Project Title & Location
PHILIPPINE TRADE EXHIBITS
Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard, Manila

Client
MINISTRY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Philippine Government
Makati City

Project Completion
May 1979

Associated Firms
Design Management and Development Corporation

Services Provided
- Site Development Planning
- A & E Design Services

When the UNCTAD Conference was held in Manila in 1979, an urgent need to put up an exhibition hall large enough to show-case Philippine progress was made. The concept is to build in a horizontal - sprawl a one kilometer long trade exhibit floor of one story. This design strategy allows several gangs of building workers for the various construction trades to work in concert to complete the project on time. Tapped to complete the job in 14 days and of the best quality are two large contractors, FF Cruz and DM Consunji.

Prefabricated timber trusses are used to fast track the erection of the building frames. The truss system when demounted is designed to modularly fit the dimensions of school buildings in the countryside. Fiber cement roof with ridge rolls of "wet" sheets are used on the steep truss. Floors are of cast concrete, also on 40mm x 4-0mm modules.

To help the cadence of the workers, martial music blares loudly even through the wee hours of the day.

The structures are to be dismantled after the UNCTAD conference so that these can be utilized for the erection of school buildings in the provinces. However, up to this day the structures are still in the area after the exhibit sponsors prevailed upon the Financial Center officials to allow the buildings to stay.