    The Parish Church of St. Alphonsus was originally conceptualized and built in 1965 and 1968 respectively, designed by Architect Leandro Locsin. The structure was 800 square meters in total, and was a perfect square of 28 meters on each side of the room. It was designed to be intimate and low, with flat roof of 4 meters in height. The dark interiors were meant to signify mortality, suffering, and death.

     Tragically, on the 9^th of September 2002, disaster struck the church, burning almost the entire structure to the ground. Exactly three years later, the groundbreaking ceremony was held on the same site and was held by His Eminence, Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales. Construction of the new church began in 2008.

     Dominic Galicia Architects released the design statement on April 16, 2005. In it, the firm proposed that they keep the remaining concrete structure and buttresses that survived the fire. Furthermore, the ceiling is going to be raised from four meters to 28 meters, a new mezzanine level will increase the number of seats from 300 to 900, and that they also stated that the new structure will symbolize the transformation of tragedy into grace.

     The design was mainly based on two goals: to sustain memory and faith. In order to serve memory, the architects used the remaining’s of the old structure as a ‘springboard’ for the soaring roof. The concept of sustaining the leftover structures is an ‘agent of memory’, reminding us of all the events that occurred as a community, and also the survival of such a tragedy as a community.  Moreover, the ‘soaring roof’ design represents a ‘phoenix rising’, and is used to symbolize an agent of faith. These symbols suggest that there is a more profound message portrayed through the design, as well as making an aesthetically pleasing structure.

   From my point of view, the structure stimulates a lot of different feelings. The largely scaled façade may make people feel overpowered and small. There is also a balance of symmetry, and the entrance emits a welcoming aura, because of the large, recessed doors.

     Once I entered the church, it was a spacious environment, and was left in awe by the scale of the structure. The white surroundings and high ceilings stimulated feelings of serenity and freedom. Clerestory windows built on the rising roof levels allowed an excessive amount of light into the interiors, which is supposedly meant to represent a rising phoenix. It was truly an uplifting experience.

Arki canteen

This is my proposal of an arki canteen concept that expresses the Filipino culture.

Firstly, the building would measure 50 meters in width and 30 meters in length. The façade will be flat, and will adopt a Spanish architectural style, with the inclusion of columns and big entrance. However, the design will fuse with a modern style as well. The literal meaning or paradigm of this principle is that it shows Spanish architecture, and the figurative meaning or syntagm portrays the extent of how influential the Spanish were to Filipino architecture and culture. Thus, how people would react to it or otherwise known as syntactics is that it would remind people of our upbringing to the society we live in today. Secondly, the façade will also consist of a large entrance with many windows, to emit a welcoming aura to people. As a result, people may be more willing to enter the canteen compared to one that has a recessed entrance without any windows.

Although the façade will consist of minimal colors, the interior would be extremely colorful. By making the tables, chairs, floors, and walls covered in bright colors such as red, blue, green, and yellow will give off a positive vibe. The syntagm for this concept is that the colors represent livelihood of the Filipino culture. This will create an energy within the canteen that Filipinos will be able to appreciate.

A feature that will be included in the canteen is the party/event room. This room will be located behind the canteen itself, for the use of special occasions such as parties, gatherings, or business meetings. This highlights the hospitable nature of the Filipino culture.

Next, our culture is also known to be very superstitious. The number seven is supposedly meant to be a lucky number; therefore I have incorporated seven rows of tables in the canteen. However, it may not be obvious to customers but it would remain in their subconscious.

Lastly, the Filipino community is known to be diverse in many ways. Foreign influences have affected the Filipino culture vastly in terms of food, clothing, lifestyle, and music. Thus, the canteen would comprise of different sections selling cuisines from all over the globe.  This indicates the extent of foreign influences towards out culture.