Words and Images Julianna Montenegro
Prospectus Ar. Enzo P. Belandres
Editing The Kanto team
Editor’s Note: For this Kanto Futurespace series, we are featuring six student proposals from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s Architectural Design 6 Studio class. Below is the course prospectus by mentor Ar. Enzo P. Belandres, followed by a proposed community landmark commemorating personal and collective memory near R Papa Station by architecture student Julianna Montenegro
Prospectus
“This course involves students re-imagining a station of their choice, with a designated development area of one kilometer. The 14-week program encourages creative exploration and challenges conventional design notions, integrating cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices. Regular feedback sessions and critiques provide insights to enhance designs and ensure quality.
In the first 4 weeks, the class is presented with urban disruptions to examine and address collectively, affecting the entire line across various domains. These disruptions can be significant or minor and can have both positive and negative effects. The collected responses are used to improve individual projects and identify possible strategies to optimize or alleviate the effects of disruptions. A mirror of what could be a real-life design situation.
The objective of this activity is to address the urgent needs of communities along LRT Line 1 and make a positive contribution to their long-term development and welfare. The exercise employs intelligent social design, architectural and urban interventions that influence human behavior and psychology. The students are encouraged to implement their personal aspirations for each site and aim to achieve them throughout the course.”
Amalgamations of Memory: Fragments of Intangible Heritage as a Symbolic Vehicle for Collective Memory in R Papa
In the heart of R Papa, there exists a unique convergence of the tangible and intangible—a place where memory, history, culture, and the essence of life and death come together.
Arriving at R Papa MRT Station, you’re immediately greeted by the expansive landscape of trees and mausoleums stretching as far as the eye can see. Native flowers perfume the air, leaves rustle, and you can feel the textures of the past.
The residents of R Papa are intimately connected with mortality, as their daily lives revolve around it. I encountered a resident who expertly crafted gravestones at his garage, while others ran stalls selling flowers and candles. Some were skilled in carving mahogany doors, and others took on the role of mausoleum caretakers.
Walking north from the station, a profound ambiance enveloped me, essential for understanding the location’s context. To the left, Rizal Avenue Extension bustled with vehicular activity, while to the right, the cemetery’s quietude reigned—a striking contrast that almost made the cemetery’s presence invisible.
Within minutes, I arrived at La Loma Cemetery, established in 1880. It stands as one of Manila’s oldest cemeteries, alongside the enduring “Lumang Simbahan” funerary chapel, a testament to its resilience during the 1945 Battle of Manila. La Loma houses impressive mausoleums representing diverse cultures and memorializes historical figures. Yet, due to war and overcrowding, its memory and heritage slowly fade, neglected in the struggle for survival.
The question arises: Who would willingly visit a cemetery? This often overshadows the place’s deeper legacy, relegating it to unfulfilled potential. These collective memories led me to realize that R Papa needed a new purpose for its heritage, offering people a chance to appreciate tangible memory without the cemetery’s negative connotations.
English architect and historian William Lethaby once said, “Human beings cannot understand the world as a whole. They must first move away from it, and only after achieving this detachment can they gain understanding.” In this light, the Hero’s Journey archetype finds a place within this project, guiding individuals through stages of Separation, Initiation, and Return. Five key points along this path—Station, Path 1, Place of Repose, Path 2, and Lumang Simbahan—create an immersive experience.
The journey begins at the Station and continues to the Place of Repose, subtly conveying the individual’s progression while enhancing the sensory experience with marble underfoot.
The Place of Repose offers an inviting path, drawing people in with the continuation of marble flooring, creating an intimate atmosphere. Beyond, the perimeter walkway provides a moment of compression before revealing the interior space. Through architecture, this compression offers an inward expansion, allowing visitors to adjust to the light and solitude within a structured space designed for reflection. Exiting the structure, they encounter an open space where they can engage in tangible storytelling and interact with vendors, unaware they’ve already embarked on a journey.
Continuing through the cemetery, individuals eventually reach Lumang Simbahan. The spatial transition from compression to expansion mirrors the ebb and flow between life and death, with intangible heritage serving as a symbolic vehicle for collective memory in R Papa.
“Amalgamations of Memory” represents a 14-week journey toward my ongoing empathy and commitment to design. Place and memory are inseparable, and architecture is deeply engaged with both. As I progress in my journey as a designer, I will always recognize the intricate connection between personal and collective memory and its significance in the context of place. •
