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Figure 1:
An illustration of Philippine General Hospital’s Frontal Façade.
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In 1907, the US-Philippine commission had appropriated a sum of P780,000 to build
a hospital along Calle Rizal (or what
is known today as Taft Avenue). The consulting architect, William Parsons, had
already designed and built buildings in the Philippines such as the Philippine
Normal School (1901) along Ayala Boulvard in Manila, the Mansion house (1908)
in Baguio City, and the early campus of the University of the Philippines
Manila (1908). By 1909, a central administration building, various wards and
operating rooms and an out clinic for the hospital had been built. On September
1, 1910, the hospital, which was to be known as the Philippine General
Hospital, was completed and opened to the general public. (Philippine General
Hospital History, n.d) (See Figure 1 above)
While Wikipedia describes the Architecture of
Philippine general Hospital as Neo-classical in style, the hospital’s stylistic
design can be argued to be more of a simplified example of Spanish Colonial
Revival Architecture (with inspiration from the existing Philippine
architectural tradition), which was a United States architectural style
movement popular between the 1915 and 1931 and was based on the Spanish
colonial architecture of old Spanish cities in the Americas. (Architectural
Styles in Palo Alto, n.d)
As seen in the frontal façade of the hospital, Parson’s
design of PGH had stayed faithful to the preexisting Philippine Spanish
colonial architectural tradition found in Manila, for both aesthetic and
functional reasons. Large spans of smooth pastel-colored plaster wall, simple
in design with almost no form of ornamentation, compose both the interior and exterior
of PGH. Low pitched clay tiled roof with long eaves to provide shade for the
walls of the building, also typical in the existing Spanish colonial architecture,
was adopted in the roof design of PGH. Parson had agreed with Burnham’s idea that
there was a particular “picturesque quality” of local Spanish architecture that
should be maintained and should be “taken as examples of future structures” for
their “beauty and practical suitability to local conditions” to which Parson
thoroughly considered in the design of PGH. (Hines, 1932)
In various secluded sections and facades of PGH both
in the interior and exterior, Parson also made use of decorative iron grill
work/trim, small porches and tall double-hung sash windows for the design of
the hospital (See Figure 2 & 3). This design choice may have taken
inspiration from the practical function of ventilation and aesthetic
look/ornamentation of ventanas and ventanilas of local Spanish architecture
(such as the Bahay na Bato). It is important to note that the numerous large
double-hung windows and open porches which connect the exterior environment and
interior environment of the hospital not only provide for better cooling and
ventilation in the tropical heat, but may also signify the Filipino value of of
having a sense of openness and sociability. For example, during the Spanish
colonial period, Filipinos would open the tall ventanas of their bahay na bato
homes in the mornings to the noise and activities happening in the street below
and at times, would even take part in social and business activities from
his/her vantage point.
Figure 2
& 3: To the left small porches and iron grill work of PGH. Bottom left:
The numerous large double hung windows used in the design of PGH.
Parson was also notable for his use of the
unique local architectural tradition of using Capiz shell on the sash windows
of his buildings, such as PGH, to allow soft light to enter the interior while
also preventing the glare of the sun as seen in the 2nd floor windows of
Figure 1.
From top
left going to right: Figure 4: An aerial view of PGH. Figure 5: An illustration
of one of numerous patio within PGH. Figure
6: Pathway leading to interior courtyard. Figure 7: Green space in interior
courtyard of PGH.
Numerous inner courtyards with fountains (and
the addition of green spaces) are found in PGH (See aerial view of PGH in
Figure), and are reflective of the plaza in various Spanish towns during
Spanish colonial era as the design of PGH’s structure is oriented inwards to
these areas (See Figures 4-7 above). The easy access to these numerous and
large spaces by users of the hospital generally reflect Burnham’s idea of City
Beautiful movement, which pushed for providing more public spaces. These
courtyards connected to open-air corridors also allow for better ventilation
and cooling.
The choice of including these spaces in the design of
PGH also shows Parson’s consideration of Filipino values of being close to
nature due to the numerous green areas of these spaces, of taking strolls and
walks (practiced during Spanish colonial period the as evidenced by bay where
rich Filipinos would take afternoon carriage rides) and of the close
relationship between internal and external environments for social reasons
mentioned earlier.
Figure 8 & 9: Top left, an example of the shaded arcade of PGH. Top right: Profiles of the numerous arches used in the design of the hospital.
Perhaps the most recognizable features of PGH
would be the long broad arches, and the shaded arcades and corridors (See
Figure 8 & 9 above) connected to inner patios and courtyards where patients
can wait and stroll around. Like the function of the large ventana-inspired
windows of PGH, these open-air areas allow for better ventilation and cooling
in the hospital and provide for natural lighting. (Hutchinson, 2010) The stylistic
decision to design these arcades and corridors the way they are is conventional
in Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture and in the design of various local government Spanish
colonial buildings which Parsons took inspiration from. Filipino values of openness/sociability,
of closeness to nature, and of taking leisurely walks are again reflected in
this design choice of creating particularly open spaces with sparse physical
barriers.
