In the transition period from post-war liberation to Independence, the ideals of the City

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.