Philippine Architecture Quiz

Philippine Architecture

• Revival of Classical Orders: A resurgence around 1400-1600 in Italy of architecture from ancient Greece and Rome, emphasizing symmetry, proportion, harmony. This style often featured columns, pediments, arches, and domes.
• Four Baroque Churches: San Agustin Church, Manila; Paoay Church, Ilocos Norte; Miag-ao Church, Iloilo City; Santa Maria Church, Ilocos Sur. All are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• Intramuros, Manila: A walled city built during the Spanish Colonial era characterized by examples of Baroque architecture. It houses many important historical buildings including the San Agustin Church.
• American Colonial Architecture: A style that combined elements of Greek and Roman architecture and the use of government buildings to create a distinctly American visual language. It lasted roughly from 1750 to 1850.
• Art Deco: Developed in the 1920s to 1940s. It was primarily about using stylized, geometric forms, simplified Greek and Roman elements, and materials like concrete, glass, and metal.
• International Style: A modernist architectural approach (1930s to 1960s) that embraced simple geometric forms, large untextured surfaces, usually white, extensive use of glass, and steel or reinforced concrete construction. Devoid of regional characteristics.
• Post Modernism: A reaction against modernism (1980s onwards) that embraces and reinterpret elements of earlier architectural periods (such as arches and columns) but with a new, unique approach.

Filipino Architects and Masterpieces

• Maestro de Obras (First Filipino Architect): Studied in Europe, worked in England and India before returning to the Philippines and designing Santo Domingo Church and San Ignacio Church in Intramuros.
• Tomas Mapua (PRC #0001): The first Filipino architect to be licensed. He worked with Carlos Barreto in public service. He was a graduate of Cornell University and went on to start the Mapua Institute of Technology and design portions of De La Salle University and the Philippine General Hospital's Nurses' Quarters.
• Carlos Baretto (PRC #0002): The first Filipino architect to hold an academic title from an American Institute of Learning. He studied at Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Antonio Toledo (PRC #0003): Designed the Department of Tourism Building, the Leyte Provincial Capitol, and the Manila City Hall.
• Juan Nakpil (Father of Philippine Architecture): He was a civil engineering graduate of the University of Kansas. He later studied architecture in Fontainebleau, France, and received his master's degree from Harvard University. Nakpil's design style focused on:
  • Understanding local climate, seismic conditions, and natural environment.
  • Employing indigenous materials.
  • Key projects: Quiapo Church expansion; Quezon Institute; Capitol Theater; University of the Philippines-Diliman Administration Building; Rizal Theater; Manila Jockey Club; Rufino Building; Philippine Village Hotel; University Library; reconstructed Rizal house in Calamba, Laguna.
• Ramon Roces (Father of Modern Architecture): He dropped out of Mapua Institute of Technology due to financial issues, but went on to complete his architecture degree at the University of London. His design style emphasized:
  • Clean lines, plain surfaces, and bold rectangular masses.
  • Functionality over aesthetics.
  • Key projects: White Cross; Far Eastern University Administration and Science buildings; Manila Polo Club; Ideal Theater; Lyric Theater; Galaxy Theater, Capitan Luis Gonzaga Building; Boulevard-Alhambra (now Bel-Air) apartments; Ramon Roces Publications Building.
• Leandro Locsin (Master of Concrete): His works are often characterized by:
  • "Floating volume", the duality of light and heavy, buoyant and massive.
  • Key projects: Church of the Holy Sacrifice in Diliman, Istana Nurul Iman – Palace of Sultan of Brunei, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Folk Arts Theater, Philippine International Convention Center, Philcite, The Westin Hotel, Manila International Airport (NAIA 1), Davao International Airport, Church of the Holy Spirit, Church of Monastery of the Transfiguration.
• Ildefonso P. Santos Jr. (Father of Landscape Architecture) : He studied medicine before switching to architecture and then focusing on landscape architecture. He received a bachelor and master's degree in landscape architecture at the University of Southern California. He is known for:
  • Key projects: Makati Commercial Center, Paco Park, Tagaytay Highland Resort, Mt.Malarayat Golf and Country Club, Orchard Golf and Country Club, Rizal Park, Asian Institute of Management, Nayong Pilipino, Manila Hotel.
• Gabriel Formoso : Known for significant modern architectural designs serving both spiritual and secular needs. He studied architecture at UST, placed in the Top 7 of the Architecture Board Exam in 1938, and obtained a diploma in liturgical art and architecture from the Rome-based International Institute of Liturgical Art.

Explore the rich history of Philippine architecture through various styles such as Baroque, American Colonial, and Art Deco. This quiz covers notable buildings, significant periods, and the influence of classical orders in Filipino architecture. Test your knowledge on UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the architectural landscape of Intramuros, Manila.