FORM AND FUNCTION

Modern menswear-inspired silhouettes complement the Philippine International Convention Center. PATRICK KASINGSING breaks down National Artist Leandro Locsin's seminal work

- DARYL CHANG

A DECADE AGO, I stumbled upon Brutalism during a visit to the university library. As a graphic designer-in-training-slash-frustrated-architect, I felt an immediate attraction to this style, eagerly seeking an approach that would inform my creative work. The resourcefulness that gave birth to brutalism, its acknowledgment of less-than-ideal realities, and its function-forward approach deeply resonated with me as a young designer in search of a guiding ethos.

Brutalism emerged as a post-war movement, thriving amid a world eager to rebuild swiftly and efficiently, with limited resources but abundant ideas. The “brutal” in brutalism refers to the raw finishes and material honesty that are emblematic of the style. This architectural style was a reaction to pre-war modernism’s opulence, inaccessibility, and propagation of social divisions. Built quickly and economically, Brutalism embraced simplicity and utilized readily available materials in response to post-war scarcity. It proudly embraced honesty, celebrating materials in their raw state and flaunting utilitarian, and functional elements instead of concealing them. Brutalism, more concerned with ethics than aesthetics, takes various forms beyond just “raw concrete.”

Additionally, it sought to experiment with novel ways of living, promoting social interaction and community through concepts like “city within a city,” “urban living rooms,” and “streets in the sky.”