'It doesn't put walls around everything': behind the plans for Manila's new contemporary art centre

"The centre will focus "on exhibitions, commissions, research and public programming rather than building a large permanent collection", according to a spokesperson. Situated within a 2.5-hectare site, Kontempo will include three large gallery spaces measuring up to around 2,500 sq. m and surrounded by 15,000 sq. m of green space intended for public art installations and programming."

"Yantrasast describes his design as "porous". He uses the term both literally and metaphorically: referring to the building's multiple points of entry and open sightlines, aimed at dissolving the boundary between interior and exterior, as well as an institution that resists enclosure."

"Together with the Philippine firm Lor Calma & Partners, headed by Ed Calma, he wants to tap into Filipino heritage and materiality. Rather than replicate vernacular motifs, Kontempo draws from principals of tropical architecture, such as permeability and climatic responsiveness, and on traditions of communal gathering that are embedded in Filipino culture."

Kontempo Center for Contemporary Art is a new institution under construction in Manila, developed by the Ayala Foundation with Reuben Keehan as inaugural artistic director. Located on a 2.5-hectare site beside the Pasig River in Circuit Makati, the center will feature three large gallery spaces totaling approximately 2,500 square meters and 15,000 square meters of green space for public art installations. The institution prioritizes exhibitions, commissions, research, and public programming rather than building a permanent collection. Architect Kulapat Yantrasast designed the facility with a "porous" approach, creating multiple entry points and open sightlines to dissolve boundaries between interior and exterior spaces. The design incorporates principles of tropical architecture and Filipino heritage, emphasizing permeability, climatic responsiveness, and communal gathering traditions.

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