Contemporary Heritage: A Deep Dive Into Modern Filipino Architecture

Inspired by our deep-rooted artistry, the Modern Filipino architectural style elevates local elements into statements of luxury for present and future generations

The striking elements of a true Filipino home—the bahay na bato’s capiz windows, ventanillas and grand staircase; the bahay kubo’s pyramid-shaped roof and walls that could be spread to make patio windows; and Art Deco mansions’ bas relief on the walls and doors as well as ornate balustrades and window canopies—may not be as passé as one may think. Filipino heritage architecture, being a treasure trove of elegant styles and ingenious craftsmanship, has become the well of inspiration for many modernist architects in the Sixties. National Artists for Architecture Leandro Locsin and Francisco Mañosa, together with their contemporaries, have reimagined these design characteristics to mimic and enhance spatial flow, line of sight and other experiential elements that are suitable to our country’s climate and lifestyle.

Above The long adobe wall at the façade of the Mango Residence eschews the typical fence and gate

“Modern Filipino architecture is the art and practice of designing buildings that are reflective of the mind and spirit of its people today,” says Emmanuel “Manny” A Miñana, one of the leading architects advocating modern Filipino architecture.

Miñana attributes this influence to his exposure to Locsin and Mañosa’s prodigious work growing up; it moulded him to see and feel the passion, curiosity and dedication to their craft. “My life-long friendship with them and my inherent curiosity for seeing how people live has cultivated my deep affection for what is Filipino,” says Miñana.

Above The Mango Residence’s glass doors give a panoramic views of the Alabang Country Club golf course

Born in Cebu, the esteemed architect finished his studies at the University of the Philippines and founded his architectural firm in 1990. Apart from pursuing further studies at Harvard University, he earned many notable distinctions throughout his career. He received nods from the United Architects of the Philippines last 2020, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in 2018 and was the recipient of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information award for excellence in architecture reflecting East Asian identity in 2015. Moreover, his Villa Marina project for Sta Elena Golf & Country Estate in Cabuyao, Laguna has been a finalist in the World Architecture Festival last 2014.

“That villa, which is the Tantoco residence, was the first modern Filipino architecture to be recognised in that prestigious festival,” Miñana proudly says. “I called it neo bahay na bato.”

Above The Tantoco residence is a family compound set amidst the beautiful greenery of Sta Elena

Villa Marina, on its ground floor, has 20mm-thick adobe stone slabs to clad concrete walls. “It was a modest stone tile ten years ago and has since gained wide popularity,” says Miñana. On the second floor, the architect and his team designed sliding aluminium louvred sunscreens with sliding glass panels. “Done in wood finish, this was our restatement of the age-old sliding capiz upper windows of this building typology,” he adds. Highlighting the sala (large living room) is a ubiquitous capiz chandelier.

“Spatially, the flow of the Tantoco residence feels modern, yet the underlying floor plan is actually vernacular,” Miñana explains. “When one enters through the ground floor’s covered hall, a central grand staircase opens up to the second floor living and dining area, which leads to an azotea (roof deck). Sliding window panels in all rooms bring in open views, effectively creating balconajes (balconies) everywhere.”

Another notable project of Miñana is the Mango residence in Alabang which was built in 2019. “The same spatial flow occurs here, except that we positioned the second-floor living and dining rooms separately, creating two wings,” he illustrates. “The hallway connecting these two rooms looks into an interior garden and ground floor vestibule. This spatial flow is more contemporary than vernacular,” says Miñana.

Above Two antique Javanese adobe jars accentuate the main entrance of the Mango residence

The architect continues that these homes cool passively, with their large roof overhangs and a sensitivity to wind direction, light and views from nature.

The bahay na bato was kept so alive in Miñana’s collective consciousness and eventually reflected in his design philosophy because of the summers he spent growing up in his great grandparents’ house in Misamis Oriental. “We enjoyed extended family reunions and experienced organically the spirit and comfort of our clan’s heritage home,” he says.

Aside from being reminders of a distant past, modern Filipino architecture suits our current sensibilities when it comes to luxurious home living. “These are parts of our country’s cultural heritage and traditions that show us how we have lived,” Miñana says. “In preserving and taking inspiration from the past, we bring pride in our identity as a people.”

For the architect, today’s generation has a new notion of luxury—one with a conscience, ethics and sensitivity to humans and the environment. “People now want to know: Is it truthful? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Is it locally produced? Can it help feed and sustain communities in an inclusive manner? Architecture and design that supports our individual and collective well-being help support this growing consciousness about luxury,” Miñana shares.

Above Sliding glass doors and railings create wrap-around balconies around the house, overlooking lush gardens and ponds

He also explains that he uses materials that are homegrown, easily sourced, long-lasting, affordable, ethical and healthy. A few examples of these would be engineered wood planks, coated aluminium windows that look like wood, large plaster cement boards for ceilings and walls, and solar roof panels for power regeneration.

“A truly modern Filipino home is a tropical home, not a home designed for other climates. [There is] care for passive cooling, wind flow and cross ventilation. The natural lighting and harnessing of solar, water and other energy for regeneration means the effective orientation of architecture and its many components,” Miñana emphasises. “We allow nature to breathe in and out of spaces we design. Architecture needs to bring a sense of comfort and well-being into its users’ lives to succeed. Nothing trumps beauty more than real comfort,” he adds.

Looking back on how far Modern Filipino architecture has come, Miñana and his other distinguished contemporaries like architects Gelo Mañosa and Royal Pineda take pride in the cultivation of this design philosophy and the global recognition it has been receiving in the last decade.

For Miñana, architecture must first respond positively to the climate, and then all other aesthetic nuances amid the rise of smart technology can follow. “Since global warming is the overriding agenda for our contemporary age, Modern Filipino architecture is here to stay,” he believes.

Manny Miñana is the principal architect of Emmanuel A Miñana and Associates. Visit eaminanaarchitects.com for more information.

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Credits

Photography

Andrew Chester Ong for E A Miñana Architects

Tatler Asia

Contemporary Heritage: A Deep Dive Into Modern Filipino Architecture