Lux in libri

I love books, and I love bookstores, but I love libraries the most. There’s something about being surrounded by all that stored knowledge that can never be duplicated by any Internet connection. You are your own search engine, fueled by your own desire for discovery rather than page views or web commerce. In a library, browsing is a tactile physical experience more exhilarating than any click of the mouse. You also have to be as quiet as one in a library, and that silence is something that I crave to be able to escape the relentless noise of the city.

I could spend the whole day in a library. I often did so when I was in deep-research mode years ago doing my post-graduate work. I’ve not had much library time in the last few years so when I was invited to join the project to build the new Rizal Library for the Ateneo de Manila University in Loyola Heights, I jumped at the chance.

The New Rizal Library was made possible through the generosity of Manny V. Pangilinan, chairman of the board of trustees of the Ateneo de Manila University; the Salim Group led by Benny Santoso, executive director; the Ambrosio Padilla family; Ateneo College Batch 1983; and National Book Store founder Socorro Ramos. It is the culminating physical manifestation of Ateneo’s celebration of its 150th year in the Philippines. The sesquicentennial celebrations have been a year-long chain of events highlighted by Ateneo wresting a double NCAA Basketball crown for the Blue Eagles and the Blue Eaglets.

I also did not hesitate to get involved in the project as landscape architect for three more reasons. First, the architect is Bong Recio, with whom I’ve collaborated on several other projects. Bong is an exemplary architect who has produced a consistent body of distinctive architectural work. We both practiced decades abroad before coming home — he in Hong Kong and I in Singapore. Besides, we share the same taste in corny jokes and irritating puns.

Second, I was very familiar with the site of the new library, having taught at the Ateneo for several semesters a few years ago. Third, and not the least reason for wanting to help design the setting for the new library, is the fact that the Rizal is one of my favorite libraries. I spent a lot of time in the old Rizal, poring over old journals, archives and books, mostly in the American Historical Collection, which is housed there. I also love their periodical and Filipiniana sections with their extensive microfilm archives.

Bong designed the now iconic Gesu Church at the Loyola campus. Its radical silhouette makes it stand out amid campus buildings from the 1950s and ‘60s that were its neighbors. He attempted to do the same with the new library. The Ateneo board of trustees wanted a different tact.

Bong relates, “In the first presentation to the board, the design for the exterior treatment was shot down as it looked too radically different compared to adjacent brick-clad buildings. My marching orders were to come up with a library that looked the same as the other older structures, but was different — and there lay the challenge.”

The other challenge was the time frame within which the new library was to be designed, built, and inaugurated — 18 months from the middle of 2008. Bong was up to the task, aided by the project group, which included the principal contractors, Gerry Esquivel and his team of consultants; the construction managers, Salvador P Castro Jr. and his team; Carla Siojo and the staff of the office of the vice president of the Loyola Schools; Joy Salita and the staff of the office for administrative affairs; Lee Miralao and the staff of the physical plant office; my own team led by landscape architect Jerome Abad; landscape contractor Polygon Ventures led by Ezra Castillo; the Rizal Library team led by director Lourdes T. David; Dr. Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng, vice president of the Loyola Schools; and the court general for the project, Temay Padero.

Recio’s design lived up to both challenges. His final parti for the library is an updated but classical L-shaped layout with close to a thousand square meters of space in each of its four main floors. Lourdes T. David, Ateneo Library head, explained that she and her team had the architects design the total reading area proportioned to meet current campus requirements. She also highlighted that the new facility has an ultimate storage capacity of half a million physical items — good enough for the university’s needs for close to another half century, when they celebrate Ateneo’s bicentennial.

The library also has a covered roof deck that has, since its soft opening last week, already become a favorite study area for coeds. It is literally a cool place with sweeping views of the campus and Katipunan Road. Below and serving as interface with the H.V. dela Costa quadrangle is a large cascading water feature with a mounted modern artwork as focal point. Students and visitors already have taken to throwing coins into the fountain — maybe to give them good luck at exams and definitely the gesture will make them come back to use the facility.

I designed the element based on the Ateneo seal and the motto Lux in Domino with rays of the sun interpreted in the cascades emanating from Recio’s façade treatment.

Dr. Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng, in a short speech at the inauguration, also pointed out that the building was designed to be environment-friendly. Rainwater is collected and reused for flushing and irrigation; the stairwell is lit by large panels of glazing, while interior lighting uses hi-tech, energy-efficient LED lamps. The landscape architecture and planting design around the building (with major trees retained and new buffer planting added) mitigate solar heat gain aside from creating refreshing views from reading rooms looking out. She pointed out that the new Rizal Library and First Pacific Hall are truly a “green” building, quickly emphasizing though that most importantly, it has a “blue” heart.

Libraries are the true heart of any educational institution. It houses, for all to access, the treasure trove of knowledge from around the world, bodies of knowledge produced by the host institution and, as with the new Rizal Library, now serves as a cyber portal to an immense universe of information floating in cyberspace.

Space is essential for all our learning institutions. The Ateneo de Manila University and its sister institutions provide ample physical space for its students to learn, intellectual space for them to learn to think and ultimately fills each Atenean with a belief in their capacity — because of this acquired knowledge and mindset — to change themselves, their communities and their country for the better. The university deserves our heartfelt congratulations for 150 years of service.

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Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.