Tahanang Pilipino

In designing the Tahanang Pilipino—more popularly known as the “Coconut Palace” Mañosa had to marry divergent concerns and weave them into a unified whole. Initially conceived as a guest house for visiting artist at the nearby Cultural Center, the Tahanang Pilipino was intended to express Filipino hospitality. But it was also meant to demonstrate that the humble coconut was versatile enough to be transformed into materials suitable for a luxurious mansion. Eventually, it evolved into a showcase for the richness and diversity of Philippine culture. Al proyectar el proyecto Tahanang Pilipino , más conocido como el “Palacio del Coco”, Mañosa tuvo que combinar distintas sensibilidades y entrelazarlas en un todo proyecto unificador. Inicialmente pensado como una casa de huéspedes para artistas visitantes del cercano Centro Cultural, el Tahanang Pilipino pretendía expresar la hospitalidad filipina. Pero también trababa de probar que el humilde coco era lo suficientemente versátil como para transformarse en materiales adecuados para una lujosa mansión. Con el tiempo, se convirtió en un escaparate de la riqueza y diversidad de la cultura filipina. The Tahanang Pilipino was planned on a design of interlocking hexagons and partial hexagons set in a honeycomb pattern. The idea of the hexagon as the unifying design element was arrive at through serendipity: when sawn for planks, a coconut tree trunk is first shaped into a six-sided column. A fresh coconut is also opened by trimming thu husk along six sides. In any case, the recurrent hexagonal shapes within and without lend a sense of organic unity to the Tahanang Pilipino's spaces. The hexagon is mirrored and echoed in the inlay pattern on the marble floors, in the shape of the swimming pool, in the twin staircases that lead from the main floor to the upper rooms, and in the more subtle details of the interior.