We've all heard about so many “top ten” and “best” lists about almost anything: top 10 songs, top 10 restaurants, best getaways, best movies, and of course for architects, the top 10 tallest buildings. But have you heard of the best place to smoke in the city? ...If you're a smoker. At a writing workshop for Philippine Arts and Culture held at the Yuchengco Museum at the RCBC Plaza late last year, we were asked to write a short article about any piece of art we found interesting at the workshop venue. As expected, I was naturally biased towards writing about the biggest work of art we saw there. In fact, we were in it – the building itself! I noticed that the building has a wonderfully designed plaza intended as the building's main pedestrian entrance but was sadly converted into the grandest smoking area in the metropolis! The RCBC Plaza's most obvious features are the two office towers: the Yuchengco Tower 1 (46 stories) and the RCBC Tower 2 (41 stories). SOM and WV Coscoluela also designed the complex as a cultural center for this side of the city. On one corner is the Carlos P. Romulo Theater, the current home of Repertory Philippines while the Yuchengco Museum sits on the opposite side. On the pedestrian scale, another unique feature of the complex is the glass box squeezed right between the two towers at ground level. It serves as a pedestrian street connecting Gil Puyat Avenue and HV dela Costa Street on the opposite side of the lot. As one enters the building through this glass box, a wonderfully framed GT Tower – or the Columns Condominium depending on which side you entered – can be seen through its clear frameless glass ceiling. This passageway also welcomes RCBC's users from the private car drop-off with a well-lit landscaped rotunda. On the other side, pedestrians coming from the Ayala Avenue underpass would have gone through the Plaza with the People Power II Monument in the middle. It would have been a grand entrance that rivaled Ayala Triangle's Stock Exchange Plaza had the general public been allowed to use it as the architects intended. Coming from the Ayala Avenue underpass, people will be walking into the building welcomed by the idealism of the People Power II Monument on the Plaza's center, the artsy Yuchengco Museum on the right, the Grand RCBC Main Branch on its left, and the glass box beyond. It was a well crafted balance between commerce, the arts, and patriotism. Sadly though, due to security concerns or maybe to lessen the number of security guards, it is fenced off along Ayala Avenue and the Plaza is now used as a smoking area with the entrance to the museum left out of the pedestrian route. The Eduardo Castrillo sculpture called People Power II Monument at the Plaza was originally intended as a sequel to the monument along EDSA created by the same artist. Museum curator Jeannie Javelosa said it was commissioned and designed even before People Power II happened, which brought Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to power. Although the architects initially wanted a water feature on the plaza, RCBC's Ambassador Yuchengco insisted on a People Power Monument to bring the spirit of EDSA to Makati. By sheer coincidence, the RCBC Plaza was opened in February 2001 just after Arroyo became president. The building's opening – and the sculpture's unveiling – was the first public appearance of President Arroyo after her inauguration at the EDSA Shrine. Although the sculpture was originally meant to commemorate the first People Power Revolution, the circumstances at the time of its unveiling made the name People Power II Monument more relevant. So now, the monument sits at the Plaza with the museum entrance hardly noticed by the public, smokers chatting carelessly around it. It is sad that the public space and experience the architects designed for RCBC's 21,000 occupants with its inspiring piece of art, a grand entrance to two extraordinary buildings, and the treasure-filled Yuchengco Museum is almost ignored by the public because of security concerns. It is of course understandable that life is more precious than the arts. But there must be a way – with today's technology and a lot more creativity – to have security AND still enjoy architecture and the arts which help make our urban lives actually worth living. Published on the United Architects of the Philippines Makati Chapter Skyline Newsletter, January 2012.
0 Comments
|
AuthorJWHermogenes passes through the RCBC Plaza daily on his way to work. ArchivesCategories |