Designers I look up to...

Eero Saarinen - another architect's son... deftly bridged the gap between international-style modernism and modern expressionism... he's brilliant... his work ventured across all scales... from furniture all the way to masterplans... he did flowing sexy lines way before CATIA/CAD, and way before modern industrialized construction methods. He's an idol for me (and for others like me) who take up after our mentor-fathers. He died way too early for his time at 51 years... but despite his relatively short period in the design spotlight, his prolific, masterful work and conscious bent to educate people and cheer the profession continues to echo today.

Architecture critics have questioned his significance mainly because of his short professional life span, but have rediscovered the depth and breadth of his work and writings. At ease both in front of corporate suites and bohemian artists, Eero was the quintessential architect-practitioner-theoretician, who put forward and implemented a lot of his concepts/ideas on context, the figure/ground relationships, technology, etc.

Carlos Arguelles - The quintessential Pinoy Modernist. Sadly, as prolific as he was and as beautiful his buildings are/were. There is virtually no current of discussion among design circles about his work, proof of this is the dearth of photos/articles about him online... yes, although he was hot in the 50s, his gems have survived him and show the early traces of Modern Regionalism that has spread through-out the world as architects/designers from all-over have slowly adapted the International-style Miesian box into something more suited for their respective countries/cultures. The Rizal Theater (as shown) and the Philamlife Building along Taft Avenue are beautiful pieces, with their facade depth, and clarity of structure, both testament to the depth and clarity of thought of the man who designed/worked on both of them. He's as old-school modern as old-school modern gets back here in the Philippines... (although there are a lot of other architects who've had better press with more projects, I'll toss my vote in for the lesser recognized/less talked about dude. The Nakpils, etcs have had their time in the sun.)
















Paul Rudolph - another old-school, mid-period modernist, he rarely gets the props he deserves, mainly because of his late period work, wherein his hardcore, cold, objective bent on work adapted an even more harsh aesthetic, his brutalist period. He got a lot of flack for the Yale Architecture building (not shown) for being too overbearing, dark and dreary, but if you do look back to his early work, especially his Florida Houses, you'll be surprised to see something much lighter, with ingenious circulation/parti and incredible clarity/legibility even at the level of illustrations. He was known among his peers as an incredible illustrator of ideas. Even as his popularity declined because of the neo-classical/ornamental drift of the 70s-80s, he continued to do his thing in Asia, with built/unbuilt projects in HK, Singapore, etc. testament to his belief in architecture as a means of healing and improving cities and their urban/street-level conditions... and even bigger proof of his savvy dealing with all sorts of clients, from the american, artsy designer-house owner, to the cut-throat, competitive asian businessman. He let his work... and his lines do the talking.

Leandro Locsin and Francisco Manosa - ah yes... for Pinoy designers... no explanation needed. Both these men are proponents of Philippine Architecture during their heydays...

Lindy, (Leandro... my parents named me after him) took the cudgels of Filipino Modernism from the likes of Carlos Arguelles and the Nakpil Family and took it several steps further. His talent and intuition for design is amazing. His first key project, the UP Chapel of the Holy Sacrifice, hinted at the creative prowess he had brewing within. His story is one of rare celestial alignment, wherein talent/ability gets fused together with his pedigree/connections, and family wealth. I would like to believe that even if he was handicapped by fate, even if history did not have the Marcoses (see CCP photo at left, etc.) and their megalomaniacal tendencies take over the Philippine design world, Lindy would have done well for himself, because of his talent, savvy and sheer prolific creativity. Indeed, its tough to be named after this dude. But its also an honor to have a semblance of connection (albeit forced) to his existence. (Although... I have another thing to say about that... I'll write about it some other time) He admits to being heavily influenced by 2 names mentioned above (Eero and Paul Rudolph), moreso during his later work as he moved away from his Corbusian modernism, to more expressive, raw, heavy... yet light, brutalist work.

Bobby (Francisco Manosa) I've had the pleasure to work in his office for a summer internship, where I really didn't do much in an architectural sense, but to tell you frankly I learned a lot just by standing around next to the plotter waiting for the prints to finish. He is one of the few local architects who make a strong stand for vernacular architecture. If its architectural modern regionalism that you want... this is as good as it gets for the Philippines. He has stubbornly adhered to and spearheaded the Filipino vernacular language of architecture, fusing together the old Spanish colonial sensibilities, Filipino environment and materials, with American/Western programming/requirements. All of this has cost him, as prospective clients have shied away from his office because of the fear that he would impose his look on their commercial projects. Despite this, he has shown that despite his no-compromise stance, the vernacular language is incredibly adaptable to modern design. He is the tireless, forever throaty-voiced cheerleader for Filipino Architecture. While the academe continues to semantically debate the existence of Filipino Architecture. He's there outside on the ground (not literally of course) running and practicing it, without compromise. He's lost a lot of good people through the years. Partners have migrated, started their own firms (and even got some of his clients and staff) but his influence will always be there. Heck I know... after 3 months working for him. I still get daydreams about bahay-kubo skyscrapers and offices.

At the risk of sounding cheesy, I'll also have to name my dad, Leonardo Poco, as one of the architects I look up to (syempre). He has come a very long way from his roots in Lingayen, Pangasinan. Coming from a family without any design background... from the first generation of farmers/Chinese immigrants from Xiamen, to the second/third generations of educated professionals: accountants, teachers, and more accountants... he blazed the trail for the "artistic" side of the family. (We now have 3 architects in the family)

Early success include the EPROM 1976 International Design Competition, wherein he won the right to represent the Philippines in Canada. The world was a lot larger then, and for a barrio boy to go all the way there through a competition (ok... it was a group competition, but he did lead and push his team to get it done) and stand side-by-side other nationalities, thats no small feat.

His early professional work (like most designers) is a search for bearings, ranging from modern to pomo, I'd have to say his best early work would have to be the Mile Long Building (where we hold office) along Amorsolo St. in Makati. Yes, it is a postmodern reference to the Mile Long Barracks in Corregidor, and yes... the owners/developers (The Rufinos) did have a lot of style/taste to venture into that direction, but its rhythm, simplicity, cleanliness and timelessness are indications of talent brewing within.

My love for architecture is something learned and acquired by watching him ever since my first summers hanging out at his drafting room in his office. Although our professional relationship sometimes resembles the TV Show "American Chopper", wherein the father-sons go through a continuous love-hate-work-deadline relationship, with the staff/team members befuddled as to what to do... I love working with him because it feels great to contribute something that you are really part of, and to learn from a consummate practitioner. Yes, I do get the urge to strike out and go on my own, but timing is everything, and I believe that in this case (as with most Parents and Children who have the same line of work/interests), our fates are truly intertwined. Its been a learning process not just for me, but for him as well, as we both learn to adjust to each other's thought-processes. I'm learning to shut-up and think/draw more, while he's learning to listen.

I'm amazed not just by his work, but more for his innate, patient/yet demanding, mentoring nature. (just ask our team) Impartial to the core, non-controversial unlike Manila's many pr-seeking designers, incredible taskmaster/manager... I'm learning all about the practice from a guy who runs a tight ship. His balanced/well-rounded view on the profession and his personal life (from design to business strategy, real estate, management, work ethic, family life) is something I'm learning as I shift from the studio mindset to the practice set-up.

I believe his best work is still ahead of him, and his best lessons for me and the team are still to come.


Photo credits (right click and view image for addresses/locations)




Postscript...

In my tired haste I forgot to mention a couple more names of designers/architects I really look up to for their work and principles:

Ralph Johnson of Perkins and Will Architects in Chicago - This Walrus-like guy has made quite a name for himself within the established firm of Perkins and Will by pushing their modernist vocabulary forward.

I particularly admire and study his campus plans and school buildings which are expositions of his understanding of context, depth, scale and proportion and unified design. Although he has also done a lot of vertical towers and highrises (like Skybridge, pictured above) his mastery of scale, proportion and detail have shown in both small/horizontal campus work and verticals.


Richard Meier - One of the few architectural monograms we had at home back when I was in grade school was a book on Richard Meier. I used to look at the pictures and study the precision/clean lines he'd do with his buildings. His work takes after Le Corbusier's principles and takes them several steps higher. From his residential work showing a clear, defined parti/flow of spaces from constriction to release; to the masterful weaving of his buildings together with the existing urban fabric, on plan, his work has shown an incredible level of legibility, procession and functionality. Aesthetically, his white boxes aren't the boring boxes of yesteryear, but are actually very playful collages of light, shade, depth and massing. His early work (back in the 60s) such as the Smith house has remained timeless and is testament to the ageless quality of modernism. Of course, he did run through a period of doubt in his aesthetic when the Postmodern wave of eclectic revivals and pastiche design became the cool/in thing in the U.S., but Meier found a safe haven and a fertile ground for his concepts in Europe where his buildings had a strong civic presence that helped weave/stitch together tattered downtowns. His work almost borders on the classical in how he combines traditional concepts on proportion/scale and civic beauty in projects such as the Getty in California, the MoCA in Barcelona and the Jubilee church in Rome.

Sambo Mockbee and Glenn Murcutt - both singular practitioners, The late Sambo founded the Rural Studio and helped bring social consciousness back into the hearts of architects and designers. The program has been heralded in marshalling together good design, sustainable/recycled technologies, architectural education and social work all in one roof.
One piece of little-known trivia about Sambo is that he was part of the team of consultants that came over during the Expo1998 Centennial preparations to help the local group set in motion plans for the celebration.

Pritzker Prize winner Glenn Murcutt is an Australian solo practitioner who has a waitlist of projects because he takes on things one at a time. The award of the Architecture "Nobel" to him was refreshing because it just goes to show that in an era of glitzy and glamorous starchitects, the solo practitioner out in the boondocks can do great work, regardless of the publicity. He has been known for implementing a no-nonsense approach to his work, integrating his clean modernist functional/outback aesthetic with sustainable technologies that allow his buildings to "Touch the Ground Lightly" which is an aboriginal mantra about how man should tread on this world.

Please do let me know if I have inaccuracies... I am writing this off the top of my head... maybe you'd have a few insights and favorite designers yourself too.