What does it mean to build Filipino? 🇵🇭
Snippets from my x DLSU Literature Department talk on the enduring relevance of “Tropical Modernism.”
As we celebrate Philippine Independence, my dad Arch. Bobby Mañosa leaves us with a question that remains important:
How do we continue the search for what is truly Filipino in architecture?
Arch. Gelo Mañosa
Building greater appreciation for Filipino design 🇵🇭
Architect at MAÑOSA & COMPANY
15/05/2026
Honored to be included in Tatler Philippines's roundup alongside so many thoughtful projects where Filipino architecture continues to evolve — drawing from heritage, climate, craft, and contemporary ways of living to create spaces that feel rooted, responsive, and distinctly our own.
For , that meant reimagining the traditional Filipino balai in a way that belongs naturally to Siargao’s landscape: porous spaces, deep overhangs, local bamboo, and architecture that works with nature rather than against it.
Grateful to see conversations around Filipino design continuing to grow. 🇵🇭
Future forms: 9 defining projects in Philippine design today Design in the Philippines is entering a new era as top talents reshape spaces for work, life and leisure
30/04/2026
Took a quick trip to Singapore with the new TUMI Alpha 04 Brief Pack ✈️
Managed to pack a whole weekend trip’s worth of essentials — clothes, toiletries, laptop, camera, work folio, even sneakers – all in a backpack that looks smart enough to walk from the airport straight into lunch with a client.
Most importantly, Kat (not easily impressed by my bag choices) seems convinced 😂🙏
Quietly efficient, thoughtfully built.
The new Alpha collection is now at stores.
In architecture, even the smallest of details can carry meaning.
For example, the on our roofs are a nod to the Filipino farmer. At times, they might even pack an extra function⚡️
Got any other questions? Share them in the comments.
Thank you to for hosting an illuminating discussion on “Resilience by Design” with fellow panelists Oliver Chan of Arthaland and Eric Manuel of Arch Capital.
One of the most underrated conversations we need to have in architecture is about time.
When I sit down with clients, I try to talk about the full lifespan of a building — not just how it looks today, but what it will become 30, 40, even 50 years from now.
That long view can inform the materials we choose, how we build, and how responsibly a structure ages with its environment 💪
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