Buildings in post world war 2 era

QUIRINO GRANDSTAND

The Quirino Grandstand, formerly known as the Independence Grandstand, is a grandstand located at Rizal Park, Manila, Philippines.

Contrary to popular belief, the first Independence Grandstand was not originally located on the present site of the Quirino Grandstand but on the area close to Dewey Boulevard right across the Rizal Monument and the flagpole. It was completed in 1946 for the ceremony of the declaration of Philippine independence from the United States on 4 July 1946. Juan Arellano designed the original grandstand in the neoclassical design with ornate elements added to the structure such as a triumphal arch at the top with two "wings" that shaded the main galleries, a stage in the form of a ship’s bow with a carved figurehead of a maiden representing freedom, and two other figures, representing a Filipino and a Filipina, that stood about 10 meters tall behind the stage and the central gallery.[1]

§The current grandstand[edit]

The grandstand was later demolished and a new one was built further away from the old site towards near the breakwater and the Manila Bay where it stands to this day. Designed by Federico Ilustre, supervising architect for the Bureau of Public Works, the new Independence Grandstand’s design was patterned after the Arellano-designed grandstand, (including the triumphal arch) with a simpler design (without the ship bow stage and the statues) and some Art Deco influence in the canopy compared to the original. The structure was completed in 1949, in time for the inauguration of President Elpidio Quirino. Years later after his death, the grandstand was renamed in his honor.[2]

Quirino Grandstand was expanded over the years to accommodate more people, and the triumphal arch was eventually gone. Work in the 1990s brought about a return to the structure’s neoclassical roots with the addition of some neoclassical elements in the expansion area.[1]

The Quirino Grandstand has been the traditional venue for annual Independence Day activities as well as that of many Philippine presidential inaugurations since the 1949 Quirino inaugural. In addition, the grandstand has also been a site for many civic, religious, sporting, and political gatherings. It served as the main venue of the World Youth Day 1995 closing liturgy, the 2000 Millennium Celebrations in the country, the 2005 Southeast Asian Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and the concluding mass of 2015 Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines.

The grandstand grounds was also the venue for the Quirino Grandstand hostage crisis which strained relations between Manila and Hong Kong for a time.

BATASANG PAMBANSA COMPLEX

The Batasang Pambansa Complex is the headquarters of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. It is located at Batasan Road, Batasan Hills, Quezon City.

The complex was initially the home of the Batasang Pambansa, the former parliament of the Philippines which was established as an interim assembly in 1978 and finally as an official body in 1984. Under the 1973 constitution, it replaced the bicameral Congress of the Philippines established under the 1935 Commonwealth constitution.

When the bicameral Congress was restored in 1987, the complex was set aside as the home of the House of Representatives. The Main Building of the complex is often referred to as the Batasang Pambansa.

Construction[edit]

Following the naming of Quezon City as the new capital city of the Philippines in 1948, a cornerstone for a Capitol building was laid on Constitution Hill, now Batasan Hills, in Quezon City on October 22, 1949.[1] The location was part of a larger National Government Center, which was meant to house the three branches of the Philippine government (legislative, executive, and judicial). In 1956, architect Federico S. Ilustre laid out the master plan for the location, which was set aside to be the new home of the Congress (made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives). Ilustre had also designed the buildings for the new legislative center. Public reception to the building's design was lukewarm, so a newer design by the National Planning Commission under architect Anselmo Alquinto replaced the Ilustre-designed one. By 1963, however, only the concrete foundations and steel frame were laid out. Ultimately, due to lack of funding, the Capitol was never completed. The uncompleted structure sat in the area for more than a decade before being torn down.[2]

During the presidency of Ferdinand E. Marcos, the plans for a legislative complex were revived. By that time, the 1973 constitution had replaced the bicameral Congress with the Batasang Pambansa, a unicameral parliament. The new complex was accordingly designed to house only one legislative body. Felipe M. Mendoza was designated as the architect of the complex, and its surrounding area.[3][4] The uncompleted structure for the Capitol building was torn down to make way for the new complex. The North and South Wing Buildings were completed in December 1977. Meanwhile, the Main Building itself finally opened on May 31, 1978.[5][6] However, the rest of the intended government buildings and public spaces around the complex were never built.

The legislative body first convened at the Main Building on June 12, 1978.[7]

PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER

The Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) is the most modern convention center the Philippines can offer to the world. Located at the reclaimed area now known as the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex in Pasay City (a Manila suburb), this state-of-the-art facility has been the host of numerous local and foreign conventions, meetings, fairs, and social events.

On the presence of the PICC, Manila has always been tagged as a "Convention City".

PICC is also the home of the Office of the Vice President of the Philippines.

Presidential Decree No. 520 authorized the Central Bank of the Philippines (now Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) to construct an international conference building, acquire a suitable area for that purpose, and organize a corporation to manage a conference center. Thus, the PICC was organized under the Corporation Code.

The construction of the state-of-the-art PICC Complex was undertaken in a short span of 23 months, from November 1974 to September 1976, with Leandro Locsin as architect, who was subsequently named a National Artist.

On September 5, 1976, the PICC, Asia's first international convention center was officially opened to the world when it hosted the 1976 IMF-World Bank Meeting.

Presidential Decree No. 995 created the Batasang Bayan to function as a legislative body before the Interim Batasang Pambansa convened in 1978. So on September 21, 1976 on the 4th Anniversary of the birth of the Bagong Lipunan (New Society) the Batasang Bayan held its inauguration at the PICC. For the first time, the PICC was used to house a legislative body from 1976 to 1978.

The PICC is dedicated to the task of bringing peoples and nations together and providing a place where they can meet and exchange ideas that may perhaps open doors to better world understanding and peace.

As a venue of meetings, conferences, exhibitions, and special events, it caters to organizers of international, regional Asia Pacific, and local events by providing highly advanced conferencing equipment and facilities and, most importantly, friendly, efficient, and professional service.

Convention Features

35mm Slide projector, Amplifier, conference pads, pencils, pens. Equalizer, flags, flipchart with white board, PA system, portable stage, SI equipment booth, 8 m. x 6 m. projection screen, TV monitor, VHS player multi-system, video camera - CCTV type, laser pointer, follow spotlight, lapel microphone, stand microphone, table microphone, wireless microphone, and whiteboard.

The PICC's newly acquired conferencing equipment are AMX Integrated Remote Control System on motorized lectern, Motorized lecterns with light & clock timer, Visual Presenter (opaque and transparency projector), 67" Video Data Rear Projection Monitor, Wireless Infrared Simultaneous Interpretation (SI System), Portable Interpreters Booth, Slide to Video Converter, Conference Microphone System with Chairman's microphone, Voting and Audience Interaction System and Touch Screen Multi-media Kiosk.

Support Facilities and Services

Conference & Exhibit Offices Hospitality Center Document Distribution Center Registration Counter Post Office Technical Services Commercial Bank Foreign Exchange Counter Assistance & Info Counter Medical Clinic/Services Lost & Found Facilities or Disabled Parking Space Loading Ports Dressing Room Press Center

CULTURAL CENTER OF THE PHILIPPINES (NATIONAL THEATRE)

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (Filipino: Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, or CCP) is a government owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines.[1][2] The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos. Although an independent corporation of the Philippine government, it receives an annual subsidy and is placed under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts for purposes of policy coordination.[1][3] The CCP is headed by an 11-member Board of Trustees, currently headed by Chairperson Emily Abrera. Its current president is Raul Sunico.

The CCP provides performance and exhibition venues for various local and international productions at its eponymous 62-hectare (150-acre) complex located in the Cities of Pasay and Manila. Its artistic programs include the production of performances, festivals, exhibitions, cultural research, outreach, preservation, and publication of materials on Philippine art and culture. It holds its headquarters at the Tanghalang Pambansa (English: National Theatre), a structure designed by National Artist for Architecture, Leandro V. Locsin. Locsin would later design many of the other buildings in the CCP Complex.[4]

Architecture[edit]

The façade of the National Theater is dominated by a two-storey travertine block suspended 12 meters (39 ft) high by deep concave cantilevers on three sides. The rest of the structure is clad in concrete, textured by crushed seashells originally found on the reclamation site.[6] The building is built on a massive podium, and entry is through a vehicular ramp in front of the raised lobby and a pedestrian side entry on its northwest side. In front of the façade and below the ramp, there is an octagonal reflecting pool with fountains and underwater lights. On the main lobby, three large Capiz-shell chandeliers hang from the third floor ceiling, each symbolizing the three main geographical divisions of the Philippines: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. At the orchestra entrance, a brass sculpture, The Seven Arts by Vicente Manansala welcomes the audience into the main theater. From the pedestrian entrance, Arturo Luz's Black and White is displayed as spectators enter the little theater or ascend to the main lobby through a massive carpeted spiral staircase. Most of the interior is lit artificially, as there are few windows, most of which are located along the sides of the main lobby. Large areas on the upper floors are open to the ground floor lobby, emphasizing the large chandeliers and fluid interior spaces on northeast side of the building. Galleries and other rooms surround these open areas, occupying the space created by the huge cantilevered block. Whenever possible, the walls surrounding these rooms are used as additional venues for displaying art works.

Much of the criticism of the building's architecture is directed towards its vehicular ramp. Since there are usually no valet services or parking areas directly accessible from the lobby entrance, the ramp's use is ideal only for audience members who are chauffeur-driven; at the expense of pedestrians, who may enter through the side entrance or a narrow (and potentially hazardous) pathway on the ramp.[24][25] In defense of the design, Andy Locsin (a partner of his father's firm) explained that the decision of raising the whole structure on the podium (and consequently, the addition of the ramp) was in response to the high sea levels on the reclaimed land, and was not intended to promote an elitist view of art and culture.[8]

ARANETA COLISEUM

The Smart Araneta Coliseum, known as The Big Dome, is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. It is one of the largest coliseums and indoor facilities in Asia, and it is also one of the largest clear span domes in the world. The dome measures approximately 108.0 meters making it the largest dome in Asia from its opening in 1960 until 2001 when it was surpassed by the Oita Stadium in Japan with a dome measuring 274.0 meters. However on 2014, this record was broke by the New Singapore National Stadium that has a dome measuring 312.0 meters.

The Smart Araneta Coliseum is mostly used for sports such as basketball, it is the main venue of the Philippine Basketball Association.[2] The Big Dome is also used for boxing, cockfighting, local and international concerts, circuses, religious gatherings, beauty pageants and more.[3] Other basketball league tenants include the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

In 1952, J. Amado Araneta, a member of the prestigious Araneta dynasty, purchased a 35-hectare property in Cubao that is now the Araneta Center from Radio Corporation of America (RCA). The property, which includes the Araneta family home, is bound by Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue, Aurora Boulevard, P. Tuazon and 15th Avenue.

Construction of the Araneta Coliseum was started in 1957 and finished in late 1959 by Arch. Dominador Lacson Lugtu and Engr. Leonardo Onjunco Lugtu, Filipino Engineers graduated from Mapúa Institute of Technology . From 1960 to 1963, the Coliseum received international recognition and was recognized as the largest covered coliseum in the world. Today, it remains one of the largest clear span domes in the world and the largest indoor facility in Asia with a dome diameter of 108 meters. It occupies a total land area of almost 40,000 square meters and has a floor area of 23,000 square metres.[4]

The coliseum opened on March 16, 1960, with Gabriel "Flash" Elorde boxing for the World Junior Lightweight crown from American Harold Gomes. General admission then was 80 centavos and the reserve section was five pesos.

Among the notable events to take place at the arena were the 11th and 34th FAMAS Awards, the 1975 "Thrilla in Manila" boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, and the annual Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant. The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has played about a thousand games at the Araneta Coliseum as of 2008. Other basketball events hosted by the arena were the 1978 FIBA World Championship, a game between the 1978 NBA champions Washington Bullets and a PBA selection in 1979, and the 1982 Asian Youth Basketball Championship where the Philippines defeated China in the final.[5]

In 1981, the original basketball scoreboard and shot clock was replaced with a Seiko brand scoreboard that also displays the milliseconds remaining in a basketball game. In 1983, the basketball court's color scheme was changed from red to yellow.

In 1995, the bulky basketball backboard which was used since the 1970s was replaced with a Hydra-Rib backboard.

In the third quarter of 1998, the Aranetas and Pilipinas Shell (local arm of Royal Dutch Shell) started negotiations for a naming rights deal that would have lasted until 2008. The Aranetas, who wanted to retain their name at the arena rejected proposed name "Shell Coliseum at the Araneta Center". Instead, the parties agreed on signage contract where Shell's name and logo will be painted at the arena's basketball court, a move that was almost shelved due to objections from other PBA teams (Shell owned the Shell Turbo Chargers team then in the PBA).[6]

In July 1999, the coliseum underwent its first major renovation at the cost of P200 million.[7] The coliseum was reopened on November 20, the same year. The major changes made to the coliseum is the renovation of the lower box area, replacement of seats for the patron and lower box sections, and installation of a four-sided center hung scoreboard. The section names were also given numerical designations: 100 for Patron section, 200 for Lower Box, 300 for Upper Box A and 400 for Upper Box B. In 2003, a LED display was added on the scoreboard.