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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

PHOTOGRAPHS taken decades ago, together with history books and a few hardbound glossies, have documented the development of architecture not just here but from all over the world.

From its classical roots in Ancient Greece and Rome to the avant-garde and contemporary approaches of architects with some buildings today, the evolution has somehow posed a partial contradiction to Johann Van Goethe’s reference to architecture as “frozen music”. Architecture has been constantly evolving which leaves people, especially architects in the midst of a brand new year, wondering what would be the next “in-thing” in architectural design.

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Cebuano modernist architect Alexius Medalla believes that modern architecture is the “spirit of an age.” “What we perceive as trends these days are actually progressions of ‘modernism’ with its inert qualities intact in its progression. Vernacular forms of architecture determined by factors like culture and climate are norms and the synthesis of these forms to modern language are contemporary and natural,” says Medalla.

However he finds the “improper applications” of these forms today frustrating, setting things “in disarray” such as employing Mediterranean architecture in a tropical setting which he says is tantamount to “a person wearing a fur coat on a hot summer day.”

Medalla believes that outside the Philippines, especially in the West, “parametric” architecture, with all its complex texture, will be more dynamic and accessible to medium and small architectural firms through advancements in computer technology.

“However, this will all be very dependent on economics. These so called parametric-assisted forms will always be a staple for the more iconic buildings like museums, convention facilities, stadiums, civic centers, airports, and the like. Affluent governments and societies that continue to pour in money on projects will tend to effectively promote the identity of their country (through architecture),” he explains.

There, with the timeless factors (e.g. progressive architectural volumes, dynamic balance, spatial innovation, etc.) already “ingrained into the creative psyche of the architect” and the buildings’ end users, modern architecture will continue to progress.

However in the local front, he said, “modernism will continue at a snail’s pace” no thanks to “regional eclecticism” and “pseudo modernism” brought about by narrow understanding of architecture. “True modern architecture is not simply inspiration from magazines that is for the owner and end users. It is a mindset of historical understanding, research and conviction. Apart from these, architecture will be ‘pastiche’,” he says. For starters, government leaders could tap on the services of an architect for their projects through design competitions, which would surely bring out the best among the local architects.

Just like Medalla, Cebuano architects are still optimistic that their profession will get a more humanized image on the general public. Buildings that grow around us project the progress that society has undergone as well as the values of the people living in our towns and cities. Being the professionals who are custom-fit to take up the challenge of planning and designing these structures, architects believe that if the public truly trust in their capabilities (and not resort to tapping the services of the wrong people), our cities could not just easily keep pace with the contemporary trends in architectural design but also sustain itself from the evolving challenges that would come its way.