Is Philippine modernity synonymous with internationalism?
Philippine architecture of the 20th century is a cornucopia of Philippine interpretation of art deco, art nouveau, Bauhaus and the international style of Oscar Niemeyer, Kenzo Tange, and others. What structures in the country have been constantly inspiring to you as a designer? We have such a limited inventory of architectural patrimony in the country because of our structure un-friendly wet weather, the negative attitude toward “old” things and the vicious World War II. It is not to difficult to cherish all our remaining built-environment heritage; from pre-spanish colonial period to the present. It was a thrill to see in the exhibit a period when the visual lines in the cities weren’t such a mess of blind angles. Given your massive experience as an educator, a designer and a businessperson, would you say that decongesting the Greater Manila Area and implementing zoning laws are realistic goals? Or should the imperatives change? We have always implemented our zoning laws. What creates
