ARCHITECT PROFILE
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The firm is composed of teams and the architectural team usually proposes the plans that bear the general concepts that are unique, memorable and identifiable
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Arch. Felino A. Palafox, Jr.
Arch. Felino A. Palafox, Jr.
Creating imprints in the global architectural scene By: Katherine Verances Marfal
“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably will themselves not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die.”
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he above quote from Daniel Burnham became the inspiration of Architect Felino A. Palafox, Jr. to reach his current stature. Palafox is fourth in a family of ten siblings. His father was a lay minister and doctor while her mother was a teacher. Back when he was a kid, he would enjoy making townships, group of buildings, mountains, bridges, and rivers while they were in the beach. That early, he had shown interest in constructing and making designs. Yet, at his young age, he also wanted to become a priest. “We always attend the mass as a family. I also became a mass
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server when I was a child” Palafox recalled. In his teenage years, he entered the seminary in New Manila, Quezon City. During weekends, he would visit his uncle who was working as an engineer for the Ayala company. He saw the transformation of various construction projects in Makati and this influenced him to change his vocation from becoming a priest to be an architect. He went out of the seminary and studied Bachelor of Science in Architecture at the University of Santo Tomas and graduated in 1972.
| Philippine Construction&Design January-February 2013
–Arch. Felino A. Palafox, Jr.
Promising career His first job was as an architect-urban planner in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. This job gave him the opportunity to transform a desert into a garden city. He had a great stay in Dubai earning him a lot of experience and personal fulfillment. “With my work, my family and I were able to travel very often. My family life was great when I was working in Dubai” he said. At that time, Palafox was the youngest architect-urban planner in Dubai. He was also the only Southeast Asian architect in Dubai at that time. After many years, he was encouraged by his uncle to go back to the Philippines. When he came back, he was hired by Henry Sy and the late Zobel. Later on, he became an architect-urban planner for Ayala Corporation. He worked with the firm for six and a half years. One of his major projects was the development of the Ayala Center in Makati City. Despite his enviable achievements, the young Palafox was far from being complacent and was looking for more challenges in his career. So, at the young age of 39, he made a bold move; he retired from work. Palafox Associates rising In 1989, Palafox Associates was born with only just three staff. The firm is engaged in architectural design, urban planning, master planning and site planning. It later on diversified in creating project development studies, interior design, landscape architecture and engineering. In December 1991, the company was registered as a professional partnership firm and since then has gained international exposure with work commissions from over 30 countries. The firm has been involved in the architectural design of more than 10 billion square meters of building area and master planned over 100 communities covering more than five million square meters of land all over the world. Palafox Associates has worked with