Because the country is in the middle of the international trading pool, cross cultural interaction and influences are inevitable from music to clothing to architecture. Turalba added that “architecture is about culture. Culture is about use of space and different people use it differently. Our own culture asserts itself.”
In addition, architecture is a noble and creative profession. In designing, Turalba said “you can discipline people or you can destroy the Filipino people though your architecture. It is being sensitive to the need of the person, to the nature of the person.”
She cited the inherent Filipino warmness and hospitality. Part of our culture is to welcome and escort family and relatives to the airport, which should be considered in the design of airport terminals. “A foreigner may not appreciate this but this is our culture. This is us. Isn’t it heartwarming to have all these people waiting to bring you home?” (more…)
