[Interior Design] PSID Juxtapose: Adaptive Reuse of Philippine Historical Structures

Dems Angeles

6 years ago

The Philippine School of Interior Design’s Advance Class of 2018 is hosting their month-long 51st graduation exhibit – PSID Juxtapose: Espasyo at Panahon.

PSID Juxtapose has 17 booths that highlight forgotten historical structures that are given relevance once again. Design problems are solved through adaptive reuse – repurposing old buildings or sites for a function other than its original purpose. Last year’s PSID graduation exhibit focused on glamorous, opulent and luxurious designs.

Here’s the preview of the exhibit, divided into three galleries, with my personal favorites:

Tahanan

The first gallery features residential buildings such as the Castro House and Laurel Ancestral House in San Juan, the heritage houses of Calle Crisologo in Vigan, Tañada Ancestral House and Punzalan Ancestral House in Taal, Batangas.

Booth 1: “The bar beneath…in San Juan.” A bunker turned speakeasy.

Booth 4: “Modern Filipino Haven”. Luxury spa.

Pangkalakal

This section presents booths reminiscent of Escolta and Avenida Rizal’s commercial streetscapes using Aduana Building, the former PSID building in Pasong Tamo, Makati City, and Regina Building.

Booth 7: “La Moneda Bookshop and Cafe”. Paying homage to the Aduana’s history through a Philippine map display made of coins.

Booth 11: “Kusina Aduana”. Functional kitchen to cook your own local meals, where herbs are also grown.

Pang-industriya

Five booths showcase design solutions for old industrial sites like Tanduay Fire Station in Paco, Manila, San Nicolas Fire Station in Binondo, PNR Polo Station, and San Fernando Train Station in Pampanga.

Booth 14: “Dor-Moderno”. A cozy accommodation design for 3 students, incorporating elements from its fire station inspiration.

Booth 15: “Station No. 15”. Steampunk-feels cafe/bar/coworking space.

Booth 16: “Polo Estacion”. Reviving a train station as a center of commerce.

Booth 16: “KM 102 Gentleman’s Barber Lounge”. Converted the historic San Fernando Train Station into a members-only lounge with various services and amenities.

JUXTAPOSE proudly shares this celebration of heritage and ingenuity with Abenson, All Home, Apo Floors, Boysen, CW Home Depot, Designery, Edison Electric Integrated Inc., Eubiq, Fineza Decorative Renderers, Fyrelyn Industries, Habitat, HMT Industries, Icon Graphics, Ilaw Atbp./LitesPlus, Jo-Liza Arts & Antiques, Keystone Lamps & Shades, La Europa Ceramica, Matimco, Stockwell Cafe + Lounge, Schema, Spectrum by Larry’s, Tierra Plants, Toto and Uratex.

This graduation exhibit is very timely as many buildings, especially in Manila, are being taken down or overshadowed in favor of new developments. I hope this challenges proponents of cultural heritage conservation, developers and the audience to find creative solutions in the restoration and rehabilitation of historic structures.

To see and learn more, visit PSID JUXTAPOSE: Espasyo at Panahon from October 1 – 31, 2018 at the 11th Floor, Santolan Town Plaza, San Juan City. This is co-presented by Santolan Town Plaza and in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).