Background
Formoso was born on April 9, 1915 in Makati, Manila, Philippines; the son of Gregorio and Alvara (Papa) Formoso.
Formoso was born on April 9, 1915 in Makati, Manila, Philippines; the son of Gregorio and Alvara (Papa) Formoso.
Formoso finished high school at the Ateneo de Manila in 1933. Then he enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas School of Architecture which he graduated in 1937 and received his Bachelor of Science in Architect.
Formoso became a registered architect in 1939. He worked for Andres Luna de San Pedro and later for Pablo Antonio. Gabriel formed a partnership with Luis Araneta, then established his own office. From 1952 to 1988 he made 11 tours of the United States, South America, and Europe to observe trends in architecture, particularly in bank, hotel, and condominium design.
In a statement on his philosophy of design, Formoso emphasized three points: first, architecture is a fine art committed to creating beauty; second, the social nature of architecture places a unique responsibility on the architect, i. e. a building becomes part of the environment and functions in a dynamic interaction with it; and third, architecture must strive for simplicity.
Formoso was a member of United Architects of the Philippines and Valley Golf Club. He was the founding chairman of the Kanlungan Architectural Foundation of the Philippines.
On April 20, 1938 Gabriel Formoso married Celia Araullo. They have 4 children.