Philippine Architecture Defined by the Past Master Architects

Architects in the Philippines should ride the waves of the so-called “golden age of infrastructure” which is projected to happen during the six years of the current administration. According to manilastandard.net, $168 billion will be spent on 5,000 projects across the nation—no wonder the battle cry is: “build, build, build.” However, will it be more fruitful if we don’t just rate the progress by the number of projects but how each structure is going to be designed?

Unknown to many, especially of today’s generation, Manila, the capital of the Philippines, was once called the ‘Paris of Asia’ or ‘Paris of the East.’ It is quite unbelievable, right? Here is a picture of old Escolta before the World War II:

Source: katnip.wordpress.com

It might be impossible to achieve such amazing feat, as pictured above, especially when it comes to cleanliness. Maybe we could transfer our frustration of bringing back the elegant façade of old Manila thru the 5,000 projects. How? By learning from the past architects in the Philippines who brought Manila to its glory days through their world-class projects:

Leandro Locsin = he is the 1990 National Artist for Architecture. As recorded in National Commission for Culture and the Arts website, Locsin believes Philippine Architecture is a product of oriental and occidental cultures. The CCP Complex is one of his works.

Juan Nakpil = he is the “Father of Philippine Architecture” and the founder of “Philippine Architects Society” (renamed as “Philippine Institute of Architects” today). For him, an architecture that is uniquely Filipino is “a style that works with our local climate, seismological conditions, and natural environment,” as written in Reallivng. His creations are the Quiapo Church and Quezon Hall in University of the Philippines (UP). He is also the first National Artist for Architecture.

Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa = his style is known as the “Contemporary Tropical Filipino Architecture.” His works speak volumes of what is considered truly Filipino as seen in the Amanpulo Resort, Pearl Farm Beach Resort and the Coconut Palace. In a Headway Architect blog, Francisco describes what Philippine Architecture is: “Three factors make architecture truly Filipino: Filipino values, Philippine climate and the use of indigenous materials.”

Ildefonso P. Santos = we can’t find any anecdotes from the Father of Philippine Landscape Architecture yet he best describes the essence of Filipino architecture based on the parks, plazas and gardens he designed. The works of the 2006 National Artist for Architecture are the Loyola Memorial Park, Tagaytay Highland Resort and Imus town plaza.

The young architects in the Philippines should draw inspiration from the masters so we can fully-achieved the “golden age of infrastructure” infused with a design which is distinctively Filipino.