'In loving work, there is honor'

MANILA, Philippines - “In Loving Work, there is Honor.”

This is the essence of 55 years of excellence in the practice of architecture of a multi-talented multi-awarded luminary in the field of Philippine architecture – Rogelio G. Villarosa.

He admits getting personally attached to every project that he designs and implements, for each one is an extension of his thoughts, his feelings, his dreams. To his credit, he has more than 1,400 projects, each with an indelible Roger G. Villarosa mark, the mark of excellence — his legacy to the architectural industry and to the Filipino people. To him, a project is successful if the ultimate buyer or unit owner is happy and finds satisfaction with his acquisition, and the developer achieves the projected profits.

One of his earlier projects, the Alexandra, a cluster of 11 residential buildings, is the epitome of Architect Villarosa’s “Green Philosophy”. A development of Philippine Realty and Holdings Corp. in 1989, The Alexandra is one of the first three planned gated communities in the Philippines designed by Villarosa, the first being the Monteverde residential community in Greenhills, followed by the 105-unit Manila Bay Homes at the Reclamation Area.

The Alexandra was a novel development which was immediately sold out. Its buyers to date, are happy with their units, designed to be larger than the standard units in other comparable projects. They are happy as well with the total ambiance of the Alexandra complex where greenery abounds. Villarosa’s green architecture then was ahead of the times.

The Andrea North in Balete Drive corner N. Domingo near New Manila, Quezon City, also a Philrealty development designed by Villarosa, was inspired by The Alexandra. According to Villarosa, “It is meant to be the crowning glory of The Alexandra. Its first tower, Andrea Skyline, is now under construction and soon to be completed by mid-2010. “We would like to continue the ‘green philosophy’ here in the Andrea North project, a development comprising five towers. We will maximize taking advantage of light and ventilation which ultimately redound to energy conservation. This is the bottomline, “Villarosa said. He states that density is relatively low or even better, compared to other projects.

The 32-storey Andrea Skyline has 340 units. Villarosa stressed that “a sense of order” is what characterizes the development. He explained that in masterplanning this project, there are hidden principles that are not readily visible to non-technical persons. He says, “You may not see this planned orderliness, but you will palpably feel and sense it through the arrangement of the buildings, the spatial relationship and alignment of the different axis lines. This sense of order is more felt than seen.”

“As in The Alexandra, green patches in the Andrea are plenty all around. This greatly contributes to the saleability of the units. We are thinking of the welfare of the unit owners, and the healthy surroundings of their domicile. Even the function room at the roofdeck (Loggia), is surrounded by landscaped quadrants designed by I.P. Santos,” Villarosa explained.

Villarosa considers his numerous projects —a mix of residential and office condominiums, hotels, clubhouses, hospitals, schools, industrial plants, socio-cultural and community centers, resorts — all these, as works of love.