The country’s first and most stalwart champion of authentic Filipino architecture, Francisco T. Mañosa, takes the centre stage on February 14 at the National Museum.
Best known for his work on the Coconut Palace, the Amanpulo and Pearl Farm resorts, the EDSA Shrine and other Philippine landmarks, Arch. Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa will be having his works, original drawings and models, as well as never-before-seen plans and projects from February to May 2017. The exhibition is organised by the Mañosa Group of Companies and in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Distinguished guests will get to see firsthand the architectural retrospective of Mañosa’s life and work on February 12 in a by-invitation only reception. The exhibition will open to the public on February 14.
“Architecture must be true to itself, its land, and its people,” Mañosa said, founding a philosophy that guides his firm and inspires young architects to this day. Inspired by traditional vernacular forms such as the bahay kubo and the bahay na bato, Mañosa combined indigenous materials with state-of-the-art building technology to create structures that were beautiful, functional, and supremely adapted to Filipino culture and the country’s tropical climate.
The exhibition entitled, “MAÑOSA: Beyond Architecture” includes new and archival photographs, examples of vernacular materials, furniture, and interior elements, and audio-visual presentations. Approximately 50 projects from all phases of Mañosa’—ranging from cultural, ecclesiastical, and social institutions, resorts, mass-housing, residential, and ephemeral structures—are represented.
“Bobby Mañosa’s insistence on the importance of design and formal expression in the lives of the Filipino, and his adept handling of materials, light, and space, demonstrate why he is one of the great Filipino architects of the twentieth century,” explains Architect Gerard Lico, lead curator of the exhibit.
Apart from Mañosa’s architectural work, the exhibition also explores his other creative passions as a jazz musician, toy designer, and designer of craft.