country’s cultural identity. First colonized by Spain then Japan and finally America, Filipinos joke that they spent 400 years in a convent, five in a prison camp, and 45 in Hollywood. This complexity finds its creative expression in the work of these six post-war architects, whose vision simultaneously captured the country’s history while looking towards the region’ future. Leandro Locsin (1928- 1994) was in some ways a quintessential. A brilliant architect, interior designer, artist, and classically trained pianist, Locsin was also a keen art collector, amassing a sizable collection of fine Chinese art and ceramics during his lifetime. Despite the wide range of buildings Locsin created, all of them have one thing in common: CONCRETE. His ability to make this most monolithic of materials appear weightless, and to elegantly combine Western brutalism with vernacular elements, led Locsin’s peers to dub him the “poet of space.” Leandro Locsin (1928- 1994) Locsin was determined to reconfigure western architectural mores for a Filipino audience. His most substantial contribution to Filipino architecture is the , a collection of five buildings that demonstrate the architect’s drive to find a vernacular form of modernist architecture. The NationalTheater building within the complex is a good example of Locsin’s trademark style. Known as “floating volume,” it consists of a two- floor-high block of travertine marble cantilevered 12 feet into the air. The theater harks back to traditional Filipino dwelling huts, but on a monumentally modern scale. Leandro Locsin (1928- 1994)
The CCP Complex PHILCITE
Pablo S. Antonio(1901-1975
One of the first exponents of modernist
architecture in the Philippines, Pablo Antonio (1901-1975) is revered as a pioneer and the foremost architect of time. This success was perhaps unexpected for a boy who was orphaned at 12 and who dropped out of his first architecture program. It was during his studies at the University of London that Antonio began to shine, completing a five-year program in only three years. He went on to revolutionize popular architecture in the Philippines, eschew in the fashionable neo-classical style for hi own version of art deco. Antonio was acutely aware of the demands made on architecture by the unforgiving Philippine climate. Pablo S. Antonio(1901-1975
Buildings such as the Galaxy
Theater, the Far Eastern University, and the Manila Polo Club display practical innovations such as natural ventilation systems and sunscreens, all of which are rendered in Antonio’s signature style: clean lines, strong shapes, and simplicity As Antonio’s son Pablo Jr explains, “for our father, every line must have a meaning, a purpose. For him, function comes first before elegance and form.” Far Eastern University Pablo S. Antonio(1901-1975
Galaxy Theater Ideal Theater
Juan Nakpil(1899–1986)
The son of veterans of the Philippine Revolution,
Juan Nakpil (1899–1986) was committed to the belief that architecture built in the Philippines should reflect its culture and people. In his early career, Nakpil spent time studying in the United States and France , absorbing the lessons of international architecture. When he returned to Manila in the mid- 1920s, Nakpil applied his new-found knowledge to Filipino structures. He worked on the restoration of the home of national hero Jose Rizal and, like Locsin, took inspiration from traditional stilt houses, remaking them in cantilevered concrete on a mammoth scale. His own holiday home was designed along these lines, combining traditional nipa roofing (made out of natural materials) with a poured concrete base. Juan Nakpil(1899–1986)
Nakpil worked on dozen of buildings
across the nation, from the Manila Jockey Club and the Quiapo Church, to the Mabini Shrine and government departments. Despite his determination to make buildings specifically for Filipino citizens, some of his designs were considered too radical by the public. Nakpil’s stainless steel pylon, superimposed over a granite obelisk memorialising Jose Rizal was unpopular and was soon removed. But Nakpil’s failures were few, and he remained one of the Philippines’ most popular and revered architects until his death. He was named a National Artist for Architecture in 1973. Juan Nakpil(1899–1986)
Rizal Theater Manila Jockey Club
Juan Nakpil(1899–1986)
Rufino Building Philippine Village Hotel
Juan Nakpil(1899–1986)
University Of The Philippines
Administration And Rizal House University Library José María V. Zaragoza(1912-1994)
• José María V. Zaragoza’s place in Philippine
architecture history is defined by a significant body of modern edifices that address spiritual and secular requirements. Zaragoza’s name is synonymous to modern ecclesiastical architecture. Notwithstanding his affinity to liturgical structures, he greatly excelled in secular works: 36 office buildings, 4 hotels, 2, hospitals, 5 low-cost and middle-income housing projects; and more than 270 residences – all demonstrating his typological versatility and his mastery of modernist architectural vocabulary. José María V. Zaragoza(1912-1994)
• Zaragoza graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila in
1936, passing the licensure examinations in 1938 to become the 82nd architect of the Philippines. With growing interest in specializing in religious architecture, Zaragoza also studied at International Institute of Liturgical Art (IILA) in Rome in the late 1950s, where he obtained a diploma in liturgical art and architecture. His training in Rome resulted in innovative approaches, setting new standards for the design of mid- century Catholic churches in the Philippines. His prolificacy in designing religious edifices was reflected in his body of work that was predominated by about 45 churches and religious centers, including the Santo Domingo Church, Our Lady of Rosary in Tala, Don Bosco Church, the Convent of the Pink Sisters, the San Beda Convent, Villa San Miguel, Pius XII Center, the Union Church, and the controversial restoration of the Quiapo Church, among others. architecture in Philippines buttressed by a half-century career that José María V. Zaragoza(1912-1994) produced ecclesiastical edifices and structures of modernity in the service of God and humanity.
Santo Domingo Church José María V. Zaragoza(1912-1994)