Leandro V. Locsin, the National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture in 1990, designed CCP and also the other buildings along the vicinity of the complex. He applied his signature style, the use of

concrete and brutalist facades in his designs.

“He used to say that reinforced concrete is our country’s ‘natural material’ because of its ample supply, economy, durability, beauty, and the skill that the Filipino craftsman inherently possesses to render it artistically.” – Leandro “Andy” Locsin, Jr. 

(source: http://rogue.ph/leandro-locsins-brutal-opera/)

The building was massive and raw. It is a square-shaped building made of concrete with very few windows. It has two ramps in front surrounding an octagonal fountain with lights. According to speculations, Architect Locsin criticized the total cost of the structure ranging from 15 million pesos which escalated to 50 million pesos and as a sign of a subtle protest, he designed the building itself to look like a toilet bowl when you look at it from the top view. I did not actually notice that the structure has a resemblance to a toilet bowl until I read the rumors but maybe it is just like Henry 

Sy’s fingerprint façade on the Henry Sy Sr. Hall in De La Salle University.

      Last September 20, 2016, my blockmates and I went to CCP in order to study and document the place. We were supposed to go there around eight to nine in the morning but we ended up arriving at eleven because of what we call “Filipino time” and of course, the traffic. I was actually pretty excited to go because it was my first time to enter and explore the place but I was always curious about what was on the inside and what it looked like because we would always pass by the whole complex whenever we are going to Mall of Asia (MOA) although knew that there was a museum inside because of the posters outside.

The first thing that greeted us when we went inside was a grand staircase and a couple of artworks. It had the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) vibe to it probably because of how it was presented. When we went up, there was a big open space and grand chandeliers because that is where the main entrance is located.

On the second floor, there were more artworks and we even found a scale model of the whole complex and and another but just the CCP alone.

A lengthy mural painting was still in progress on the third floor but a particular scene caught my attention because it depicts one of the major endeavors that our country is facing today. We were even lucky enough to witness an artist finishing his mural for an exhibit about Mars Ravelo’s works. Even though there were only a few windows on the whole structure, as I have mentioned earlier, I think that the dim lights actually set the mood for the artworks.

       We were not able to check out the theaters and some of the parts of the building were actually restricted and creepy because either the lights were really dim or there were none at all. It was just a little disappointing because when we were about to go around the exterior of the structure, it rained so we just decided to go around it while we were riding the car that is why some of the photos I took had rain drops on it but I think it kind of added a filter to it so it was not that bad.

        After going to CCP, we attempted to go in PICC but the guard stopped us before all of us were even out of the car so we decided to do the same thing and circle the structure while we were in the car and same goes for the Manila Film Center.

All the structures that comprises of the CCP Complex were very distant from what we see along Taft but it is not far enough from all the traffic. Even though the streets were busy outside, the inside of the building was very tranquil and quiet as if it somehow separates you from the world.

             We are often asked in our History of Architecture (HSTARC) classes if there is such a thing such as Filipino Architecture and that particular question is very simple yet hard to answer. It would always make us think hard or even left us speechless and I think buildings like these are tangible proofs that there is, we just have to take the time to go and see for ourselves.

          It saddens me a lot that not a lot of people appreciate these kinds of structures anymore. It seems like everyone have already moved on and forgotten its significance and importance to our culture and identity. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have gone to CCP if it wasn’t for this blog entry and the way I look at it now has completely changed. Before, I saw it as an old and boring structure, what more the people who are not studying architecture? They probably would have thought the same, or even worse. Now that I have finally experienced it, I think that more people should visit the structure and even non-art students would appreciate once you go inside.