Alabang chapel wins in APAC Property Awards

Alabang chapel wins in APAC Property Awards

Story by The Manila Times

25 June 2024

OUR Lady of Lourdes Chapel, a community chapel at the heart of Filinvest City in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, was recognized in the 2024 Asia Pacific Property Awards in the Public Service Architecture category, earning a 5-star rating for its architectural merit and its significance to the community. This achievement propels the chapel into the final round of competition at the Asia-Pacific level.

Situated atop a hill and amidst the lush greenery of River Park, the chapel is designed after an inverted white lily.

The design evokes calm and tranquility and depicts the purity of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Its towering structure, which can be seen from afar, seemingly reaches toward the heavens, making it an ideal place for worship and prayer.

Opening in 2021, The Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel promotes work-life balance and community cohesion through regular Mass and other religious activities.

"The dream for Filinvest City has always been to build an environment that inspires and enables possibilities," said Francis Gotianun, director of Filinvest Development Corp.

They built the chapel on Filinvest ground because they wanted the community to have "another space where they can feel safe, protected, and at peace."

The International Property Awards recognizes excellence in the real estate industry worldwide. Awards are given across various categories, including architecture, development, interior design and marketing.

Winners are selected through a rigorous judging process conducted by a panel of experts who evaluate the design brief, location, architecture, sustainability and innovation, as well as the suitability for the category.

The Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel is the brainchild of the late patriarch of the Gotianun Family, Chairman Emeritus Mr. Andrew Gotianun Sr. He guided the initiation of a closed design competition to craft a central place of worship in Filinvest City, the flagship neighborhood development of Filinvest.

With Gotianun passing away in 2016 before the competition concluded, the family took over the responsibility of reviewing and approving designs from the participating firms. NAP Architects of Japan, led by Tokyo-based architect Hiroshi Nakamura, won the competition.

The chapel is Nakamura's first completed work in the Philippines. Sacred spaces in Japan, including the Sayama Forest Chapel and Ueno Toshogu Shrine Meditation Pavilion, are his masterpieces.