Republic of the Philippines

CENTRAL LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY

Science City of Muñoz, 3120 Nueva Ecija

JENALYN B. PAGAY, PhD

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND HUMANITIES
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Instructional Module for the Course

ARTS 1100: ART APPRECIATION
Module 7
Topic 7: ARCHITECTURE

Overview

Architecture is everywhere. Each and every building: home, school, office, hospital and supermarket
were designed for their particular purpose. It is of vital importance that these buildings, and in turn the
environments they form and the neighborhoods and cities. They are a part of, are designed to be the best
possible buildings for their specific context, use and the people who use them.

Architecture is the art and science of designing buildings and other physical structures. Architectural
design is primarily driven by the holistically creative manipulation of mass, space, volume, texture, light,
shadow, materials, program, and realistic elements such as cost, construction and technology, in order to
achieve an end which is aesthetic, functional, and often artistic. This distinguishes architecture from
engineering design, which is usually driven primarily by the creative application of mathematical and scientific
principles.

Module 7 describes architecture as an art form, its types, some architectural materials, as well as the
technical, structural, functional, and spatial requirements of architecture, the modern trends in architecture,
famous Filipino architects for developing appreciation for and enhance individual traits/values associated with
the engagement with architecture.

Happy reading!
I. Objectives

1. Discuss architecture as a science and as an art form.

2. Identify the purposes of architecture and recognize the types of architectural construction.

3. Name the different materials commonly used in architecture.

4. Identify the technical, structural, functional, and spatial requirements in architecture.

5. Describe the modern trends in architecture.

6. Demonstrate architectural elements through examples and drawings.

7. Identify the famous Filipino architects and distinguish their own architectural styles.

8. Name examples of major works created by famous Filipino architects.

II. Discussion

Definition of Architecture

Architecture is an aesthetic expression involving the art and science of constructing buildings. It is an
art that aims to satisfy the requirements of aesthetics of a building without disregarding the need for a sound
structure with complete utilities. Inherent in this art is the style and method of design and construction that
reflect the cultural, religious, and functional demands that arise from nature. Since the needs of different
periods in history varied, different architectural styles evolved.

The word “architecture” comes from the Latin word architectur and the Greek word architectu
meaning master builder from the combination of archi, which means chief or leader, and tekton, which means
a builder or carpenter (Yagyagan et al., 2010, in Pagay 2013).

Similar to sculpture, architecture is an avenue for artistic expression in three dimensions. More than
any other art form, architecture is experienced from within as well as from without. If sculptures have fronts,
back, sides, tops, and bottoms, buildings have facades, foundations, roofs, and a variety of interior spaces
which are carefully planned.

Types of Architecture

Alan Gowans (in Pagay et al., 2003, Pagay, 2013) categorizes architecture into several types, which
have always stood for and served social institutions universally:

1. Monuments and tombs commemorate the past of a society such as the Iwojima Monument at Arlington
National Cemetery or the Grant’s Tomb in New York.

2. Shrines and sanctuaries are place of ceremonies and rituals, binding a community together such as the
National Cathedral in Washington, DC, or your hometown church or synagogue.

3. Walls and forts serve as protection against attacks. Examples are the Great Wall of China or the Tower of
London, a military barrack, or an armory.

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 Figure 84. Fort Santiago, Philippines

4. Shelters provide basic protection against the elements (e.g., sun, rain, wind); a barn for animals, bus
shelter, or grain silo.

5. Homesteads provide an ideal space to raise a family; your family’s house. An essential element of
homestead is the hearth.

6. Palaces are the living and working space for rulers such as the Buckingham Palace, Versailles, or the
United States Capitol; a place where government meets the people.

7. Public works serve as foundations of civilized life, such as windmills, roads, bridges, water works, the
railroads and subways, airport terminals, etc.

8. Mansions are large homesteads, to include servants. Wealthy individuals to proclaim superior social
status, such as the Vanderbilt home in New York City or a large Southern plantation, build these. Included
in the mansion category are the first class apartments, condominiums, and hotels.

Figure 85. Example of a mansion

9. Shops and Offices facilitate for distributing goods or services, such as a village’s general store to the Mall
of America outside Minneapolis, or the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, or your favorite diner.

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10. Amenities are the places for community welfare and recreation, such as hospitals, orphanages, libraries,
museums, institutional housing like nursing homes, fairgrounds, or a union hall.

Architectural Materials

1. Stone – this material is favored for the public buildings of the Egyptians and the Greeks, for it is massive
and virtually indestructible. For example, the Egyptian temple of Amen-Re Karnak and the Parthenon of
Greece were elegantly fashioned from stone. Today, however, stone is rarely used as a structural material
because it is expensive to quarry and transport. It is also too massive to handle readily at the site.

The simplest and cheapest stonework is rubble; i.e., roughly broken stones of any shape bounded in
mortar. The strongest and most suitable stonework for monumental architecture is ashlar masonry, which
consists of regularly cut blocks (usually rectangular). Because of its weight and the precision with which it
can be shaped, stone masonry (in contrast with brick) does not depend on strong bonding for stability where
it supports only direct downward loads (Pagay, 2013).

2. Wood – Wood is easier to acquire, transport, and work than other natural materials. All parts of a building
can be efficiently constructed of wood except foundations; its disadvantage is susceptibility to fire, mold, and
termites. The strength of wood in both tension and compression arises from its organic nature, which gives it
an internal structure of longitudinal and radial fibers that is not impaired by cutting or long exposure. But like
all organisms it contains moisture and is not uniformly strong, so it must be carefully selected and seasoned
to prevent warping, splitting, and failure under loads. Wood is used in building both solid and skeletal
structures.

Figure 86. Example of a house made of wood

3. Brick – Brick, which has been used since the 4th millennium BC, was the chief building material in the
ancient Near East. The versatility of the medium was expanded in ancient Rome by improvements in the
manufacture of both bricks and mortar and by new techniques of laying and bonding. Employed throughout
the Middle Ages, brick gained greater popularity from the 16th century on, particularly in northern Europe.
It is widely used in the 20th century, often for nonbearing walls in steel frame construction. Brick compares
favorably with stone as a structural material for its fire- and weather-resisting qualities and for the ease of
production, transportation, and laying.

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 Figure 87. Example of a house made of brick

4. Cast Iron – this is a building material that was introduced in the nineteenth century industrialization. Cast
iron, the first metal that could be substituted for traditional structural materials, was used in bridge building
as early as 1779. Its ability to bear loads and to be produced in an endless variety of forms, in addition to its
resistance to fire and corrosion, quickly encouraged architectural adaptations, first as columns and arches and
afterward in skeletal structures. Because cast iron has much more compressive than tensile strength (for
example, it works better as a small column than as a beam), it was largely replaced in the late 19th century by
steel, which is more uniformly strong, elastic, and workable, and its high resistance in all stresses can be
closely calculated.

5. Steel – this is a strong metal of iron alloys with small amounts of carbon and a variety of other metals. Steel
is harder than iron and more rust and fire resistant. Moreover, steel is more uniformly strong, elastic, and
workable, and its high resistance in all stresses can be closely calculated. Aluminum and other light metal
alloys have come to be favored for exterior construction because of their weather resistance.

6. Concrete – Concrete is a manufactured mixture of cement and water, with aggregates of sand and stones,
which hardens rapidly by chemical combination to a stone-like, water- and fire-resisting solid of great
compressive (but low tensile) strength. Because it can be poured into forms while liquid to produce a great
variety of structural elements, it provides an economical substitute for traditional materials, and it has the
advantages of continuity (absence of joints) and of fusing with other materials.

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 Figure 88. Example of a house made of concrete

Concrete was employed in ancient Egypt and was highly developed by the ancient Romans, whose
concrete made with volcanic-ash cement (pozzolana) permitted a great expansion of architectural methods,
particularly the development of domes and vaults (often reinforced by brick ribbing) to cover large areas, of
foundations, and of structures such as bridges and sewerage systems where waterproofing was essential.

Technical Requirements of Architecture

It has been generally assumed that a complete theory of architecture is always concerned essentially
in some way or another with these three interrelated terms, which, in Vitruvius' Latin text, are given as firmitas,
utilitas, and venustas (i.e., structural stability, appropriate spatial accommodation, and attractive appearance).
Hence, architects must take into account four basic and close interrelated necessities: technical or structural
requirements, function, special relationships, and content.

Structural Requirements of Architecture

The structural requirements of a building are the most apparent necessities of architects. Their building
must stand (and withstand). Thus, they must know the materials and their potentialities; they must know how
to put the materials together; and they must know how the materials will work on a particular site. Stilt
construction, for instance, will not withstand earthquakes, and so architects are also engineers. But they are
something more as well – artists.

Functional Requirements of Architecture

Architects must make their buildings not only stand but stand them in such a way that they reveal their
function or use. The function or use of a building is an essential part of the subject matter of that building,
what the architect interprets or gives insight into by means of his form. Architectural theorists say that the
fulfillment of function was the sole essence of architectural beauty.

Spatial Requirements of Architecture

The space occupied by a building is another aspect that architects take into consideration. Architects
make space “space.” They bring out the power and embrace the interrelationships of things. The function of

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the building is generally the key to determine how much space is needed by an architect. For example,
churches and large office buildings, especially in crowded sites, lend themselves to sky orientation. Homes in
rural areas lend themselves to earth orientation. The use of space in a city has become more critical in our time
and so architects pay special attention to city planning.

*adopted from Pagay, J. B. (2013). Art Appreciation. Bulacan: St. Andrew Publishing House, Inc.

Modern Trends in Architecture

In this modern time, the focus of architectural design is on weightlessness and transparency. Hence,
concrete and metal have been substituted for stone and brick. The new buildings reflect the activity of modern
living, and there are a variety of materials used in the architectural design. For instance, the new architecture
has allowed the use of plastic material. There is laso a considerable loosening up of architecture by the
disappearance of the partition wall. Light and air make their appearance in the new plans to help the integration
of the numerous activities in a building and to reflect the flexibility of family life.

The modern trends in architecture has evolved a few distinguishing features (Centenera, 2003):

1.The new architecture is a combination of space and matter. Its basic tendency is to give shape and definition
to space – space encloses and is enclosed by the matter.

2. It is no longer focused on delimited bodies, but on the curve of the parabola.

3. Although proportion is still a valid concept, the human body no longer determines it. It
develops instead out of variable relations; hence, a surprise element in many
contemporary buildings.

4. The new building materials such as steel, concrete, and glass lead to new forms of
experiment. Because of them, the new architecture has partially overcome the laws of
gravity. There are many architectural shapes that hang or float, ignoring the ground.

5. Because of glass and other glasslike materials, exteriors and interiors interpenetrate, and buildings have
become open and transparent.

6. Because of all these, there is one limitation in the new style – the lack of spiritual expression of power.
While it is true that modern architecture has created a new aesthetic effect, the perfect realization through form
of luxurious case, it has not provided so far for the spiritual aspects of man’s nature. For this, the old styles
are still embodiments.

Famous Filipino Architects

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) recognizes the following as National
Artists of the Philippines in Architecture for their best and exceptional works:

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Juan F. Nakpil

Nakpil is a pioneer and innovator in Philippine architecture. He was declared

National Artist for Architecture in 1973. In essence, Nakpil's greatest contribution is
his belief that there is such a thing as Philippine Architecture, espousing architecture
reflective of Philippine traditions and culture. He has integrated strength, function, and
beauty in the buildings that are the country's heritage today. Nakpil’s major works
include the 1937 International Eucharistic Congress altar and rebuilt and enlarged the
Quiapo Church in 1930 adding a dome and a second belfry to the original design, the
Geronimo de los Reyes Building, Magsaysay Building, Rizal Theater, Capitol Theater,
Captain Pepe Building, Manila Jockey Club, Rufino Building, Philippine Village
Hotel, University of the Philippines Administration and University Library, the
reconstructed Rizal house in Calamba, Laguna.

Pablo S. Antonio

He is a pioneer of modern architecture in the Philippines. He was declared

National Artist for Architecture in 1990. His basic design is grounded on simplicity,
no clutter. The lines are clean and smooth, and where there are curves, these are
made integral to the structure. Pablo Jr. expresses, "For our father, every line must
have a meaning, a purpose. For him, function comes first before elegance or form."
The other thing that characterizes an Antonio structure is the maximum use of
natural light and cross ventilation. Antonio believes that buildings "should be
planned with austerity in mind and its stability forever as the aim of true
architecture, that buildings must be progressive, simple in design but dignified, true
to a purpose without resorting to an applied set of aesthetics and should eternally
recreate truth."

Antonio's major works include the following: Far Eastern University Administration and Science
buildings; Manila Polo Club; Ideal Theater; Lyric Theater; Galaxy Theater; Capitan Luis Gonzaga Building;
Boulevard- Alhambra (now Bel-Air) apartments; Ramon Roces Publications Building (now Guzman Institute
of Electronics).

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Leandro V. Locsin

He has reshaped the urban landscape with a distinctive architecture

reflective of Philippine art and culture. He was declared National Artist for
Architecture in 1990. He believes that the true Philippine Architecture is "the
product of two great streams of culture, the oriental and the occidental... to
produce a new object of profound harmony." It is this synthesis that underlies
all his works, with his achievements in concrete reflecting his mastery of space
and scale. Locsin's largest single work is the Istana Nurul Iman, the palace of
the Sultan of Brunei, which has a floor area of 2.2 million square feet. The CCP
Complex itself is a virtual Locsin Complex with all five buildings designed by
him -- the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Folk Arts Theater, Philippine
International Convention Center, Philcite, and The Westin Hotel.

Ildefonso P. Santos, Jr.

He is a pioneer of the practice of landscape architecture in the Philippines

and then producing four decades of exemplary and engaging work that has
included hundreds of parks, plazas, gardens, and a wide range of outdoor settings
that have enhanced contemporary Filipino life. Santos, Jr.'s contribution to

modern Filipino landscape architecture was the seminal public landscape in

Paco Park, the Tagaytay Highland Resort, the Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country
Club in Lipa, Batangas, and the Orchard Golf and Country Club in Imus,
Cavite. He was declared National Artist for Architecture in 2006.

*adopted with modifications from Pagay, J. B. (2013). Art Appreciation. Bulacan: St. Andrew Publishing House, Inc.

III. Assessment

Classify the following types of architecture in accordance to Gowan’s list given below. Write the letter
of the correct answer in the space provided before each number.

a. monuments and tombs f. palaces

b. shrines and sanctuaries g. public works
c. walls and forts h. mansions
d. shelters i. shops and offices
e. homesteads j. amenities

____1. Your school ____11. Fort Bonifacio

____2. Your home ____12. Libingan ng mga Bayani
____3. Your corner drug store ____13. Home for the Aged
____4. SM Mall of Asia ____14. National Museum
____5. Rizal Park ____15. Baliwag Terminal
____6. The Manila Hotel ____16. Star City
____7. Your church or synagogue ____17. Makati Golf and Country Club
____8. Berlin Wall ____18. Chinese temple
____9. London Bridge ____19. skyways
____10. LRT Station ____20. Manila Metropolitan Theater

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IV. References

Ariola, M. M. (2008). Introduction to art appreciation. Metro Manila: C & E Publishing, Inc.

Berger, R. & Lloyd, E. (Eds). (1986). Art and technology. New York: Paragon House Publishers

Pagay, J. B. & Gutierrez, M. (2018). Fundamentals of art appreciation. Philippines: Saint Andrew Publishing
House.

Pagay, J. B. (2013). Art appreciation: Introduction to humanities. Philippines: Saint Andrew Publishing House.

Lamucho, V. S., Pagay J. B., Cabalu, D. H., Pascual, J. C., & Noroña, L. F. (2003). A humane experience:
Introduction to humanities. Valenzuela City: Mutya Publishing House.

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