THE 2024 TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards-Asia hailed Clark International Airport (CRK) as the International Airport of the Year–Philippines last Nov. 26 in Singapore. The award is given for excellence in travel services and transformative travel experiences.
The Manila Times took this as an opportunity to sit down and speak with the architect, Royal Pineda, whose design instigates innovation in the airport’s services.
Inspired by the beautiful mountains of Zambales, the roofs mimic the landscape; the terminal gateways evoke the sprawl and repetition of the peaks. The design is driven by nature and culture as the floor follows the patterns of lahar flowing down the Sacobia River as well as the lanterns of Pampanga.
The intention was to give a sense of ownership and pride to the locals who will maintain the airport. For Pineda, a government building must amplify the pride of the citizens, Pampangueños and the Filipino community. In hewing close to the Zambales countryside, the design was simultaneously Filipino and international.
“We wanted an idea that was happening globally,” said Pineda. “It must be universal and relatable to many, a modern Filipino sensibility we can offer to the world.”
This gift to the larger international community lay in how the design solved tropical architectural problems. He gave as an example the use of lahar plaster: “Since it is organic, even when it ages, a simple lahar plaster is always beautiful. It can be used in residences. It is at once Filipino and modern.”
Inspired by the mountains of Zambales.
A design driven by nature and culture.
A core principle in his practice is keeping the narrative simple and legible. Pineda believes design can change the country exponentially when it becomes basic, especially in government infrastructures. Design as dreaming for the many is one reason Pineda strives to create public spaces like airports and stadiums.
For him it is a failure in imagination if a government-funded building simply copies Western or classical architecture without providing solutions rooted in our geography and climate, and does not make sense to the majority of Filipinos.
Working with government
Something to look forward to is how the Clark International Airport will respond to the fact that going abroad is a family and barangay affair for Filipinos. He revealed that a village of wishers and greeters area would be built in the next phase: “It pains me to see the people behind the grills in NAIA 1. That shed is not a decent venue to wait for a balikbayan.”
Instead, he envisions a park with appropriate dining spaces catering to a diverse clientele. For example, travelers may still eat in the “jeepneys,” but at least they can wish their friends goodbye or meet them in a landscaped garden. Soon through this area, travelers will alight from the train that connects the airport to Metro Manila.
Pineda believes that modern Filipino design is more than using the functional form of a hangar or adopting indigenous forms like the “bahay kubo” or “bahay na bato.” The triangular and pitched roofs, which make water run off faster, address the profuse rains in the tropics. “We needed to address the 250-kilometer speed of wind, the earthquakes, the heat.”
One important design consideration is the notoriety of government spaces for not being well-maintained. Countering this perception, the airport exhibits open ceilings for easy detection and mending of leaks.
“Airport technology is fast moving. Having an open ceiling gives you more room to upgrade,” said Pineda.
Rather than being daunted by the challenges, Pineda is energized to work with the government. He leads a growing movement that holds that public and civic spaces need not be aesthetically challenged.
Pineda said that the government must adopt what he calls “practical luxury,” which does not intend to build expensive spaces only for the rich. By “luxury,” he means a better way of living through design. If properly conceived, public spaces will address people’s problems at less cost.
He wants to build not only smart and sustainable cities but also modern Filipino ones, which will boast iconic buildings and structures that transform and make lives better. The Clark International Airport is a herald of things to come.
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