Beyond the Bahay Kubo: 35 Years of Mañosa and Company Inc.
Date Published: August 17, 2012Thirty five years ago, Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa left the comfort and security of the family firm to pursue his singular vision and passion: to create an architecture that is truly Filipino, and truly contemporary.
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 our tropical climate.
“I design Filipino, nothing else,” he said, and from that bold statement of purpose has grown one of the leading architectural firms in the country.
One of the first architects to champion the use of indigenous materials such as bamboo, coconut shell and rattan, Mañosa also used vernacular design elements in his works, building structures that were identifiably Filipino. But his nationalism went beyond mere surface details. Never just for show, Mañosa designs were meant to be enjoyed and appreciated, to be lived and worked in, and to nurture a sense of family, community and nationhood.
Long before “green architecture” had become a buzzword, Mañosa was already incorporating passive cooling and natural lighting into his designs, resulting in buildings that achieved a high level of comfort with minimal energy expenditure.
Today, the Mañosa name is synonymous with modern Filipino design, and the company he founded is at the forefront of a movement pushing for a sustainable architecture that also expresses Filipino culture and embodies the national character.
Through such landmark projects as the Tahanang Pilipino (better known as the “Coconut Palace”), Palawan’s Amanpulo Resort, the Aquino Center in Tarlac and more recently the Medical City hospital, Mañosa& Co. have built a sterling reputation for creativity, innovation and quality.
Bobby Mañosa’s original crusade for a truly Filipino architecture remains the driving force behind the firm. He now proudly shares carrying the torch with the next generation: his son Angelo is now the CEO of Mañosa & Co., daughter Bambi is the firm’s head of interior design and furniture, and son Dino has branched out into property development through a sister company, Mañosa Properties, Inc.
Organizationally, anchored on core values uniquely Mañosa, i.e., “having fun doing innovative projects that make money”, “work/life balance (family/health)”, “build on the design legacy”. . . more senior specialists now form the enlarged team that was so modestly started 35 ago. There’s a full yet lean line-up of high-calibered executives with matching tie-ups with strategic advisers covering business and property development, branding and marketing, finance and asset allocation, human resource up to construction and property management.
Thirty-five years later, Bobby and his children are poised to take the Mañosa legacy to the next level with the main purpose of instilling Filipino pride by showcasing to the world the Mañosa design through its projects.
Beyond the Bahay Kubo: Mañosa & Co., Inc. (Architectural Design)
By staying true to its founder’s vision while staying current with the latest trends and developments in global architecture, Mañosa & Co. has continued to push the boundaries of contemporary Filipino design. In the process it is defining what sustainable architecture means in the Philippine context, and carving out a significant niche for itself in an intensely competitive field.
“Green design is just good design,” says Architect Angelo Mañosa, the firm’s current CEO.
“And good design adapts the structure to its environment. In a tropical setting like the Philippines, this means designing for the climate. Too many buildings are designed to look good without considering livable they are. Too many designers disregard how the sun hits the windows during the day, which direction the breeze usually comes from, or how rain will hit the roof. As a result, a home or office may look beautiful, but it could also be intolerably hot without constant air-conditioning and consequently massive power bills.”
“The bahay kubo was the original sustainable house. In essence, it already embodies the principles of climate-conscious architecture. It is built from readily available sustainable materials. The high pitched thatch roof insulates the interior from the heat of the sun, while shedding rain and shading the occupants. The house on stilts design allows cross ventilation not just laterally from the large windows, but vertically from the silong beneath.”
“What we do at Mañosa & Co. is to take these principles and apply them to modern designs,” he continues. “Of course, we now also have modern technology at our disposal, in the form of high-performance glass that blocks solar radiation, and energy-saving electrical appliances. We have synthetic materials that provide insulation while lasting forever. We have LED lighting and low-VOC paints. Indigenous natural materials such as bamboo and wood go through new engineering processes to make them even more suitable to modern designs.”
“In the end, what makes a design sustainable is making intelligent choices in planning, procurement, processes and construction. It’s a holistic approach that ensures that we leave as little a carbon footprint behind as we can in creating a new structure, while making it as practical and comfortable to live and work in as possible.”
The firm also stands against the current trend toward “disposable” housing.
“Today most houses are built to last at most 20 years before they become obsolete,” he says. “We build what we call ‘new ancestral houses’—homes that you can pass on to your children, and them to their children.”
Mañosa & Co. is best known for its residential and resort projects, but he emphasizes that the same principles apply to large-scale institutional projects such as office buildings, schools and hospitals. This is one of the directions the company aims to focus on even as it opens itself to international opportunities.
Giving Life to the Design: Mañosa Interiors (Interior Design and Furniture Design)
Bobby Mañosa had always insisted that there be an interior design group to complete his design initiatives for how best can a Mañosa design be appreciated than when the furniture and finishes are brought in to finally capture the lifestyle envisioned for its space user.
Through the interior elements, the use of indigenous materials has constantly been provided with opportunities to bring out what naturally abound tied to adaptation of available technology. All these executed with a dash of artistry which makes the result a Mañosa.
And now, headed by Bambi, the interior design group continues to complete the cycle of delivering the Mañosa design even as it pursues getting into producing Mañosa designed furniture.
Building Sustainable Communities: Mañosa Properties, Inc. (Real Estate Development)
Through Mañosa Properties, Inc., the Mañosas have taken contemporary, sustainable Filipino architecture beyond the design stage by creating premium housing developments that embody its principles and aesthetic.
It’s no stretch to say that the average real estate development represents much of what is wrong with Philippine housing today: cookie-cutter designs that are lifted wholesale from foreign models (no matter how inappropriate), corner-cutting in construction to save on costs, the complete absence of any design flair. “We want to present a real alternative for the more discerning buyer,” says Dino Mañosa, CEO of Mañosa Properties, Inc. “Our elevator pitch is: concept to design to construction, then marketing and turnover to property management.”
“We call it managed development, and it has one key difference: the units are designed and built from the end-user’s point of view, not the seller’s, so the emphasis is on livability, not profitability. The price tag may be a bit higher, but that’s because we don’t cut any corners in construction and finishing. In the end, you get what you pay for, a place you can really call home, in a housing development that has a real potential to grow into a community.”
Mañosa Properties has already created a successful template for its concept in Lantana Lane, a 14-unit townhouse property in New Manila.
Lantana Lane is revolutionary in many respects: its guiding vision is Filipino architecture, and its design incorporates several “green” features that embody an earth-friendly, sustainable philosophy. Rather than cram as many units as possible into the property, the company allocated an unheard-of 60 per cent of the land for open space and gardens. The design, inspired by the bahay kubo and bahay-na-bato, made extensive use of indigenous and recycled materials and allowed for passive cooling. Each unit was provided with a 360-gallon rainwater collection tank for use in watering plants, flushing toilets and washing cars.
“We broke away from the common trend that ‘bigger is better’,” he says. “We believed that people would buy based on quality of concept, the design and the materials used. That's how we managed to sell out. Very few developers put real emphasis on design... To us design is not an added expense; but an added value. Design often makes the difference between a place that simply exists, and a place that can thrive for years to come.”
Although premium priced, Lantana Lane sold out in record time. Units are now selling for 40 per cent over the initial price in the secondary market, confirming the fact that Mañosa Properties, Inc. has tapped into significant underserved niche in the housing market.
It now has several new developments in the pipeline and as Dino Mañosa says: “We have already begun to establish our brand, and attract investors who believe in our vision for the kind of Philippine architecture that we can be proud of.”
The Tukod Foundation:
The firm is also cognizant of its role in propagating its vision of Philippine architecture. Through the Tukod Foundation, it published “Designing Filipino: The Architecture of Francisco Mañosa”, now in its second printing. The foundation is currently preparing for the publication of a second book, “Beyond the Bahay Kubo: 16 Climate-Conscious Tropical Homes by Mañosa” due to launch this summer. It is about to embark on scholarships for deserving architecture students.
Beyond the 35th:
As it celebrates this 3 ½ decade milestone, the Mañosa’s, led by visionary Bobby Mañosa and now actively joined by the 2nd generation who have learned not just the talk but more importantly are living the walk, are eagerly taking the excitement that the future of the 21st century with it’s world of cyberspace, social network, green architecture and technology have to offer. All these to reinforce the Mañosa legacy as it aspires to instill national pride.
