Architecture of the Philippines - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

is a reflection of the history and heritage of the country. The most prominent historic constructions in the archipelago are from the Spanish

Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....

, Japanese

Japanese architecture

' originated in prehistoric times with simple pit-houses and stores that were adapted to a hunter-gatherer population. Influence from Han Dynasty China via Korea saw the introduction of more complex grain stores and ceremonial burial chambers....

, Malay, Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

, Chinese

Chinese architecture

Chinese architecture refers to a style of architecture that has taken shape in East Asia over many centuries. The structural principles of Chinese architecture have remained largely unchanged, the main changes being only the decorative details...

, and American cultures.

The pre-colonial architecture of the Philippines consisted of the Nipa hut

Nipa Hut

The nipa hut also known as bahay kubo, is an indigenous house used in the Philippines. The native house has traditionally been constructed with bamboo tied together and covered with a thatched roof using nipa/anahaw leaves....

made from natural materials but there are some traces of large-scale construction before the Spanish colonizers came but not well documented. An example of this is the pre-colonial walled city of Manila although later after the Spanish colonization, dismantled by the Spaniards and rebuilt as Intramuros. There are also other minor pre-colonial walled cities like Betis and Macabebe.

During three hundred years of Spanish colonialization, the Philippine architecture was dominated by the Spanish influences. During this period, Intramuros

Intramuros

Intramuros is the oldest district in the present day city of Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines. Nicknamed the "Walled City", Intramuros is the historic fortified city of Manila, the seat ot the government during the Spanish Colonial Period. Its name in Latin, intramuros,...

, the walled city of Manila, was built with its walls, houses, churches and fortress. The Augustinian friars built a large number of grand churches all over the Philippine Islands.

During this period the traditional Filipino "Bahay na bato" style for the large houses emerged. These were large houses built of stone and wood combining Filipino, Spanish and Chinese style elements.

After the Spanish-American war

Spanish-American War

The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

, the architecture of the Philippines was dominated by the American style. In this period the plan for the modern city of Manila was designed, with a large number of neoclassical architecture

Neoclassical architecture

Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...

and art deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

buildings by famous American and Filipino architects.
During the liberation of Manila by the Americans in 1945, large portions of Intramuros and Manila were destroyed. In the period after the second world war many of the destroyed buildings were rebuilt.

At the end of the 20th century modern architecture with straight lines and functional aspects was introduced. During this period many of the older structures fell into decay. Early in the 21st Century a revival of the respect for the traditional Filipino elements in the architecture returned.

Pre-colonial architecture

Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, the main form of dwelling for a family in the Philippines was the nipa hut

Nipa Hut

, a single room house composed of wood, bamboo or other native materials. Though the styles of the nipa hut varied throughout the country, most all of them shared similar characteristics including having it raised slightly above ground on stilts and a steep roof. Aside from nipa huts, other small houses were built on top of trees to prevent animal as well as enemy attacks.

Architecture during the Spanish Colonial era

Spanish colonization introduced Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an architecture into the country. The influence of European architecture and its style actually came via the Antilles

Antilles

The Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...

through the Manila Galleon

Manila Galleon

The Manila galleons or Manila-Acapulco galleons were Spanish trading ships that sailed once or twice per year across the Pacific Ocean between Manila in the Philippines, and Acapulco, New Spain . The name changed reflecting the city that the ship was sailing from...

. The most lasting legacy of Spain in terms of architecture was its colonial parish churches designed by innumerable Spanish friars.

Bahay na bato

In this era, the nipa hut or bahay kubo gave way to the Bahay na bato (stone house) and became the typical house of noble Filipinos. The Bahay na bato, the colonial Filipino house, followed the nipa hut's arrangements such as open ventilation and elevated apartments. The most obvious difference between the two houses would be the materials that was used to build them. The bahay na bato was constructed out of brick and stone rather than the traditional bamboo materials. It is a mixture of native Filipino, Spanish and Chinese influences. Excellent preserved examples of these houses of the illustrious Filipinos can be admired in Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Ilocos Sur

Ilocos Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Vigan City, located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the provincial capital...

. In Taal, Batangas

Taal, Batangas

Taal is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 51,459 people in 8,451 households.It is the Balisong and Barong Tagalog Capital of the Philippines...

, the main street is also lined with examples of the traditional Filipino homes.

Intramuros

is the old walled city of Manila located along the southern bank of the Pasig River

Pasig River

The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it is lined by Metro Manila on each side...

. The historic city was home to centuries-old churches, schools, convents, government buildings and residences, the best collection of Spanish colonial architecture before much of it was destroyed by the bombs of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Of all the buildings within the 67-acre city, only one building, the San Agustin Church, survived the war.

Fort Santiago

Fort Santiago is a defense fortress built for Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi. The fort is part of the structures of the walled city of Intramuros, in Manila, Philippines. José Rizal, the Philippines' national hero, was imprisoned in the fort before his execution in 1896...

(Fuerza de Santiago) is a defense fortress established by Spanish conquistador

Conquistador

Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...

, Miguel López de Legazpi

Miguel López de Legazpi

Miguel López de Legazpi , also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo , was a Spanish conquistador who established one of the first European settlements in the East Indies and the Pacific Islands in 1565. He is the first Governor-General in the Philippines...

. The fort is the citadel

Citadel

A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....

of the walled city of Intramuros

Intramuros

, in Manila

Manila

Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...

, Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

.

The location of Fort Santiago was also once the site of the palace

Palace

A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...

and kingdom

Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...

of Rajah Suliman, chieftain of Manila of pre-Spanish era. It was destroyed by the conquistadors upon arriving in 1570, encountering several bloody battles with the Muslims and native Tagalogs

Tagalog people

The Tagalog people are an ethnic group in the Philippines. The name Tagalog comes from either the native term tagá-ilog, meaning 'people living along the river', or another native term, tagá-alog, meaning 'people living along the ford', a ford being a shallow part of a river or stream where people,...

. The Spaniards destroyed the native settlements and erected Fuerza de Santiago in 1571.

Paco Park

Paco Park is a 4,114.80 square metre recreational garden area and was once Manila’s municipal cemetery during the Spanish colonial period. It is located along General Luna St...

was planned as a municipal cemetery

Cemetery

A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...

for the well-off and established aristocratic Spanish families who resided in the old Manila, or Intramuros

Intramuros

. The cemetery is circular in shape, with an inner circular fort that was the original cemetery with niches on the hollow walls. As the population continued to grow, a similar second outer wall was built with the thick adobe hollow walls with niches, the top of the walls made into a walkway circumnavigating the park. A Roman Catholic chapel was built inside the inner walls, dedicated to St. Pancratius.

Augustinian Churches

The order of the Augustinians, Augustinian Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines

Augustinian Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines

The Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines of the religious Order of St. Augustine was officially formed on March 7, 1575.-Historical background:...

, build many churches all over the Philippines. These magnificent structures can still be found all over the Philippine Islands.

The San Agustin Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, is the most famous of these churches. This unique specimen of Filipino architecture from the Spanish area has been included in the World Heritage Sites List of the UNESCO. The church was built by the Augustinian friars from 1694 until 1710.It shows the earthquake proof baroque style architecture.

San Agustín Church and Monastery

San Agustin Church, Manila

San Agustin Church is a Roman Catholic church under the auspices of The Order of St. Augustine, located inside the historic walled city of Intramuros in Manila. Completed by 1607, it is the oldest church still standing in the Philippines...

, built between 1587 and 1606, is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines

Philippines

, and the only building left intact after the destruction of Intramuros

Intramuros

during the Battle of Manila (1945). The present structure is actually the third to stand on the site and has survived seven major earthquakes, as well as the wars in Manila

Manila

. The church remains under the care of the Augustinians

Augustinians

The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...

who founded it.

The San Agustín Church lies inside the walled city of Intramuros

Intramuros

located in the capital city Manila

Manila

, Philippines

Philippines

. It is the first Europe

Europe

an stone church to be built in the Philippines

Philippines

designed in Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

architectural structure. The church also houses the legacies of the Spanish conquistadors, Miguel López de Legazpi

Miguel López de Legazpi

, Juan de Salcedo

Juan de Salcedo

Juan de Salcedo was a Spanish conquistador. He was born in Mexico in 1549 and he was the grandson of Miguel López de Legazpi and brother of Felipe de Salcedo. Salcedo was one of the soldiers who accompanied the Spanish colonization of the Philippines in 1565...

and Martín de Goiti

Martin de Goiti

Martín de Goiti was a Spanish Basque conquistador and founder of the city of Manila in the Philippines. Martín de Goiti was one of the soldiers who accompanied the Spanish colonization of the East Indies and the Pacific, in 1565. He was the leader of the expedition to Manila, ordered by Miguel...

who are buried and laid to rest in a tomb, underneath the church.

The church has 14 side chapels and a trompe-l'oeil ceiling. Up in the choir loft are the hand-carved 17th-century seats of molave, a beautiful tropical hardwood. Adjacent to the church is a small museum run by the Augustinian order, featuring antique vestments, colonial furniture, and religious paintings and icons.

Together with three other ancient churches in the country, it was designated as part of the World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

"Baroque Churches of the Philippines

Baroque Churches of the Philippines

The Baroque Churches of the Philippines is the official designation to a collection of four Spanish-era churches in the Philippines, upon its inscription to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993.The collection is composed of the following:...

" in 1993.

Lighthouses

During the Spanish and American era many lighthouses were constructed around the Philippine Islands. The most Northeastern Lighthouse can be found in Burgos, Ilocos Norte

Burgos, Ilocos Norte

Burgos is the last town in the northwest corner of the island of Luzon. It was named after the martyred priest Jose Burgos who, together with two other clergymen, were accused of mutiny and later executed in Manila. He was born in the Ilocos Region....

Architecture during the American colonial period

After the Spanish American war in 1898, the Americans took over rule of the Philippines until after the second world war. During this period the Americans constructed many Neoclassical

Neoclassical architecture

buildings in Manila.

In 1902 Judge William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...

was appointed to head the Philippine Commission to evaluate the needs of the new territory. Taft, who later became the Philippines' first civilian Governor-General, decided that Manila, the capital, should be a planned town. He hired as his architect and city planner Daniel Hudson Burnham, who had built Union Station and the post office in Washington

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

. In Manila, Mr. Burnham had in mind a long wide, tree-lined boulevard along the bay, beginning at a park area dominated by a magnificent hotel. To design, what is now known as, the Manila Hotel

Manila Hotel

The Manila Hotel is a 570-room, five star hotel in Manila, Philippines, located in the heart of the Manila Bay area. The Manila Hotel is the oldest premiere hotel in the Philippines, built in 1909 to rival Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the President of the Philippines, and opened in...

Taft hired William E. Parsons, a New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

architect, who envisioned an impressive, but comfortable hotel, along the lines of a California mission, but grander. The original design was an H-shaped plan that focused on well-ventilated rooms on two wings, providing grand vistas of the harbor, the Luneta, and Intramuros. The top floor was a large viewing deck that was used for various functions, including watching the American navy steam into the harbor.

Many of these buildings were heavily damaged during the Battle of Manila in 1945. After the second world war many were rebuilt. Many buildings in Manila were designed by the Filipino architect Juan M. Arellano.

In 1911 the Army Corps of Engineers constructed the Manila Army and Navy Club

Manila Army and Navy Club

The Manila Army and Navy Club was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1911. The club is located a long the Luneta Park at the shore of Manila Bay. Together with its sister, the "Elks Club" it has been the center of the social life of the Americans during many decades. In the later part of...

at the shore of Manila Bay bordering the Luneta Park. The building consisits of a Grand entrance and has three stories that housed the various function rooms and the Hotel rooms. It has been in use far into the eighties however it has fallen into dacay and is in need of restoration.
At T.M. Kalaw Street stands one of the remaining structures that survived the liberation of Manila in 1945, the Luneta Hotel, which was completed in 1918 . According to study by Dean Joseph Fernandez of the University of Santo Tomas

University of Santo Tomas

The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines , is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. Founded on April 28, 1611 by archbishop of Manila Miguel de Benavides, it has the oldest extant university charter in the...

, the hotel was designed by the Spanish architect-engineer Salvador Farre. The structure is the only remaining example of the French Renaissance architecture with Filipino stylized beaux arts in the Philippines to date.
This famous landmark fell gradually into decay. In 2007 the renovation activities have started and it is hoped that this building will be restored to its old grandeur.

The Manila Metropolitan Theater

Manila Metropolitan Theater

The Manila Metropolitan Theater or MET is an art deco building designed by the Filipino architect Juan M. Arellano, and inaugurated on December 10, 1931, with a capacity of 1670...

is an art deco building designed by the Filipino architect Juan M. Arellano, and built in 1935. During the liberation of Manila by the Americans in 1945, the theatre we totally destroyed. After reconstruction by the Americans it gradually fell into disuse in the 1960s. In the following decade it was meticulously restored but again fell into decay. The City of Manila is planning a renovation of this once magnificent building.

The sculptures in the façade of the theater are from the Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Monti, who lived in Manila from 1930 until his death in 1958, and worked closely together with Juan M. Arellano. Highly stylized relief carving of Philippine plants executed by the artist Isabelo Tampingco decorate the lobby walls and interior surfaces of the building.

In 1940 the Manila Jai Alai Building

Manila Jai Alai Building

The Manila Jai Alai Building was a building designed by American architect Welton Becket that functioned as a building for which jai alai games were held...

was constructed along Taft avenue, designed by architect Welton Becket

Welton Becket

Welton Becket was an architect who designed many buildings in Los Angeles, California.Becket was born in Seattle, Washington and graduated from the University of Washington program in Architecture in 1927 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree .He settled in Los Angeles in 1933 and formed a...

. It has been built in the Philippine Art Deco style. In addition to the Jai Alai game it included the famous " Sky Lounge". Unfortunately, demolition began on July 15, 2000 on the orders of Mayor Lito Atienza. The building is now gone for ever.

At the Far Eastern University

Far Eastern University

Far Eastern University in the University Belt area, West Sampaloc, City of Manila, is a nonsectarian, private university in the Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, FEU became a university in 1934 under the guidance of...

(FEU) in Quiapo, Manila, five Art Deco structures on the campus were designed by National Artist Pablo Antonio

Pablo Antonio

Pablo S. Antonio was a Filipino architect. A pioneer of modern Philippine architecture, he was recognized in some quarters as the foremost Filipino modernist architect of his time. He was conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines by President Ferdinand Marcos in...

. Three were built before World War II

World War II

and two, after. Although FEU buildings were totally damaged during the war, the university was restored to its original Art Deco design right after. The university was given a (UNESCO) Asia Pacific-Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage in 2005 for the outstanding preservation of its Art Deco structures.

Art Deco theaters in the Philippines

During the rise of cinema in the Philippines as a form of recreation, several theaters were constructed in the 1930s to 1950s in the Art Deco

Art Deco

style designed by prominent architects now recognized as National Artists. Some though are no longer existing due to damages and to gave way to these days city developments.
The following are the Philippine architects who contributed and lead to the design of the classic Philippine theaters:

Juan Nakpil
Juan Nakpil
Juan F. Nakpil was a Filipino architect, teacher and a community leader. In 1973, he was named one of the National Artists for architecture, and tapped as the Dean of Filipino Architects....

, a Philippine national artist
National Artist of the Philippines
A National Artist of the Philippines is a title given to a Filipino who has been given the highest recognition for having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts...

for Architecture
Pablo Antonio
Pablo Antonio
Pablo S. Antonio was a Filipino architect. A pioneer of modern Philippine architecture, he was recognized in some quarters as the foremost Filipino modernist architect of his time. He was conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines by President Ferdinand Marcos in...
Juan M. Arellano

United Architects of the Philippines

The United Architects of the Philippines or UAP is the Official Voice for Architects throughout the country. The UAP was formed through the “unification” of three architectural organizations: the Philippine Institute of Architects, The League of Philippine Architects and the Association of Philippine Government Architects. It became the Bonafide Professional Organization of Architects upon receiving Accreditation Number 001 from the Professional Regulation Commission

Professional Regulation Commission

The Professional Regulation Commission , otherwise known as the PRC, is a three-man commission attached to the office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines. Its mandate is to regulate and supervise the practice of the professionals who constitute the highly skilled manpower of the...

. Thus, UAP was the first professional organization recognized by the Republic.

With the passing of the new architecture law or Republic Act No. 9266, UAP becomes the IAPOA or the Integrated Accredited Professional Organization of Architects.

Antipolo Church

The image of "Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage" has been venerated in the church of Antipolo

Antipolo

Antipolo is a city in the Philippines located in the province of Rizal; about 25 kilometers east of Manila. It is the largest city in the Calabarzon Region in terms of population...

for centuries. The old church that housed the virgin was destroyed in February 1945 when the Americans bombed Antipolo as part of the liberation campaign of Manila. In 1954, a new church was built designed by the renowned Filipino architect Jose de Ocampo. This church is of a cupola

Cupola

In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....

ed design centered around the image of the Virgin. It functions as the center point of the pilgrimages to Antipolo.

Parish of the Holy Sacrifice

The Parish of the Holy Sacrifice is the landmark Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

chapel in the University of the Philippines Diliman. Known for its architectural design, the church is recognized as a National Historical Landmark and a Cultural Treasure by the National Historical Institute and the National Museum respectively. Five National artists collaborated on the project. The building was designed by the late National Artist

National Artist of the Philippines

A National Artist of the Philippines is a title given to a Filipino who has been given the highest recognition for having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts...

for Architecture, Leandro Locsin

Leandro Locsin

Leandro V. Locsin was a Filipino architect, artist, and interior designer, known for his use of concrete, floating volume and simplistic design in his various projects. An avid collector, he was fond of modern painting and Chinese ceramics. He was proclaimed a National Artist of the Philippines...

. Alfredo Juinio

Alfredo Juinio

Alfredo Lazarte Juinio was a civil engineer, educator, and public official of the Philippines. He served as the dean of the College of Engineering of the University of the Philippines. Alfredo Juinio Hall, the building that houses the National Engineering Center, is named after him...

served as the structural engineer for the project. Around the chapel are fifteen large murals painted by Vicente Manansala

Vicente Manansala

Vicente Silva Manansala was a Philippine cubist painter and illustrator.Manansala was born in Macabebe, Pampanga. From 1926 to 1930, he studied at the U.P. School of Fine Arts. In 1949, Manansala received a six-month grant by UNESCO to study at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Banff and Montreal, Canada...

depicting the Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...

. The marble altar and the large wooden cross above it were sculpted by Napoleon Abueva

Napoleón Abueva

Napoleón Isabelo Veloso-Abueva , more popularly known as Napoleón Abueva, is a Filipino artist. He is a sculptor given the distinction as the Philippines' National Artist for Sculpture. He is also entitled as the "Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture"...

. The mosaic floor mural called the “River of Life” was designed by Arturo Luz.

Bahay Kubo mansion

In May 2008, National artist

Artist

An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...

for architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

Francisco Mañosa

Francisco Manosa

Francisco Mañosa is a Filipino architect and national artist noted for his Filipino inspired architectural designs. He designed The Coconut Palace.Manosa, on May, 2008 built his own Ayala alabang village Bahay Kubo mansion...

, designer of the oconut Palace, built his own two-storey Bahay Kubo mansion

Mansion

A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...

in Ayala Alabang Village

Ayala alabang village

Ayala Alabang was an outer suburb of Metro Manila in Muntinlupa city district in the Philippines around from the center of Metro Manila. The upscale neighborhood was created in 1981. Large portion of it came from Barangay Alabang....

, a wealthy suburb south of Manila. With only 3 posts or "haligi", it has five one-inch coconut

Coconut

The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...

shell doors, a "silong" , Muslim

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

room, sala, and master's bedroom with a fish pond

Fish pond

A fish pond, or fishpond, is a controlled pond, artificial lake, or reservoir that is stocked with fish and is used in aquaculture for fish farming, or is used for recreational fishing or for ornamental purposes...

therein.

Other prominent Filipino architects

Leandro V. Locsin (1928–1994) is one of the modern architects who have shaped the modern Filipino Architecture. During his career, he built five churches, over 30 different buildings, over 70 residences, and major landmarks in the Philippines including the Cultural Center of the Philippines
Cultural Center of the Philippines
The Cultural Center of the Philippines is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines. The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos...

.

Carlos A. Santos-Viola
Carlos A. Santos-Viola
Carlos Antonio Santos-Viola was an architect in the Philippines. He is best known for designing and building churches for the Iglesia ni Cristo religious group....

is an architect who build churches all over the Philippines.

Juan Carlos Eugene Soler is the only Filipino to win the prestigious Glass Architectural Design Competition in Tokyo, Japan in 2009.

External links

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