Coconut Palace
Coconut Palace or Filipino Home (Tahanang Pilipino) is the official residence of the Vice President of the Philippines. It’s located at the CCP Complex and was commissioned by then-First Lady Imelda Marcos for the arrival of Pope John Paul II in 1981 (the Pope refused the offer). Designed by architect and National Artist Francisco Mañosa, Coconut Palace is a showpiece of the coconut’s versatility and viability as an export. It is shaped like an octagon (the shape of a coconut before being served), with its roof shaped like a traditional Filipino salakot or hat.
Bahay Kubo Mansion
National Artist Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa’s own nipa hut home in Ayala Alabang village is also known as the bahay kubo mansion. It is designed as a truly Filipino home, keeping in mind the alternating hot and rainy weather in our tropical country. It uses indigenous materials, and was created to be an eco-friendly and self-sustainable home.
PBCom Tower
PBCom Tower is an office skyscraper in Makati and currently holds the title as the tallest building in the Philippines with 52 storeys. It looks down on the other buildings in the area at a height of 259 meters. Its façade uses tinted insulation vision glass from to bottom to seal off heat and noise.
Petron Megaplaza
Along Buendia stands Petron Megaplaza, previously the tallest building in the Philippines. It has 45 storeys and towers 210 meters high.
(Check out R.R. Zapanta Design Built Contractor)
Parish of the Holy Sacrifice
Designed by National Artist Leandro Locsin, the circular chapel at UP Diliman has been named a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Institute, and a Cultural Treasure by the National Museum. The Parish of the Holy Sacrifice has a unique circular shape, a central altar, and a concrete shell dome roof that allows natural lighting and ventilation. What makes the church even more extraordinary is that the Stations of the Cross are done by National Artists Vicente Manansala and Ang Kiukok.
[Above photo from http://sampung-piso.deviantart.com]
The Mansion
The Mansion is the official summer residence of the President of the Philippines located at the summer capital of the country, Baguio City. The main building is of Spanish Colonial Revival design, and was originally built as the official summer residence of the US Governor-Generals during the American colonial period.
Sinking Bell Tower
One of the tallest bell towers in the Philippines is the 45-meter-high Sinking Bell Tower in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. It was built by the Augustinians in 1612, but has earned the “sinking” moniker because the sandy foundations couldn’t hold its massive weight. The Sinking Bell Tower is our very own version of Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Zuellig Building
The Zuellig Building is located on the corner of Makati Avenue and Paseo de Roxas. W.V. Coscolluela & Associates is part of the team that built the first high-rise with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Core and Shell) (LEED-CS) Gold Pre-certification in the Philippines. The structure is designed to be environmentally responsible and resource-efficient – a pioneer for green buildings in the country. That makes it infinitely cool.
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
Cape Bojeador or Burgos Lighthouse is a cultural heritage structure in Burgos, Ilocos Norte built during the Spanish colonization. The octagonal stone tower stands 65 feet tall and marks the northwesternmost point in Luzon. The lighthouse has been declared a National Historical Landmark, as well as a National Cultural Treasure by the Philippine government.
Midas Hotel
What had been named as the Sheraton, the Savoy, and the Hyatt is now known as Midas Hotel. The former Hyatt Regency on the famed sunset boulevard has gone through numerous transformations such that it no longer looks as it did when Leandro Locsin built it. Midas Hotel stays true to its 5-star predecessor and boasts of 240 guestrooms and suites, and even encases the original adobe walls of the Hyatt behind glass as if rare relics of its era.
Molo Church
Iloilo boasts of a national landmark in the form of the Molo Church. Its façade is a display of Gothic-Renaissance architecture, the only one of its kind outside Manila. The interior fuses together Gothic and Romanesque styles. Molo Church has been nicknamed the “feminist church” or “women’s church” because it exhibits 16 images women saints inside. It has survived fires, earthquakes, typhoons, and even artillery barrages during the war.
[Above photo from http://lantaw.blogspot.com]
Sunken Cemetery
The Sunken Cemetery isn’t so much a building as it is a large cross in the middle of the sea. In Camiguin Island, Mt. Vulcan Daan erupted in the 1870s and sank the town’s cemetery and an ancient Spanish Church below sea level. The huge cross was erected to commemorate the swept remains of the island’s departed locals.
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