Activity No. 3 - Artist (Arts in Culture)

ARTIST
(Arts in Culture)
GEC Training – Art Appreciation

Activity No. 3
JERMEL DICHOSO-GRULLA
Presenter
Artist: Francisco “Bobby” T. Mañosa
Born February 12, 1931 in Manila, Philippines.

Background:
• was married
• has 3 children, all of whom now work
for the family company.
– The eldest and only daughter, Bambi, is
the head of the interior design
department of Mañosa & Co, as well as
the Director of the Tukod Foundation.
– The second child, Dino, acts as CEO of
the entire Mañosa Group, and is the
founder and CEO of Mañosa Properties.
– Francisco's youngest son, Gelo, continues
his architectural legacy as the CEO of
Mañosa & Co.
• currently living in Ayala Alabang Village
as a retired but decorated architect.
• Mañosa originally wanted to study music. However,
his father, former Dean of Engineering Manuel
Mañosa, prompted him to take up architecture.
• When he was not working on his projects for the
company, Francisco Mañosa was also part of the
jazz band “The Executive Band”. He played piano
for the band.
• In 2012, Francisco Mañosa had a fall in which he
cracked two vertebrae which had to be fused in
order to heal. He also needed heart bypass surgery
in order to repair a life-threatening ventricular
blockage.
Source of Influence:
• Inspired by traditional vernacular forms such as the bahay
kubo and the bahay na bato, Mañosa combined traditional
forms and indigenous materials with modern building
technology to create structures he felt were best suited to the
Philippines’ tropical climate.
• He is a Filipino architect noted for his Filipino inspired
architectural designs.
• Believing that his own culture should not take a back seat to
foreign architecture, Mañosa dug deeper and discovered that
Filipino architecture is “richer than the architecture of many,
many other countries.” For more than five decades, Mañosa
has actively endorsed Philippine architecture after seeing
Filipinos become more interested in foreign architecture.
• His most notable work
is The Coconut Palace.
Medium of Artwork:
• Bobby Mañosa uses Filipino indigenous

construction materials like coconut leaves,
coconut logs and Philippine hardwoods mixed
with modern materials like glass, concrete and
steel.
Work Samples:
• Mañosa’s works ranged from churches, residential,
commercial to institutional buildings. The following are the
buildings he designed and was realized:
• Churches:
o Mary Immaculate Parish (Nature's Church)
o Assumption College Chapel
o Quadricentennial Altar
o Risen Lord Parish Church
o Shrine of Our Lady of Peace (EDSA)
o St. Joseph Church (Las Pinas)
o World Youth Day Papal Altar
o Mary, Mother of God Parish (Muntinlupa)
• Residential
o Mañosa Residence • Commercial
(Ayala Alabang) o Eagle Ridge Building
o Arnaiz Residence o JMT Corporate Center
o Cahaya "The o The New Medical City
Sanctuary"
o Nielson Towers
o Diego Cierra Homes (Makati)
o Floriendo Residence o San Mig Pub (Ortigas)
o Hoffmann Residence o Saztec Building
o Hofileña Residence o Sulo Restaurant
o Pabahay - Bayanihan
o Pabahay -PNP
• Valenciano Residence
• Institutional oCorregidor Island
oAquino Center oEnvironmental Research
oAteneo Education Center
Building oGatches Village
oAteneo Professional oLanao Provincial Capitol
School church
oBamboo Mansion oLearning Child
oCentro Escolar oPhilippine Friendship
University class Pavilion
oCoconut Palace oSt. Andrew's Parish
School (Paranaque)
• Thanks to Mañosa’s father, the Philippine
architecture is reaping the benefits of Mañosa’s
contributions.
• Some of Maosa’s properties
• Some of the buildings he
designed
• Lanao del Norte

Capitol Building
• Pearl Farm, Samal

Island, Davao
• San Miguel Building,
Mandaluyong City
Awards:
Emerging as a Philippine icon in architecture, Mañosa

received several awards both from local and international civic
and religious organizations. Among them are the following:
• Papal Knighthood of the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the

Great at the Vatican City, 1979
• Fellow, United Architects of the Philippines
• Likha Awardee, United Architects of the Philippines
• Honorary Fellow of the Philippine Institute of Architects
• Gawad Gintong Likha recipient of the UAP, PIA and Cultural
Center of the Philippines
• ASEAN architect
• The PRC Outstanding Architect of the Year,
1994
• Patnubay ng Sining and Kalinangan Awards
(City Government of Manila), 1982
• Golden Award in Filipino Architecture from the
United Architects of the Philippines
• The distinction of being Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) architect, which allows
him to practice his profession anywhere in
Asia and the United States.
• (National Artist in Architecture – Unified
nomination in 2017)
Artwork:
• Title: Nature Church
The Nature Church, also known as the Mary Immaculate
Parish, is a parish church located in Apollo III, Moonwalk
Village, Talon V in Las Piñas, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is
known for its "nature theme" representing the ideas of Fr.
Pierino Rogliardi and the architectural advocacy of Francisco
Mañosa. When it was built in 1986, it was only capable of
accommodating 100 people. Beside the main church is the
San Lorenzo de Manila Chapel, which is a smaller version of
the main church, suited for more intimate church gatherings.
• Art Form: Architecture/Religious Building
• Subject Type: Representation
• Source: Religion, Nature
The Mary Immaculate Parish originated from the Saint Joseph Parish
located at Las Piñas' Barrio E. Aldana, well known for its Bamboo Organ, in an
area where post-war new settlements were mushrooming and the need for
spiritual nourishment was soon answered by a proliferation of chapels within
villages.
Sometime later, when the Holy Family Parish was established in BF
Almanza which was close to Talon, its new parish priest, Fr. Ernesto Joaquin,
took in these chapels, including the Sto. Niño Chapel in Moonwalk. This site
was later chosen to house the new church to be built in honor of Mary
Immaculate.
Originally, the parish church was built out of the old Sto Niño Chapel in
Moonwalk Village, Las Piñas, but as the community and population grew, its
later parish priest, Fr Pierino Rogliardi, saw the need for a larger church
structure. Hence the beginning of the building of the “Nature Church”
complex, which would showcase Filipino organic architecture as championed
by the chosen architect, National Artist Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa.
Kind of Subject: Nature
• Architectural features
– Architect Francisco Mañosa, together with Linggoy
Alvarez who served as the landscaper, executed a
nature concept for the church as the church would
serve as the signature structure of the location's
4,000 square metres (43,000 sq ft) mango
orchard. The idea was conceptualized by former
parish priest Father Pierino Rogliardi. The nature
concept of the church is reflected in different parts
of the church.
• Altar
– Tropical palms and plants served as its backdrop. It provided
privacy for prayer and meditation. The altar is a rough-finished
coral marble slab resting on two madre cacao driftwood
pedestals. Flat-topped boulders of various shapes and sizes line
the altar and are used as seats by altar servers. The flooring of
the altar section, similar to that of the aisles, is interplay of
wood tiles from tree trunks cut crosswise and white pebble
washout.
• Roofing
– The roofing has a suspended, funnel-shaped form. It was
covered with the woven network of 40,000 anahaw leaves,
considered as the biggest anahaw-covered roof in the
Philippines. 176 dove-shaped capiz lanterns spiraling towards
the center of the ceiling were installed.
• Structural components
– Beams and pillar are made out of 50-year-old
mango trees. Six concrete posts provide additional
strength. The flooring is composed of patchwork
of stones and wooden slabs with pebble washout.
• Seats
– Three sections of the assembly area are divided
for seats. They are made out of fallen logs while
kneelers are made out of flat pieces of wood.
• Landscape elements
– A rock garden is located below the altar. It is ornamented with
greens of carabao grass, wild bougainvillea, pakpak lawin, and a
collection of other fern varieties grown on driftwoods. A man-
made waterfall is also located at the boulders of the altar. The
lagoon underneath collects the water, decorated with water lilies.
• Present condition
– A fire occurred on New Year's Day, 2007. A self-propelling firework
called "kwitis" (rocket) ignited a fire at the roofing of the church
along with its electrical and audio system while the wooden seats
were scorched with falling embers. The church was rebuilt,
integrating fire-resistant technology while still being faithful to
Mañosa's original design. The church is made of wood, anahaw
leaves, cogon, capiz, and other native products. The altar is made
of driftwood while polished tree stumps serve as pews.
• Church Entry
• Church Ceiling
• Church’s Wooden Seats

Analysis:
• The elements of Francisco T. Mañosa’s work simply

shows how he is true to his words that being a
Filipino, one must gather his inspiration from its
original design and incorporate it in the present need
in the architecture world. As had been embodied in
his Nature Church, the concept had shown true
Filipino culture for the use of indigenous materials in
almost all of its elements: the columns, the roof, the
pews, the altar table and even the kneelers which
are also made up of flat slab of wood.
Theme:
• Filipino Architecture is truly embodied in all

of Francisco T. Mañosa’s designs. Shown in the
concept based on Filipino culture and the
Philippine environment.
Interpret:
These dictums of
Mañosa reflects how
patriotic he is. He
may be well versed of
other countries’
architecture but he
opted to stick to our
own culture even if it
costs him his clients.
It is his own way of
expressing his love to
his very own country.
Quotation:
“The best designs in Architecture embody the true

culture of the people.”
This is because, in designing, it is the client’s

preferences that have to be primarily considered. The
architect only gives “architectural prescriptions” based
on their needs and wants.
References:
• Borromeo, Mitzi. (2017). Bobby Mañosa: Filipino identity through architecture. By, CNN
Philippines. Retrieved May 1, 2018 from
2017http://cnnphilippines.com/videos/2017/02/15/Bobby-Ma%C3%B1osa-Filipino-
identity-through-architecture.html
• Francisco Mañosa. Retrieved May 1, 2018 from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Ma%C3%B1osa
• History of Architecture. Retrieved May 1, 2018 from
https://historyofarchitecture.weebly.com/francisco-t-mantildeosa.html
• NCCA. Awards in Architecture. Retrieved May 1, 2018 from
http://ncca.gov.ph/subcommissions/subcommission-on-the-arts-sca/architecture-and-
allied-arts-2/awards-in-architecture/
• Travel Philippines: Las Pinas Nature Church. (2008) Retrieved May 1, 2018 from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6QhFwIzvuo
• Unified Nomination of Architect Francisco T. Mañosa for National Artist in Architecture.
(2017). Retrieved May 1, 2018 from https://united-architects.org/news/unified-
nomination-of-architect-francisco-t-maosa-for-national-artist-in-architecture-72
• Villamor, Alexis Ailex Jr C. (2017). Master Filipino architect. Retrieved May 1, 2018 from
The Varsitarian. http://varsitarian.net/tomasino/20100925/master-filipino-architect

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ARTIST

GEC Training – Art Appreciation

Born February 12, 1931 in Manila, Philippines.

• Bobby Mañosa uses Filipino indigenous

• Lanao del Norte

• Pearl Farm, Samal

Emerging as a Philippine icon in architecture, Mañosa

• Papal Knighthood of the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the

• Church’s Wooden Seats

• The elements of Francisco T. Mañosa’s work simply

• Filipino Architecture is truly embodied in all

“The best designs in Architecture embody the true

This is because, in designing, it is the client’s

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