The face of new...

ld materials have put a new face in the Manila Bulletin office– wowing visitors and even netizens.

“When outsiders enter the Manila Bulletin, they are often surprised. People think that since MB is the oldest newspaper in the country, the working place will be somewhat old and boring. But they’re wrong,” said MB Support Service Supervisor Edward Llanes, who headed the team that conceptualized the stylish new look of the MB’s head office in Intramuros, Manila.

“We used old materials to make tables, chandeliers, and other furniture. At the second floor, there are long tables which are made from the wood of an old bowling alley,” he said.

More interesting details put character into the building – the ceiling is decorated with old aluminum plates of the newspaper pages. Chairs are made from scraps of palochina wood that were the crates of the printing machines. Old fluorescent bulbs and old CD cases were crafted into chandeliers.

To help purify the air inside the office, Llanes said they put plants, mostly on walls, hanging like a vertical garden. Water-based paint adds to that concern for clean air.

In March 2016, the Manila Bulletin office was featured in Kalibrr.com, where it was called a “newsworthy office.”

“They’re 116 years old but they’ve more than kept with the times .... Manila Bulletin is rocking the office scene since 1900,” the writer of the article wrote.

Little did they know that such beautiful furniture and furnishings were made from scrap, Llanes said.

Creating such a beautiful design – like the honey comb which was made out of old newspaper plates – took a lot of time and hard work. It’s a very tiring task, said Llanes.

“But when I saw the finished product, my tiredness disappeared. Seeing the reaction of the people who visit gives great joy to our team,” he said.

Another attraction in the MB office is the large Star Wars display which shows a scene from the popular science-fiction film series. Its most recent addition are figures from Rogue One, the latest addition to the Star Wars saga.

The Star Wars diorama, now on its second year, was built by the same team who crafted many attractive décor in MB. It took them three days to build the diorama with recycled materials including old plywood, styrofoam and plaster.

By now many people know that MB mounts an extraordinary Christmas display every year which attracts crowds during the yuletide season. Last Christmas, the carnival theme created a fun landscape in the MB lobby complete with a moving carousel with reindeers, a hot air balloon, and giant Christmas trees.

It usually takes two weeks to complete the annual Christmas display. Llanes, however, enjoys designing the annual Christmas display because he had a difficult childhood.

Llanes’ inspiration for the Christmas displays goes back to childhood memories. “When I was a kid, I made my own toys. Now, I am using it as an inspiration to give joy to the children, he said.