NEST OF REVOLUTION: Arc Lico unveils ‘Pugad Lawin Shrine’ architecture

A research-oriented design studio and consultancy firm on Sunday shared the architecture of the newly rehabilitated “Shrine of Pugad Lawin” as part of the 130th anniversary commemoration of one of the most significant events in Philippine history — the Sigaw ng Pugad Lawin.

The Quezon City government led the celebration of the 130th anniversary of the “Cry of Pugad Lawin”, marking the event on 23 August 1896 when members of the Katipunan, led by Andres Bonifacio, expressed their desire for independence from Spanish rule by tearing up their cedulas, or residence certificates issued by Spanish authorities.

The commemoration was held at the Cry of Pugad Lawin Park, Pugad Lawin in Barangay Bahay Toro, Project 8, Quezon City, on Sunday, 23 August 2026.

Arc Lico, meanwhile, identified the circle as the “heart” of the architectural design, representing a primordial form of assembly.

“The sculptural figures of the Katipuneros, designed by National Artist Napoleon Abueva and restored by the foundry of Castrillo, occupy a low civic platform, turning the monument into an outdoor theater of remembrance,” the firm said in a social media post.

“Curving walls, ramps, pathways, and exhibition spaces unfold around it, creating a sequence from gathering, to commemoration, to historical interpretation and reflection,” it added.

The design concepts for the shrine include flowing forms inspired by the tearing of the cedula, commemorative statues, and the Baybayin letter “K,” whose curved form influenced the overall shape of the center.

“The architecture draws its most powerful symbolism from the tearing of the cedula — the punit. Curved forms appear to separate and open outward, transforming the revolutionary gesture into architecture: rupture becomes passage,” Arc Lico stated.

Beyond its historical symbolism, the design, according to Arc Lico, also emphasizes accessibility and its role as a living civic space for a national shrine.

The design incorporates universal-access ramps, with the structures kept deliberately low to remain beneath the canopy of mature trees.

“The monument thus belongs not only to ceremonial occasions but to students, families, residents, scholars, and ordinary citizens who encounter it in everyday life,” the firm pointed out.

Arc Lico, however, stressed that the project does not pretend to reconstruct the past, acknowledging that the “Cry of Pugad Lawin” remains subject to questions over its location, date, terminology, and historical interpretation.

“Instead, the shrine becomes an Interpretation Center — a place where architecture provides the setting in which these histories may be encountered, questioned, and transmitted to another generation,” it said.

“The Sigaw was never monumental in itself. It was a gathering of bodies, a tearing of paper, a raising of voices, and a declaration that an old political order could no longer endure,” the firm added.

Arc Lico is a research-oriented design studio and consultancy firm committed to fostering pride of place through participatory engagement and heritage-led placemaking.