Architecture: His life, passion and business
At a young age, Jose Mari Cañizares had already seen his close affinity with arts and design.
He knew that designing was something he wanted to do in his life.
For many years, architecture has become his life. His passion. His business.
Mari's interest in architecture started when he was in grade school at Saint Theresa's College in Cebu City.
He recalled that one time when their teacher asked them to draw a box, all his other classmates presented a flat square, while he presented a three dimensional perspecture of the box to the amusement of everyone. That manifested his early affinity with arts.
When his parents were building their family house in Cebu City back then, Mari also recalled gathering some wood cuttings and building them into a miniature of Cebu City in the floor of his closet.
"I really like to observe a lot of things," the 68-yearold architect shared to the FREEMAN in an interview.
PURSUING HIS DREAMS
It was in 1972, after becoming a licensed archirelatives. tect when Mari, 22 then, built his own architectural company, Cañizares Architects, which has been in the business for more than four decades now.
It was the same year Martial Law was declared in the Philippines.
It was humbling start for Mari, having to use the area beside the garage of their house as his office.
His first clients seeking his architectural expertise were family friends and Mari built his reputation on residential projects in different parts of the country.
Then he eventually went on to pioneer in designing resort hotels in Cebu.
Soon, the Cebuano architect's projects became more varied, including commercial establishments, malls, strip malls, banks, resorts, condominiums, townhouses, schools, hotels, churches, and most notably the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Terminal 1.
Today, the company has evolved into a diversified practice complemented by youthful and aggressive manpower.
He said constant collaborations with other allied design professionals have also made his company better equipped to serve its clients.
"We treat every project as our children from conception to maturity," the senior architect shared.
In recent years, the architectural business has seen an increasing demand brought about by the economic boom, with constructions mushrooming all over the city.
"This business goes with the economy," he said.
PASSION AND BUSINESS
For 46 years, Mari has survived through the times because of his passion for his profession.
More than a business, architecture is his life and passion.
"I always put my heart in every project I do. That's important in this profession. In architecture, you never retire. This is what I've always wanted to do in my life," he said.
"Whenever we design, we put ourselves in the shoes of our clients," he added.
In every project, he envisions that design should meet his client's architectural needs, budget, environmental and sustainability considerations.
Reputation, design ability and professionalism are essential in the architectural business, traits that he has developed in his years in the industry.
As a passionate architect, Mari is keen on personalizing his works and he's so much concerned about details.
In his years of being an architect, Mari has also been surrounded by his supportive wife, Marilou, who is an active advocate of women and children's rights.
She is the current president of Zonta Club Cebu II, which pushes for advocacies among women and children.
Marilou has been on the side to support his husband along with his two children who have also pursued the architectural profession.
"I bridge the gap among them," Marilou said. "That's my role in the business."
Outside the family company, she had also established her own organization, the Onestop Realty Shop, which features property listings for sale.