09/09/2026
Today, we celebrate with GFP Architects, with the architects who had the privilege of knowing and working with him, and with the entire Filipino architectural community, the conferment of the National Artist for Architecture upon the late Ar. Gabriel P. Formoso, Founding Partner of GFP Architects.
For us at the UAP Makati Chapter, this recognition carries a very special meaning.
Ar. Gabriel Formoso was among the 30 architects who chartered the UAP Makati Chapter on November 21, 1977. He was not simply part of our Chapter’s history. He was one of those distinguished architects who helped lay its foundation and whose professional life became part of the legacy we continue to uphold today.
He was also a recipient of the Likha Gold Medal Award, the highest distinction bestowed by the United Architects of the Philippines upon an architect whose life and work exemplify professional excellence, ethical integrity, and meaningful service to the profession and the nation.
Beyond the awards and recognitions, including the 1979 PRC Outstanding Architect of the Year Award, the 1973 Republic Cultural Heritage Award, and the 1977 Araw ng Maynila Award, what truly endures is the life he lived through architecture.
His guiding principles of “Beauty, Responsibility, and Simplicity” speak to us even today. They remind us that architecture is not merely about creating buildings. It is about creating places with meaning, serving people with responsibility, respecting our culture, and leaving something worthy for those who come after us.
His buildings became part of our landscape. His ideas became part of our profession. And his example became part of the lives of generations of Filipino architects.
For those who knew him, worked with him, learned from him, or simply admired his work from afar, this moment is more than an award.
It is a moment of gratitude.
A moment of remembrance.
And a moment of profound pride.
After more than two decades since he was first considered for this honor, seeing Ar. Gabriel P. Formoso finally receive the nation’s highest recognition in the field of architecture is both moving and deeply gratifying.
On behalf of the UAP Makati Chapter, we join GFP Architects, his colleagues, friends, students, admirers, and architects across the country in celebrating this extraordinary moment.
Congratulations, National Artist Ar. Gabriel P. Formoso.
Your work has given beauty to our surroundings, your principles have given responsibility to our profession, and your simplicity has given timelessness to your architecture.
Your legacy reminds us that the greatest measure of an architect is not only the buildings we leave behind, but the values, inspiration, and sense of purpose we leave in the hearts of those who follow.
Today, we celebrate you.
Tomorrow, and for generations to come, we will continue to build upon the legacy you left us.
A legacy of Beauty.
A responsibility to society.
A simplicity that endures.
🇵🇭 Mabuhay ang Arkitekturang Pilipino!
Mabuhay ang legacy ni National Artist Ar. Gabriel P. Formoso!
