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/kənˈvenCHən/
Noun:
A way in which something is usually done.
Once upon a time, the norm for government buildings was to have tasteful architecture. I was roaming around Metro Manila one fine weekend when I ended up at the CCP complex. An imposing edifice caught my attention while in search of the Coconut Palace.
The Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), completed in 1976, is one of the grand projects of the late President Ferdinand Marcos. Designed by the National Artist Leandro Locsin, it is the first international convention center in Asia. It officially opened in 1976 when the annual meeting of the World Bank was held there.
Back to my little adventure. PICC is beautiful inside and out. Its definitely brutalist. Even if it was designed in the 70’s, the building still looks modern inside and out.
The ceiling is just beautiful.
It looks sparkly inside! Very clean.
The PICC lobby.
The benches are simple yet nice.
What surprised me was how clean the place was. PICC is older than the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 and yet it looks more fresh. Even the comfort rooms were decent!
I just hope in the coming years, government buildings would be like the PICC — timeless.
Space of Jase 
Just a correction; it’s post-modernist, not brutalist. Wonderful, isn’t it? Nothing beats unregulated budget for institutional infrastructure. They may be shady people, but the Marcoses did give us some of the most unprecedented public work projects since the San Juanico Bridge. Done by no less than the National Artist for Architecture, and Asia’s very first starchitect.
Oops, my bad! I read somewhere that most of the buildings in CCP are brutalist in design. It’s absolutely wonderful. Sad that most buildings today are bland, uninspired, and utilitarian. Yes, our infra’s best years were under the Marcos regime.
There are no “brutalist” buildings in CCP. The Marcos era is generally post-modern in style due to the cheapness of cement that time. In fact, I don’t know of any brutalist architecture in the country. Its a common misconception that whenever concrete is left unpainted, it is automatically brutalist. That is, of course, off-mark. 🙂
I think the first ‘permanent’ HQ of ADB is brutalist. If I am not mistaken, it was used by the DFA after ADB transferred to Ortigas.
PICC is quite special to me. That’s where I had my HS and college graduations. 🙂
Yes! I forgot to mention that it’s always chosen as the graduation venue of top schools and universities. 🙂