The Heritage Conservation Society

By Paulo Alcazaren
The Philippine STAR 09/10/2005                   

As
our political situation gets more and more baffling, my preoccupation
with sun baffles and building louvers is increasing, too. At the least
it has diverted my attention to architectural design rather than to the
more devious designs of those who aim to squeeze us dry of taxes,
patience and sanity.

From last week’s article, I left out a number of outstanding
examples of sun-baffled facades in post-war buildings. Many of these
still stand – some layered with the grime of pollution and
deteriorating from neglect – while others are continually scrubbed and
useful. Here are more baffled buildings to add to the many mentioned
last week:

1. The Gonzaga Building by National Artist for
Architecture Pablo Antonio Sr. is one of the most striking examples of
a building with a baffled facade. Built in 1952, the structure was a
symbol of recovery from the ravages of the Second World War. It rose at
the start of Avenida Rizal, where it still stands today albeit under
the shadow of the ‘70s-era LRT1, which makes the concrete baffles on
one side of the building redundant. The Gonzaga building still houses
shops and offices as efficiently as it did over half a century ago and
is getting a new lease on life with the resurrection of Avenida Rizal.

2. The Carmen Apartments on Roxas Boulevard were built
by the prolific and colorful Carlos Arguelles (who trained under
General George Patton as a young officer). This sexily curved building
boasts wide terraces with deep cantilevers that protect the units from
the midday sun while providing a great venue to enjoy Manila’s fabled
sunset.

3. The US Embassy. The original main building was a
nondescript federal-style civic building, which was augmented in the
early Sixties by an interesting international-style block. The
structure, designed by American A L Aydelott & Associates, is a low
one surrounded by an adobe wall meant by the architect to mirror the
slanted fortified walls of Intramuros. The main mass is shielded from
the sun by a latticework of pre-cast concrete (molds by Starpel steel).
It is a wraparound pierced screen made popular by another American
architect – Edward Durell Stone. The building still stands; its
fortifications hardened to protect it from terrorists.

4. The Amon building on Buendia Avenue (now Sen. Gil
Puyat Avenue) in Makati was a horizontal poem clad in aluminum louvers.
Designed by Alfredo Luz (of Ramon Magsaysay fame), the structure housed
Amon, the foremost name in building materials (whose tagline "Before
you even think of buying the first nail …come to Amon" still rings in
my head).

5. The Manila Hilton. Designed by Carlos Arguelles (in
association with Welton Becket of Jai Alai fame), its large podium was
clad with panels of native wood louvers (now replaced with aluminum
cladding).

6. La Fuerza Building in Cebu. Baffled buildings were
not limited to Manila. The La Fuerza building in Cebu was clad in
Eternit sun baffles and showed that Cebu was as progressive as the
capital.

7. National Bookstore on Avenida Rizal. This was my
favorite destination for art and architecture books in the Seventies
and boasted a well-designed baffled front façade.

8. The Ortigas Building on Ortigas Avenue. Another
elegant building from the Seventies had cantilevered shades with a band
of smoked glass panels to mitigate the sun. The building is an example
of a well-maintained structure that looks as good today as it did when
it was first built.

9. The Meralco Building on Ortigas Avenue. This is the
high-rise masterpiece of Jose Zaragoza and its curved front façade was
framed with vertical louvers that at night made the building look like
a huge lantern–very appropriate for Meralco.

10. The Picache Building fronting Plaza Miranda. This was the first skyscraper of Manila and was designed by Angel Nakpil.

11. The Shell Building 1956 by Gabino de Leon. This
building set the tone for "modern" buildings in the ‘50s. It was
louvered and air-conditioned as well as set in a lush landscape.

12. Baffled Houses. Houses in the 1950s were baffled,
too, with terraces and patios benefiting from sunscreen and horizontal
baffles of concrete or wood.

Like I mentioned last week, we should look again at ways of
minimizing the effects of the hot sun in our structures. This we can do
with good tropical design and the lessons learned from decades past.

Our political mess can be solved too by learning from our past
experiences with the people we elect to power. Our democracy is flawed
and so are the leaders we chose to represent us. We cannot build a
robust country or a sustainable economy without making sure that the
architects of our democracy do not take shortcuts, rig the bidding
process or sacrifice the comfort and safety of the future occupants for
the creation of false facades of progress. When will we learn?

If
you want to learn how to fund your latest research project or
impeachment rally, here’s a workshop you may be interested in: How To
Write A Grant Proposal is a writing workshop by John L. Silva and
sponsored by Hands On Manila (HOM). Many non-profit organizations raise
money through fundraising and grants. The most basic requirement is
writing a grant proposal. Hands On Manila (HOM) is a non-profit
organization which recruits volunteers to help various charitable
organizations. John is offering a one-day intensive workshop on How To
Write A Grant Proposal. He will go through a step-by-step procedure in
reviewing what is entailed in a proposal, how to ensure funding
guidelines are followed, what pertinent documents are needed, and what
research one has to do to make sure a proposal is a fit with that of
the funding agency. John will teach you to identify the very best of
your work, its successes, its challenges, and help you write it to make
a persuasive and winning grant proposal. In addition, he will teach you
how to conduct yourself with the media and the press when articulating
your grant proposal needs. The whole-day seminar will be held Friday,
Sept. 30, at the National Museum. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the
workshop starts at 9:30 a.m. Lunch will be served. The fee is P3,500
for HOM members and P4,000 for non-HOM members. The fee includes
hand-outs, a CD, snacks and lunch, and a tour of the National Museum.
Seats are limited so please call 843-5231/843-7044 or e-mail
homla@info.com.ph to reserve your seat.

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

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