Panimulang Ratsada

I don’t have any idea about architecture. All I know that it is a form of art creating and building house and making the imagination possible. I was confused when I took the topic in blog but I told to myself to pursue the topic and learn the things with regards to Architecture.

I browse the internet and look for an issue or a specific topic in my first entry in blog. I have learned we have many Filipino architects who gave a lot of contribution to the Philippines, like Juan F. Nakpil.

As an architect,  Nakpil has contributed immensely to the present shape and form of Philippine modern architecture. Born on the 26th of May, 1899 in the district of Quiapo, Nakpil first ventured into the arts as a young child. Joining various competitions in school, Nakpil showed his immense talents in arts winning various distinctions in his drawing classes. As a young man, Nakpil took up and eventually obtained a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Kansas in 1922, where in 1950 he was honored by the same school as "distinguished alumnus". After being encouraged by an uncle, the young Nakpil ventured in 1922 into his first love, architecture, enrolling at the prestigious Fontainebleau School of Fine Arts in France, Nakpil under the tutorage of Carlu and Laloux, noted architects of the Palais de Chaillot, gained insights into European architecture particularly French Beux Art which was still popular at the time. As a student in Fontainebleau, Nakpil showed great talent being listed as among the top 10 of 40 in his class. Being a Filipino in Europe at that time, Nakpil was able to continue the great triumphs of early Filipino nationalists such as Luna, Hidalgo and most notably Rizal, a couple of decades earlier. With a degree in both civil engineering and architecture in hand, Nakpil furthered his education by gaining the Joseph Evelyth Scholarship in 1925 at the Harvard Graduate School for Architecture. While studying in Harvard, Nakpil entered a design competition open to students of Boston Institute of Technology , the Architects Club of Boston and the students of Harvard University. As a Filipino student in a bastion of White American society, Nakpil triumphed among all others, being the only student not only of Harvard but from the Philippines to have won.

       In 1928, the young Nakpil joined the prestigious firm of Andres Luna de San Pedro. Working on noted projects such as The Crystal Arcade and the Don Gonzalo Puyat and Sons Building. Influenced by the great artist's son, Nakpil opened his own firm in 1930, creating marvels of modern architecture. Throughout his long studies abroad, as well as the diverse influences he has received, Nakpil has created in time a diverse catalogue of structures. Showing influences of French Beau Arts, Art Deco, and the International Modern Style. A master of designing, Nakpil was able to merge and create a distinctly Filipino Style with the different mediums he handled. A much honored Architect, Nakpil received the highest honor for his craft in 1973. He died in 1986 leaving a vast legacy of monuments in honor of the modern Filipino architect.