1912-1994

Was chosen President for a 3-yr term of the

Philippine Institute of Architects (PIA) 1979-1981
Architect Jose Ma. Velez Zaragoza was born in
Quiapo in 1912

Half Spanish, Half Filipino

He was born into a family with a tradition in the arts

He is one of the first Philippine-educated Filipino
architects

He was educated in the University of Santo Tomas
where he graduated in 1936 and was granted the
license to practice in 1938, to become the countrys
82
nd
licensed architect
Placed 7
th
in 1938 Architecture Board Exam.
Established the Jose M. Zaragoza & Associates
Architects & Engineers in the very same year
Married to Pilar Rosellom with 7 Children


AWARDS
Philippine Institute of Architects Gold Medal
of Merit, 1977
Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan, 1973

He represented the Philippines in International
conferences on Architecture; sometimes he is
the only Asian present in those occasions

In his lifetime, he met some important architects
who shaped modern architecture like Frank Lloyd
Wright, Lucio Costa, and Oscar Niemeyer, all of
whom further enriched his aesthetic.

His works translates designs made for the
Glory of God and Man.

He cemented his status as a Designer for
Churches

His works comprise about 45 Churches all over
the country.

The Church featured cross rib vaults in the ceiling, an influence that could be
traced to Pierre Luigi Nervi.
Rectilinear forms were voided and replaced by ribbed concrete vaults.
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption,
San Francisco, California
Paul VI Audience Hall, Vatican City
The Roof Can be likened to a
dome which features spirals
Pylon rises 100 feet high, all in
concrete and crapped by a steel
cross.
..the Dome itself is uniquely
designed that it looks like a sliding
board on a playground.. Fr.
Barquin
The official residence of the Archbishop of Manila
Palace features a chapel
with gilded baldaquin

It had to reflect the same
religious aura that
characterized the churches
that Zaragoza designed.
Pope John Paul

In expanding the Church. Zaragoza
preserved as much as possible the
colonial flavor of Juan Nakpils design.
He never touched the faade and also
spared the altar area designed by
Maximo Vicente Jr.

Zaragoza sought the collaboration of great
Filipino artists during his time to make the
Santo Domingo not only the National Shrine
for Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary but
also a premier repository of Philippine
Religious Art.
The portraits of 4 Evangelists were done by Antonio Garcia Llamas.
STAINED-GLASS windows by
Galo Ocampo
Francesco Monti
Eight paintings of
National Artist Carlos V.
Francisco on the life of
Santo Domingo.
Zaragoza's semi-circular building
architecturally turns the corner from the foor
of Jones Bridge leading to the Escolta
The Shopping center that
Zaragoza was more identified with
however, was the Virra Mall in
Greenhills, San Juan, built in
1975.
Books have praised it for its
architectural prowess, which at the
time of its construction, was
considered futuristic.
The atrium is the focal point of the
building
Used glass as chief architectural
material

Zaragozas first
foray in the
Shopping Center
Circuit is
represented in his
work at the
Shoemart (SM) at
the junction of Rizal
Avenue and
Carriedo.
One of the first stores in the heart of Manila
to be built with glass walls
First to install escalators for customers
Inspired by the fender of
his cougar car.
Series of vertical blades in
concrete arranged in a
concave manner
Shield the building from
sunlight and rainwater
Able to breath subtlety and
of form into the structure
Impressed Imelda Marcos that she had the
cultural center of the Philippines built
Jose Maria V. Zaragoza: Architecture for God, for Man by: Loudette
Zaragoza-Banson and Ruben Defeo
Philippine Architecture During the Pre-Spanish and Spanish Periods by
Architect Norma Alarcon

www.arkitektura.ph
pinoychurches.wordpress.com
http://www.sunstar.com.ph
dominicvelasquez.weebly.com
tanawin.wordpress.com
nobert-bermosa.blogspot.com
commons.wikimedia.org
www.tripadvisor.com
www.yellow-pages.ph
ph.news.yahoo.com
http://www.artpostasia.com