Beautiful Movement were still very much in the consciousness of planners. This could be
seen in the fulfillment of Parsonss plans of havin structures built as paired opposites
across a vista of par! space. "ence, #ue$on "all was mirrored across the laoon by
%on$ales "all, while Palma "all was paired across the &val by Melchor "all, both also
e'hibitin similarities of massin and volume. By ()*), the responsibility of buildin
+.P. ,iliman beloned to -rchitect Cesar ". Concio, the first campus architect, who also
desined Palma and Melchor "alls.
Between the late ()./s and the ()*/s, a crucial shift in architectural taste had occurred.
The 0eoclassical ideals in architectural aesthetics had iven way to a more functional
modernist style, which privileed function over form. These were manifested in the
fa1ade styles of the Benite$2Malcolm "alls vis-3-vis the Palma2Melchor "alls4 the former
displayed arcaded hallways, balustraded verandahs, entrances with pediments, and
columns and capitals reminiscent of the buildins of the +.P. Manila campus5 the latter
lac!ed ornamentation, and were instead treated as simplified masses of volumes and
planes. The rand stairways, lare porticoes, and open atriums that characteri$e the main
entrances of Palma, Melchor and %on$ales "alls, however, indicate an earlier variant of
Modern -rchitecture which was 6uite popular durin the late ()*/s. 7uch a transitionary
style can also be seen in the open colonnade of #ue$on "all, desined by 0ational -rtist
8uan 0a!pil and Cesar Concio, in which the classical fluted columns were paired with a
plain entablature and have no capitals. The Carillon, also by 0a!pil and completed in
()9:, continued the tradition of -rt ,eco after the war. This -rt ,eco campanile too! the
simplified form of a massive capsule with a domed top and plain pilasters definin its
verticality.
;rom the mid-()9/s onward, the International style of Modern -rchitecture became the
unifyin motif in the construction of buildins in +.P. ,iliman. This is characteri$ed by a
spare, minimal treatment of volume and detailin and a more functional application of
desin. <'amples of this trend would include4 the Church of the "oly 7acrifice =()99>,
desined by ?eandro ?ocsin5 the Church of the @isen ?ord =()99> and the 7tudent
7ervices Center or Ain$ons "all =()9B>, desined by Cesar Concio5 the +niversity "ealth
7ervices or Infirmary =()9B>, desined by <speran$a 7iochi Cayco5 the Conservatory of
Music or -belardo "all =()C/> and the old +niversity Theater or Aillamor "all =()C/>
desined by @oberto 0ovenario5 the ?aw Center =()CD> and the International Center
=()CD>, both desined by Aictor 0. Tiotuyco5 and the ;aculty Center or Bulwaan @i$al
=()C*>, desined by Carlos -ruelles. 7ome of the uni6ue characteristics of ;ilipino
Modern -rchitecture as e'emplified by these structures are4 the use of openwor! masonry
to ventilate heat from the structure =Ain$ons "all>5 the use of honeycombed pierced
screens to shield the structure from direct sunliht =Benton and -belardo "alls>, the use
of folded plates =International Center>, and the use of a thin shell concrete dome =Church
of the "oly 7acrifice>.
In addition, the buildin period from the ()C/s onward would veer away from the strictly
symmetrical order of buildin, to a more fluid arranement of dissimilar volumes. This is
perhaps due to the perception that plannin and desin ouht to follow a more liberal,
democratic and human approach in sitin buildins, rather than emphasi$in an
imperious order of plannin that awes, dominates and reulates its users. "ence, the
;aculty Center is not paired across the &val with a similar structure. 0either does another
tower on the opposite side balance the Carillon.
-!in to the infrastructure boom after the 7econd Eorld Ear, the Centennial mar!s a new
period in the +niversitys history where the campus landscape is drastically chaned F
with new buildins, more roads and fresher vistas. Eith all this improvement, however, is
the adherence to the principle of preservin the reen open spaces and ae-old trees of
the campus. - balance between built and natural environments ensues, indicatin not only
sensitivity for the land, but also the creation of a place that is conducive to scholastic
pursuit.