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wtadesignstudio · 11 years ago

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WTA Architecture + Design Studio's Principal Architect William Ti Jr. delivered a lecture on the firm's architecture, ideas, and social responsibility at the College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts, March 13.

Good morning, everyone.

I'd like to thank Ar. Lito Tabuldan and the School of Design and Arts for inviting me over for this lecture. This lecture will be in 3 parts. The first part is about architecture.

I'd like to start this lecture by talking about our office and our ideas about architecture and design and how this relates to the city and urban development. We firmly believe that architects need to play a stronger role in society. That we have an important stake and an even bigger part as mankind continues to urbanize and cities continue to grow and expand. This role needs to be better defined and we architects need to be able to identify with it. We are often described as builders, planners or artists. But I believe we should think of ourselves as thinkers and humanists. This is something I submit to you to ponder and consider as we go through this lecture. Let the economists and great statesmen plan. We shall think, think and consider humanity and what or where we want to live. How we want to live. How we would like our cities to be and where this shall all lead to.

Today I’d also like to share with you our design process and how we practice design in our office. Always remember that your concept will always be the most important part of your work. That architecture is about ideas and not drawings.

The next part of the lecture is about ideas. As architects you will often be asked about your specialization or your style. For us, the answer has always been that we have no particular style or specialty. We have a focus. We focus on socially relevant ideas that help define the way we live, work or play. Ideas that urbanize, densify and catalyze. We find, create or develop these ideas and do our best to help them come into fruition. The following are some ideas that we would like to share with you.

#verticaltown

The first idea I am about to present is the #verticaltown. This idea came about in the development of a high-rise condominium tower in downtown Manila. We first asked ourselves what is a condominium tower. At its most basic, it is a collection of residences housed in a single structural and administrative entity, basically a town. A town is defined by its urban facilities and constituent neighborhoods are defined by associate or nearby schools, gardens or museums as well as geography or history. These features define the community and as cities grow in size and residential towers keep growing higher. They become more and more detached from these features and communities or even people start to become fragmented.

The idea was very simple: on top of the usual amenity level we propose a series of definitive amenities like libraries, gardens or gym. These amenities are then distributed vertically throughout the tower with access given to every floor. This creates a collection of neighborhood stacks where the residents can better define the place where they live in and kids can play around the corner. Externally we opted for a more singular and cohesive architectural statement. The lines are clean and the massing quite simple. The only articulation is its defining profile and the neighborhood stacks and how they engage with and articulate the firewall.

This brings us to one of our more common design problems: how to creatively engage a firewall. We believe there are numerous creative ways on how to go about a firewall; how to maximize a property without sacrificing its desirability or attractiveness in the project. We have chosen to use the air wells as connecting elements to combine and expand the individual neighborhood amenities and create or add value to otherwise undesirable end units.

This is the final perspective of the tower against the surrounding backdrop more singular and simpler and hopefully ending up as more definable than the surrounding collection of shapes and colors.

#coalescence

The next idea we would like to share is coalescence: the attraction between two masses that tend to pull each other together upon contact. This is a study in mixed-use developments. In this case a mix of commercial, transport and hospitality. This is the fourth project we've done of this type and site constraints and the varying economic and traffic conditions in each city have shown us that there is no typical template solution for this building type.

The proposed site in Alabang was the site for the existing open air ground level terminal. The common problem we find in most of these existing terminals is that they are designed with buses and jeeps or other vehicles in mind. And we strongly believe that this wrong. While traffic alleviation might be a major reason for creating these terminals, the main consideration should always be the comfort and convenience of commuters. By taking advantage of the immense foot traffic inherent in terminals and attaching a commercial component to it. We are given the opportunity to provide a modern and comfortable terminal waiting area for the passengers as well as a more efficient ticketing system. An accompanying low cost hotel also acts as a support facility for travelers and passenger alike.

A main feature of the plan is how it creates a duality of zones. A more upscale lifestyle area facing the BPO Centers to the rear and a more dynamic mass consumer zone next to the expressway. These two zones combine in the mall proper allowing for an increased urban interaction between its various populations. These interactions contribute to creative cosmopolitanism and social cohesion, which are hallmarks of any successful city.

The structure is defined by the sweeping shape of the site further magnified by the skyway exit. We decided to make use of this dynamic mass by using a singular skin structure that wraps around the structure captures one's attention. This skin also acts as both a psychological and physical baffle against the traffic noise that echoes along the expressway.

#thirdday

The third idea we would like to show you is about the iconic metropolitan theater. I have always considered this building to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the city and to see it in disuse and disrepair is heartbreaking.

Our office decided to do a project study of the Met and its surroundings. We went to the site and tried to see what can be done to revive the Met and revitalize the neighborhood. The first thing we saw was how the Met is part of an iconic stretch of structures that connects the Intramuros from the post office building (A perfect site for a hotel) to the Metropolitan Theater, The Mehan Gardens (which barely exist) to the iconic Manila City Hall, the National Museum and finally to Rizal Park and the Quirino Grandstand or Manila Ocean Park. We feel that this stretch can offer an interesting third day for tourists after they've toured Intramuros, the Roxas Blvd. and Mall of Asia Grounds.

The key to revitalizing this area is the Met. As it is the structure that sits empty and allows for immediate intervention. This is a site map of the Met and its surroundings. Note this street between the Met and the Park n' Ride building. And how it is closed to public use. Here is the Mehan Gardens. The City College and the City Library of Manila. The Liwasang Bonifacio serves as an ideal open ground connecting it to Manila City Hall while the rear street along with the LRT is bounded by numerous government buildings and starts with the Arroceros Forest Park and ends with SM City Manila. Polar opposites of the urban map. I always like to show this map to illustrate how rich the potential for this site is.

Our proposal was quite simple. Restore the Metropolitan Theater and sponsor or house a national theater group. Make use of the site’s rear facade facing the Park n' Ride building by converting them into cafes and other lifestyle boutiques or shops. Make use of the dead road as a pedestrian promenade. Relocate the Park n' Ride which is losing money anyways. Convert it into a retail center and parking building with a performing arts museum. Open it up to Mehan Gardens and allow people to walk through it. Connect the sides facing Arroceros Forest Park and open up the park walls and let people better appreciate it.

We believe this plan is doable. It is immediately applicable and most important of all, economically viable. All we would need is the city government's cooperation, considerations and enough political will. This plan not only revives the Met. but ensures its existence in the future as a lynchpin of what we would call the Cultural District.

This is an aerial view of the Cultural District. The Met is restored, the gardens revived and for a lack of a better term the Park n' Ride building beautified.

#Urbanity

The next idea we would like to show is called #Urban. This refers to our ideas on densification and the ideal urban lifestyle.

The project is located in Little Baguio. The area between P. Guevarra and Shaw Blvd. in Mandaluyong has seen the rise of many townhouse developments in the last few years. While I agree that we may all prefer to live in gated villages with firm security and large gardens, the city should not. Townhouse developments are the offshoots of villages. They sprout up around villages and cater to young newlyweds who seek a place of their own near the place they grew up in.

We would like to present a viable and what we believe is a more attractive alternative to a townhouse in the form of a condominium building. While most lot owners have a preference, to “own” a townhouse because of the lot it comes with. This is quite a misconception since buyers have no rights to redevelop this property anyway. So basically you only own the structure just as you would in a condominium.

The project we are presenting is called Twelve Luxury Flats. It features one single unit per floor and 360 views of the city. In comparison to a typical townhouse, it has a better location, more privacy, better security, better amenities and better views. It has all that a townhouse offers, and more.

So what does this mean for the city? It means we can house 12 families on a 500-600 sqm lot instead of 2000-2500 sqm and provide them with better living conditions. It means less fenced off areas that are detached from their neighbors. It means a higher density for certain core areas that can be easier served with infrastructure and transport.

So this is the typical plan for this project - a single unit for each floor, generous spaces for every room, natural lighting and ventilation from all sides. As you can see, it is quite private.

Here is an exterior shot. The balconies, if you notice are each shaped differently and together they shall form an undulating pattern throughout the building.

#Skyscraper

The last idea we would like to show you is one of the newest projects we are working on. It is the first true skyscraper our office is designing. It will be a 60-storey residence and 275M high. It will be the eighth tallest structure in the country.

This project, unlike the vertical town is located in an area immensely rich in character. Located along Ongpin in what is probably one of the best remaining locations there. The challenge is how to accommodate the growing density and still create spaces that allow its residents enough room and privacy.

The site is an L-shaped lot at the entry point to Ongpin. While at first, this eccentricity suggested an inefficient floor plate, we quickly realized that the opening in front means that we will have a ready podium-like open space which we would have needed to create anyway if we’d had that property to use.

At this level, it meant that the building would be incredibly dense whatever we do. But at just 7 units per floor and a total of 315 units, it means that it’s just as dense as a typical 300 unit 30+ storey condominium building, only with a better location and better views.

P4 Floor Plan

The small site and the increased height also mean much more care has to be taken in designing the structural frames for this tower. The structure shall be supported by opposing shear walls with outriggers, again, an interesting use of fire walls. It shall be wind tunnel tested and a separate consultant shall be engaged to design the foundations.

We wanted to show you this idea to illustrate how much a project can change during the design process. This is the project as it is today. For those of you who will remember this 4/5 years from now, you will then be able to see how it evolves as it goes to final construction drawings. The exterior treatment undulates and acts like a curving spine providing a sense of rested stability. This dramatic spine continuous to the top of the building and tops it off with its latticed spire.

The last part of the lecture and I do hope it doesn’t come across as a lecture but as an invitation about social responsibility. If we are able to identify and determine our role in society, then surely, there will always be something we can do for and contribute to society. Our studio is engaged in a number of non-traditional architectural endeavors.

First, we have our workshop series, which we do twice a year. We are currently preparing for our 4th workshop which shall be entitled vertical living and shall commence this April 21st.

These 10-day workshops are a vehicle for collaboration and sharing. They are a testing ground for new ideas and open to students and architects as well as other professionals. So far we have tackled San Juan, Sta. Cruz, and last October underserved public spaces.

In coordination with the next workshop this year, we are starting a summer internship program for promising young students. We hope through this we can contribute in the training of future architects.

We also publish a quarterly magazine called shelter. It is a magazine that focuses on deeper architecture and design and stays away from simplistic formats that cater to the least common denominator. We see this as a vehicle to promote more intellectual discussions on architecture and urbanism and we hope to welcome everyone as possible contributors and partners.

We will soon be also launching an online design service called designlit with the idea of making design more design more accessible and more convenient for the greater population. This site will hopefully serve as a gateway for the regular guy into engaging higher design services.

Finally, we are founding partners in the Make Manila Project.

I would like to end this lecture with this collection of ideas from Worldbex that I would like to share with you. Hopefully, you can also share with us your ideas and we have enough time for a dialogue and question and answer.

Thank you.

#CSB-SDA #Architecture #WTAdesignstudio #CollegeofSaintBenilde #SchoolofDesignandArts #CSB-SDALecture #ArchitectureFirm

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