Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex

The CCP Complex from the Roxas Boulevard

The complex is bounded by Manila Bay to the north and west, the Philippine Navy headquarters to the northeast, Roxas Boulevard to the east, and Jose W. Diokno Boulevard to the south. It is divided into two zones: the Art Zone, and the Commercial and Entertainment Zone.[2] It features several brutalist structures designed in the 1960s and 1970s by Leandro Locsin, such as the Tanghalang Pambansa, the Philippine International Convention Center, and the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. Other landmarks in the complex include the Coconut Palace, the Manila Film Center, Star City amusement park, and Harbour Square.[2]

The Cultural Center of the Philippines was conceived in 1966 when President Ferdinand Marcos issued Executive Order No. 60, establishing its board and arranging for his wife, First Lady Imelda Marcos to become chair of its board of directors.[4][5]

The Philippine-American Culture Foundation provided a 90,000 peso grant for its construction, and additional funds were taken from the Cultural Development Fund and the Special Fund for Education.[6] It soon became the premier symbol of what would be called Imelda's "edifice complex".[6]

A comprehensive master plan for the development of the complex was unveiled in 2003. The plan would divide the CCP Complex into six clusters, each of which will be anchored by a major building. First, the Promenade, which will tentatively be named after Lucresia Reyes-Urtula, will include retail and other mixed-use facilities, as well as dock facilities. The second cluster will be the Arts Sanctuary, which will serve as the complex's cultural core. To be anchored by the Tanghalang Pambansa, it will contain a new performing arts theater, the artists' center, a bandstand, the CCP's Production Design Center, and other open areas.

The third cluster, the Green Zone will contain a mix of museums and parks with commercial and office spaces. Fourth, the Creative Hub cluster, will contain spaces for creative industries. Fifth, the Arts Living Room, is envisioned to be a high-density, high-rise area that will house condominiums and similar residential projects. The final cluster, the Breezeway, will be located by low-rise, low-density commercial structures with seafront entertainment facilities. Covered walkways, plazas, and bicycle lanes are planned to connect the various buildings and clusters to ensure a pedestrian-centered design.

The master plan is envisioned to be completed in four phases, from 2004 to 2014; ₱5 billion will be needed for the plan's first five years, and another ₱8 billion for the plan's latter half.[7]

A design contest was held in 2005 to design the first two clusters. Three firms won for their concepts; Syndicated Architects, Manalang-Tayag-Ilano Architects, and JPA Buensalido Design. The concepts of each winner will then be presented to prospective investors and stakeholders for approval.[8]

• 
  Syndicated Architects
• 
  JP Buensalido Designs
• 
  Manalang-Tayag-Ilano Architects

In 2011, Leandro V. Locsin Partners, Architects won the design contest for the Artists' Center and Performing Arts Theater, the two buildings that will anchor the Promenade and Arts Sanctuary Clusters respectively.[9] The proposed Artists' Center will house offices and rehearsal spaces for the CCP's resident companies, a black box theater and rooms for educational programs.[10] The winning design is akin to a traditional Badjao village or a mangrove forest, with rooms and pavilions supported by slim pilotis. The proposed Performing Arts Theater will contain a 1,000 seat conventional proscenium theater and a black box that will seat 300-500 people.[10] In contrast with the Tanghalang Pambansa's massive travertine block, the façade of the new theater will be dominated by its main seating bowl clad in reflective material, evoking a wave rising out of the sea.

On January 19, 2016, construction of a new black box theater started. The facility is being built as a stand-alone structure which will be integrated into the proposed Performing Arts Theater. Estimated to cost ₱50 million, the new theater will be three to four times bigger than the Tanghalang Huseng Batute, the current black box facility of the CCP.[11] It will seat 300 people, with Nagata Acoustics performing the acoustical design.[12]

14°33′14″N 120°58′31″E