The Philippine national pavilion design competition brought by AVID competition, one of the large design competition in the Philippines. Me and my friend decided to join the competition to exhibit our design skills, so for months we discuss about the concept that will fit in the Philippine national pavilion.
We brainstorm once a week to talk about the
concepts that we think the best would fit in problem of the project. Then we
settle with 3 concepts to use in the project.
The Design of Identity and Honor
The Filipino identity is the result of the
mixture of the culture and traditions from our Malayan ancestors to the Western
influences over the years. These traditions and influences shaped who we are
today. We are optimistic yet resilient; and hopeful yet headstrong. How the
Filipino did come to be this way? The answer to this question lies not within
the history books or coffee table books that give a detailed account of our
history.
This leads to our question. How can we show
the uniqueness of the Filipino through Architecture?
The concept of this
pavilion comes from 3 inspirations: the elegance of the Barong Tagalog, the
upward steps of the Banaue Rice Terraces, & the sturdiness of the Ifugao
House and. All are a mixture of different entities but still very
Filipino.
Experimentation
The Banaue Rice
Terraces serves as a prime inspiration concept for the whole site. The simple
layering of the carving of the mountains to make spaces for their foraging of
food in these mountains, simply shows the hard work out ancestor have put in to
their backs thousands of years ago.
The spaces are derived from the traditional
Benguet House, which is lifted off the ground by pilotis. The concept of
the house is to split it into two separate zones: the private upstairs and the
public downstairs; in which almost all daily activities from doing chores to
receiving guests are done downstairs, whereas private activities are done
upstairs. Putting it into our design, the structure also has two separate
zones: the private upstairs and the public downstairs.
The structure should provide a space for
exhibition and entertainment areas. Hence, merging our concept to the structure
will give the pavilion two separate zones: an entertainment area in the public
downstairs and an exhibition area/gallery in the private upstairs. Visitors
would be awed by the visual scale of the pavilion and will be drawn to the
natural “sunken” amphitheater of the entertainment area, which also serves as
an open gallery when not in use.
The façade is an elegant pattern derived
from the Barong Tagalog, which is a traditional formal wear for men in the
Philippines symbolizing simplicity, elegance and nationalism. The patterns can
be used extensively from a variation of natural flora and fauna to simple
geometric shapes.
Realization
We believe that architecture is a language
of beauty and the expression of the soul. Through the design and construction
of structures that give the community a sense of identity and self-esteem.
Thus, it is the objective of our design to not only provide a place for various
activities, but also should reflect and symbolize the Filipino culture and
traditions. The analogy of the pavilion is clear: different forms of
inspiration can be translated into one unique design that reflects who we are.
