Creating new landmarks

MANILA, Philippines - A new crop of contemporary buildings headed by the Church of the Gesu at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City has established Jose Pedro Recio as an architect of memorable Metro Manila landmarks.

The driving force behind the newly-formed Rchitects, Inc., Recio is setting the trend for a new generation of institutions with clean, modern lines that have infused a contemporary character to their respective locales. The Church of the Gesu, which an observer has described as an “abstraction of a bird in flight,” and which critics have noted for being simple, functional and adapted to its tropical setting, is one such structure.

The giant triangle is “anchored on the ground and (rises) to a pinnacle that is a prism by day and a beacon by night,” according to art scholar and San Beda College rector Fr. Rodrigo D. Perez III. Perez describes the soaring interior as “an interplay of triangles” that directs the viewer to the focal point of the entire structure, a 12-meter metal cross. Space, form and light combine to make the church “an exhilarating setting for communal celebration and a peaceful haven for solitary contemplation,” according to Perez.

One of the clearest examples of how architecture influences behavior, the Church of the Gesu will soon be followed by the new Rizal Library also designed by Recio. A low, rectangular building, the new library to be completed in 2009 is distinguished by an atrium in the middle that will rise five stories high. One side of the atrium is a wall envisioned to be a backdrop for banners, art installations and the like. A reflecting pool on the ground level will catch the light and offer fluidity and movement. The pool will also seem to extend to the outer part of the building to offer the facade a distinctive focal point.

An acknowledged designer of popular Metro Manila residential condominiums developed in the last two decades, Recio mastered his craft in the Hongkong building boom of the ’80s which saw the construction of a myriad residential, office, commercial and mixed-use towers. The architect relates that end-user buildings or structures designed for a specific purpose represent a new frontier for him and his firm.