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    Philam Life Building Architectural Value

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    Vann Rhyme
    The Philam Life Building in Manila was designed by Filipino architect Carlos Arguelles and completed in 1961. It was one of the first buildings constructed in an international architectural style in the country, with a unique design featuring concrete wrapped in aluminum sun shades. The medium-rise building provided 20,000 square meters of naturally lit office space. In 2012, the building was sold by its owner and there are now concerns about preserving its architectural heritage as the new owner considers demolishing it, which preservation groups strongly oppose due to its cultural and historical value.

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    Philam Life Building Architectural Value

    Uploaded by

    Vann Rhyme
    241 views3 pages
    The Philam Life Building in Manila was designed by Filipino architect Carlos Arguelles and completed in 1961. It was one of the first buildings constructed in an international architectural style in the country, with a unique design featuring concrete wrapped in aluminum sun shades. The medium-rise building provided 20,000 square meters of naturally lit office space. In 2012, the building was sold by its owner and there are now concerns about preserving its architectural heritage as the new owner considers demolishing it, which preservation groups strongly oppose due to its cultural and historical value.

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    PHILAMLIFE.VALUES

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    The Philam Life Building in Manila was designed by Filipino architect Carlos Arguelles and completed in 1961. It was one of the first buildings constructed in an international architectural style in the country, with a unique design featuring concrete wrapped in aluminum sun shades. The medium-rise building provided 20,000 square meters of naturally lit office space. In 2012, the building was sold by its owner and there are now concerns about preserving its architectural heritage as the new owner considers demolishing it, which preservation groups strongly oppose due to its cultural and historical value.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    241 views3 pages

    Philam Life Building Architectural Value

    Uploaded by

    Vann Rhyme
    The Philam Life Building in Manila was designed by Filipino architect Carlos Arguelles and completed in 1961. It was one of the first buildings constructed in an international architectural style in the country, with a unique design featuring concrete wrapped in aluminum sun shades. The medium-rise building provided 20,000 square meters of naturally lit office space. In 2012, the building was sold by its owner and there are now concerns about preserving its architectural heritage as the new owner considers demolishing it, which preservation groups strongly oppose due to its cultural and historical value.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    PHILAM LIFE BUILDING

    ARCHITECTURAL VALUE

    The company's old office was The Philamlife Building in Manila, the building
    was designed and completed its built in 1961. Along Ermita's busy thoroughfare
    that we recognize now as United Nations Avenue, after which designated
    as Isaac Peral St. Its unique architecture was indeed the work of Filipino architect
    Carlos Arguelles, whom will later on collaborate with American architect Welton
    Becket to construct the Manila Hilton, situated which is across the house of
    Philamlife. The building was designed in compliance with the international
    Architecture Trend, a style that originated after World War II that thus to speak,
    stressed the organic grandeur of the building. Rather than depending on
    ornamental facades and was one of the first buildings constructed in an
    international architectural style in the country. But, due to its unusual architectural
    design, it stands out on its own as its concrete surface is wrapped around
    aluminum cover layers called sun bristles or "brise soleil".

    The medium-rise block was a rectangular building with an unified center


    that provided certain 20,000 square meters of floor space to be naturally
    illuminated by the use of pipes and millions of wraparound ribbon window glazing
    and aluminum sunshades. Carved concrete provided canopies for the entrance
    and a roof for the auditorium of the site. Arguelles have used Filipino artists like
    Galo Ocampo and Manansala's artwork to emphasize the tidy, spacious and
    brightly lit interiors.

    The aluminum banding imbued the structure with its exceptional presence.
    This longitudinal concept opposed the density and height of the building ,
    allowing it to have been contrasted with the background of the low-rise district of
    Manila. The structure was renowned by its auditorium which has a highly desirable
    acoustic profile for classical music. The Philam Life Theater, noted for its excellent
    acoustics, is a 780-seat theater whose acoustics were developed by Bolt, Beranek
    and Newman. In terms of architecture, it was considered a blueprint of sorts for
    the majority of the other buildings at Philam Life.

    Hence the architectural value of the Philam Life Headquarters, clearly


    showcase the right to call the structure a heritage itself. From its first one of a kind
    of style, of architectural design here in the Philippines, then to the technicalities
    that the building construction had. It deserve to be known as one of the heritage
    building that Filipinos must be proud of.

    PUBLIC VALUE

    Since last 2012, when the SMDC bought the entire structure from its former
    owner. Many of us, especially all the organizations that tackle and fight for the
    importance of preserving and conserving all cultural, heritage sites, landmark,
    and structure that the Philippines have. Uncertainties cloud up in the air, about
    the future of one of the prestigious work of art design by the Filipino architect
    Carlos Arguelles. And as I wrote these, the ribbon glass of the building has been
    detached from where it should be and the threat of it demolishing is right on our
    eyes.

    These showcase the threat that the building has, and it also shows the
    public disagreeing on the news. From 's Heritage Restoration Society petition, says
    party chairman Atty. Label Evidente, Obvious. "But I think something was obviously
    missing in this process from my point of view and from the thousands who shared
    their views through social media and Change.org," he told ANCX. "Is the historical
    and cultural value of the site properly conserved by merely reconstructing the sun
    shades?

    That’s why a proper dialogue on the matter—involving all the proper


    agencies is of utmost importance to the conservation group. “We think that that
    is the place to have this conversation so that it happens under the auspices of
    government,” Evidente said. The HCS president pointed out that the issue here is
    really national identity, and our journey as a people. “If we demolish [these
    structures], nawawalan tayo ng source ng kuwento, kung sino tayo, kung saan
    ba tayo galing, and saan tayo papunta,” he said.

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