He was born Leandro Valencia Locsin on August 15, 1928, in Silay, Negros Occidental, a

grandson of the first governor of the province. He completed his elementary education De La
Salle College in Manila before returning to Negros due to the Second World War. He then
returned to Manila to finish his secondary education in La Salle and proceeded in taking up
Pre-Law before shifting to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Music at the University of Santo
Tomas. Although he was a talented pianist, he later shifted again to Architecture, just a year
before graduating. He married Cecilia Yulo, and one of their two children is also an architect.

The Tanghalang Pambansa of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, one of Locsin's most
recognizable works.

An art lover, he frequented the Philippine Art Gallery, where he met the curator, Fernando
Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo. The latter recommended Locsin to the Ossorio family that was
planning to build a chapel in Negros. When Frederic Ossorio left for the United States, the
plans for the chapel were canceled.

However, in 1955, Fr. John Delaney, S.J., then Catholic Chaplain at the University of the
Philippines - Diliman, commissioned Locsin to design a chapel that is open and can easily
accommodate 1,000 people. The Church of the Holy Sacrifice is the first round chapel in the
Philippines to have an altar in the middle, and the first to have a thin shell concrete dome. The
floor of the church was designed by Arturo Luz, the stations of the cross by Vicente
Manansala and Ang Kiukok, and the cross by Napoleon Abueva, all of whom are now
National Artists. Alfredo L. Juinio served as the building's structural engineer. Today, the
church is recognized as a National Historical Landmark and a Cultural Treasure by the
National Historical Institute and the National Museum, respectively.

On his visit to the United States, he met some of his influences, Paul Rudolph and Eero
Saarinen. It was then he realized to use concrete, which was relatively cheap in the
Philippines and easy to form, for his buildings. In 1969, he completed what was to be his most
recognizable work, the Theater of Performing Arts (Now the Tanghalang Pambansa) of
the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The marble façade of the building is cantilevered 12
meters from the terrace by huge arching columns at the sides of the building, giving it the
impression of being afloat. A large lagoon in front of the theatre mirrors the building during
daytime, while fountains are illuminated by underwater lights at nighttime. The building
houses four theaters, a museum of ethnographic art and other temporary exhibits, galleries,
and a library on Philippine art and culture.

In 1974, Locsin designed the Folk Arts Theater, which is one of the largest single-span
buildings in the Philippines with a span of 60 meters. It was completed in only seventy-seven
days, in time for the Miss Universe Pageant. Locsin was also commissioned to build
the Philippine International Convention Center, the country's premiere international
conference building and now the seat of the Vice Presidency.
He was also commissioned in 1974 to design the Ayala Museum to house the Ayala art
collection.[1] It was known for the juxtaposition of huge blocks to facilitate the interior of the
exhibition. Locsin was a close friend of the Ayalas. Before taking the board examination, he
took his apprenticeship at Ayala and Company (Now the Ayala Corporation) and was even
asked to design the first building in Ayala Avenue, and several of their residences. When the
collection of the Ayala Museum was moved to its current location, the original was demolished
with Locsin's permission. The current building was dedicated in 2004, and was designed by
the L. V. Locsin and Partners, led by Leandro Y. Locsin, Jr.

Locsin also designed some of the buildings at the UP Los Baños campus. The Dioscoro
Umali Hall, the main auditorium, is clearly an example of his distinct architecture, with its large
canopy that makes it resemble the main theatre of the Cultural Center of the Philippines
(CCP). Most of his work is concentrated on the Freedom Park, with the Student Union
Building which was once damaged by a fire, the Carillon, the Continuing Education Center
and the auditorium. He also designed the SEARCA Residences, and several structures at
the National Arts Center (housing the Philippine High School for the Arts) at Mt. Makiling, Los
Baños, Laguna.

Most of Locsin's work has been within the country, but in 1970, he designed the Philippine
Pavilion of the World Expo in Osaka, Japan. His largest single work is the Istana Nurul Iman,
the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei. In 1992, he received the Fukuoka Asian Culture
Prize from Fukuoka.

Locsin's last work was also a church in Malaybalay, Bukidnon. Locsin died early morning on
November 15, 1994, at the Makati Medical Center in Makati after suffering from stroke ten
days earlier.[2] The campus of De La Salle-Canlubang, built in 2003 on a land donated by his
family, was named after him.

Works[edit]

Churches
•Church of the Holy Sacrifice, University of the Philippines, Diliman, 1955[3]
•Ozamis City Cathedral, 1960
•Manila Memorial Park Chapel, Paranaque, 1965 (renovated in 1990, 1995, 2000 & 2010)
•Doña Corazon L. Montelibano Chapel, University of St. La Salle, Bacolod, 1965
•Church of Saint Andrew,[4] Bel-Air Village, Makati, 1968
•Holy Cross Memorial Chapel, Novaliches, 1969
•Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, UP Village, Quezon City, 1970
•Chapel of St. Alphonsus Ligouri,[5] Magallanes Village, Makati, 1970 (destroyed by fire in
2004, now replaced and rebuilt by Arch. Dominic Galicia in 2007.)
•Cadiz Church, Negros Occidental, 1972
•St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church, Bacnotan, La Union, 1994
•Church of the Monastery of the Transfiguration,[6] Malaybalay, Bukidnon, 1996