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BluPrint Magazine proudly welcomes Paulo Alcazaren as its new Editor-in-Chief. A leading urban planner landscape architect, and cultural advocate, Paulo brings a depth of experience that aligns with BluPrint’s refreshed mission of shaping culture, instilling pride of place, and contributing to nation-building through design.
Paulo is a founding member of the Heritage Conservation Society, where he has been a steadfast champion of heritage conservation and adaptive reuse. His award-winning work spans the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and a dozen other countries, where he has contributed to urban planning, landscape architecture, conservation, and design-driven development initiatives that thoughtfully balance progress with cultural identity. Paulo was recipient of the CCP’s Gawad CCP Para sa Sining ( CCP Awards for the Arts ) in Architecture and Allied Arts in 2015. He was also recognized by the NCCA for his architectural writing and specific design projects like the Iloilo Esplanade. He is an active member of various professional and civic organizations in architecture, planning, and the built environment, and is widely respected for advancing critical discourse on cities, heritage, and design in the region.
Under Paulo’s thoughtful and future-facing leadership, BluPrint enters a new chapter—one that honors its strong creative foundation while looking forward with a renewed purpose.
For over four decades, Architect Jose Siao Ling of JSLA Architects has helped shape Philippine architecture through a practice grounded in ethics, sustainability, and integrity. What began as a small studio has grown into a family-led firm, guided by what he calls the “Siao Ling Way.”
Through projects rooted in quality and long-term thinking, JSLA continues to champion responsible design while mentoring the next generation of architects.
Read the full BluPrint Perspective on Jose Siao Ling and the Siao Ling Way. Link in bio.
Moving from Hong Kong to the Philippines in 1983, Architect Jose Siao Ling of JSLA Architects has since grown his once small firm into a corporate family enterprise. For over four decades, he has championed ethics in Philippine architecture.
Calling it the “Siao Ling Way,” he believes that honesty and integrity are essential traits every architect must possess. Through his firm, he continues to mentor new generations of architects to elevate standards in both design and professional values.
Discover how he shaped his architectural philosophy in this month’s BluPrint Perspective. Visit the link in our bio to read the full feature.
Writer: @c4ryll
Photographer: @monsied
HMUA: @drcats
Assistant HMUA: Barbie Farvis
Art Direction: @raechxl assisted by @ppausales @watzgudgabby
Managing Editor: @maitadejesus
Sittings Editor: @geewel_fuster
Associate Producer: @maetalaid
Media Channels Producer: @chelseaheramia
In the collaboration between IQOS and Isabel Santos, titled “Curiosity Without Limits,” design moves beyond surface treatment and into the realm of identity. Known for imagery shaped by vintage comics, fragmented forms, and a distinctly feminine gaze, Santos has built a practice rooted in deconstruction—figures pulled apart and reassembled with intent. That visual logic carries into this collaboration not as ornament, but as argument: that the objects we choose to carry can become extensions of self. Her graphic vocabulary—instinctive lines, layered compositions, emotionally charged color—is translated into limited-edition pieces that bring art into the space of everyday ritual. This is not art merely applied to a product; it is art recalibrated to inhabit one. In a culture increasingly oriented toward customization, personalization is no longer a feature. It is a design philosophy. The more urgent question is no longer “What does it look like?” but “What does it articulate about the person holding it?”
“Dialogo,” the collaborative exhibition by Ronald Ventura and Manuel Ocampo at Cloud Grey Gallery, explored how two of the Philippines’ most distinct contemporary art practices might occupy a shared canvas. Rather than blending into a unified style, Ventura’s layered language of hyperrealism, cartoons, and pop mythology collided with Ocampo’s iconoclastic, historically-charged imagery. The tension between their approaches surfaced cultural pressure points shaped by history, belief systems, and contemporary excess. What emerged was not harmony, but a visual dialogue defined by friction—where difference became the driving force of meaning.
FLOW is a sleek new restaurant opened by Chef Kevin Uy and his childhood friend, Chef Gabriel Ong. Uy is full of ideas, fairly fresh off his five-year stint at chef Virgilio Martinez’s Central Restaurante in Lima, Peru.
Inside, the restaurant is a picture of Filipino craftsmanship meeting culinary artistry. Anthony Nazareno decided to take this project out of his usual architectural outfit, Nazareno Architecture & Design, and involve his designer sister, Rita Nazareno, and his daughter, Bea Nazareno.
Written and Photographed by Jar Concengco
As the Philippines and Japan commemorate 70 years of diplomatic relations, the coconut tree – in all its profound symbolism – was chosen to be the theme and highlight of the exhibit that kicks off the year’s festivities.
Salcedo Auctions partners with the Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Tokyo, and the Embassy of the Philippines in Japan to present The Philippine Coconut: Tree of Life, Seed of Innovation.
Written and Photographed by Jar Concengco
A visionary of modern Philippine architecture, Lorenzo “Lor” L. Calma (1928-2026) helped shaped the nation’s built environment. In doing so, he inspired generations of architects and designers alike.
His legacy endures not only through his significant contributions to the profession, but through the lives he touched as a mentor, colleague, and leader.
BluPrint joins @lorcalmapartners in honoring and celebrating the life and legacy of Lor Calma—beloved husband, father, grandfather, and architect. His vision, values, and influence that range from architecture and interiors to design education will continue to guide Philippine architecture for generations to come.
Photo by @monsied
