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Living Architecture at the Ayala Museum

What in the world is living architecture?!? 

These were the questions in my mind as I first entered the exhibition curated by Pieter van der Ree.

Apparently, my impression was wrong. This exhibit was all about how architecture relate with the natural, the social, and the cultural landscape of a country; how a country gains an international brand or identity based on the skyline and the spaces it offers to its residents and its tourists; how people adapt and incorporate nature into these spaces.

Interesting, I thought, because I just came back from Denmark where UNLEASH facilitators at Brenderup Folk High School walked us through one of their sustainable housing projects. This was architectural design at its rawest (amateur) form. In contrast, the designs that were featured in Living Architecture were all made by world-renowned architects... but they have similar objectives.

Many of the architectural works featured in the exhibit shows how modern architectural philosophies are trying to take over what has been manufactured by older philosophies. For instance, music halls are no longer just buildings with beautiful acoustics. The Harbin and the Sydney Opera Houses feature stunning architectural details both inside and outside. Churches incorporate wood and stone into the design and let natural light shine in. View decks exchange rooftops for open spaces so that they can better blend into the stunning surroundings.

To me, the featured architects are trying to find artistic expression and to break away from the cookie cutter style of designing buildings. Are they following the grand masters (albeit unknown to me) who have left us the classics, both in European and in Asian traditions? I'm not sure. Only time will tell. 

But one thing's for sure: their creations are stunning and interesting to see. And I've only seen many of them in photos. I think I've only seen the Sydney Opera House and the Singapore Super Trees in person.


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