History of Architecture 4

RESEARCH REPORT:
Leandro “Lindy” V. Locsin ’s
life & his works

Submitted By:
Crisangelyn C. De Vera

Submitted To:
Ar. Lester Anthony Calunsod

Date Submitted:
December 7, 2019
 Leandro Locsin’s life & his works

Life

Leandro Locsin also known as “Lindy” to his friends and

admirers, was born on the 15th of August 1928 in Silay City,
Negros Occidental. Lindy was the eldest of Guillermo Locsin
and Remedios Valencia’s seven children. He was named
after his paternal grandfather, Don Leandro Locsin y de la
Rama, who was first governor of the said province.

At 1935, Locsin brought to Manila by his parents to study at

De La Salle Brothers before returning to Negros because of
the World War II. When he returned to Manila, he pursued a
bachelor’s degree in Music at the University Of Santo Tomas
instead to study Pre-Law. Although he has passion with Leandro "Lindy" V. Locsin
playing piano, he decided and shifted to Architecture. Just a
© philippinerealestatenews.com, 2018
year before he graduate, he married Cecilia Yulo which later
he had children and whom was also an architect.

He is widely known as one of the best architects in the Philippines. Aside from being a Filipino
Architect, he is also an artist and an interior designer. He is said to be known for his works making
use of concrete, floating volume, duality of light and heavy, buoyant and massive, and simplistic
design which seen in his projects. During 1990 by the late former President Corazon C. Aquino, he
was proclaimed as a National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture. Locsin is also an avid
collector. He became fond of modern painting and chinese ceramics. He also reshaped the urban
landscape with a distinctive architecture reflective of Philippine art and culture.

As quoted from Leandro Locsin. He said, “The Architecture of my country is a synthesis of our
society. Our art of building reflects our people at a specific time, their aspirations, traditions, culture,
economic resources, technology, environment, climate, and all other components of Philippine
socity. This relationship between architecture and society is universal, for it exists in other cultures
besides ours. Yet the work is the expression of one individual, the person who puts himself into the
particular problem that a structure addresses, whether it be a house, a building, or any structure
designed for a particular function. In this sense, it is the architect’s subjective view of a specific
challenge to which he responds with a personal solution and a personal statement.”

His Works

Before taking the Architecture board exam, Locsin took his apprenticeship at Ayala and Company
which is now known as the Ayala Corporation. During his time, he became a close friend of the
Ayalas. In 1974, he was commissioned to do a project which houses the Ayala’s art collection – Ayala
Museum. The said museum was known for the juxtaposition of huge blocks in order to facilitate the
interior of the exhibition. Later then, Locsin was even asked to design the first building in the Ayala
Avenue and several of its residences.
Mostly of Leandro Locsin’s work has been inside the country but during in 1970, he tasked to
designed the Philippine Pavilion of the World Expo located in Osaka, Japan. His largest single work is
the Istana Nurul Iman, the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei.

In the Philippines, Locsin also designed some of the buildings at the UP Los Baños campus. The
Dioscoro Umali Hall, the main auditorium – which was clearly an example of his distinct architecture,
due with its large canopy that makes it resembles the main theatre of the CCP. Most of his work is
concentrated on the the Freedom Park, with the Student Union Building, which once damaged by a
fire, the Carillon, the Continuing Education Center and the auditorium. He also designed UPLB’s Main
Library, SEARCA Residences, and several structures at the National Arts Center (housing the
Philippine High School for the Arts) situated at Mt. Makiling, Los Baños, Laguna. During 1992, he
received the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize from Fukuoka City.

Latern on, Leandro V. Locsin died on Nov 15, 1994 in Makati City. The campus of De La Salle-
Canlubang, built in 2003 on a land donated by his family, was named after him.

Some of his known local projects

Cultural Center of the Philippines

 The façade is dominated by a two-storey

travertine block suspended 12 meters
(39ft) high by deep concave cantilevers
on three sides.
 The rest of the structure is clad in
concrete, textured by crushed seashells
originally found on the reclamation site.
 Built on a massive podium, and entry is
through a vehicular ramp in front of the
raised lobby and a pedestrian side entry
on its northwest side.
Cultural Center of the Philippines
 In front of the façade and below the
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ramp, there is an octagonal reflecting
pool with fountains and underwater lights.
 He combined the male and female principles
 The CCP Main Building’s podium’s gentle sloping curves give way to an enormous box and
the interior is an amazing interplay between the sexes; soft vs hard.
CCP Complex Buildings

 Folk Arts Theater

 Philippine International Convention Center, Manila
 Philippine Center for International Trade and Exhibition
 The Westin Hotel (Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel)

Airport Terminal Buildings

 Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Terminal 1)

 Davao International Airport

Some of his known foreign projects

Philippine Pavilion (Osaka, Japan)

 The dramatic roof sweeping up from the ground was

intended to express the soaring prospects and future-
oriented outlook of the Filipino people.
 The architectural message was that although the
Philippines is a young and developing county, it has a
progressive spirit.
 Fine Philippine hardwoods and other native materials
were used extensively throughout the pavilion.
 The pattern of the narra planking on the ceiling
directed the eye up toward the apex.
 Panels of capiz shell in the skylight diffused a warm Philippine Pavilion (Osaka, Japan)
interior light.
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Istana Nurul Iman

 The place of the Sultan of Brunei.

 Considered to be Locsin’s largest single work
with a floor area of 2.2 million sq feet.
 Architectural motif of golden domes and
vaulted roofs to echo Brunei’s Islamic and
malay influences.
 The construction was said to be handled by
Ayala International, a Filipino construction Istana Nurul Iman
firm.
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His Achievements and Awards

 TOYM (Ten Outstanding Young Men) Award

for Architecture given by the Philippine Junior Chamber of Commerce 1959
  Rizal Centennial Award for “Outstanding Work in Architecture” conferred by the President of
the Philippines; 1962
 University of Santo Tomas Gold Medal Awarded for nomination as “Outstanding Alumnus of
the College of Architecture and Fine Arts”; 1968
 Philippine Republic Cultural Heritage Award conferred by the President of the Philippines;
1970
 Proclaimed as a National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture in 1990 by the late former
President Corazon C. Aquino
 Filipino Architect with no foreign training

References:

1. Leandro Locsin
https://pgoyos.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/leandro-locsin-and-his-works/
2. Forging Modernism: The early years of Leandro Locsin
https://bluprint.onemega.com/early-years-leandro-locsin/