ATENEO DE MANILA JHS BUILDING RIBBON-CUTTING AND BLESSING CEREMONY

The Ateneo de Manila Junior High School (AJHS) community gathered on June 23, 2025 to celebrate the blessing and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the newly completed Montserrat Cluster Building at Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City. The event was led by University President Fr. Roberto “Bobby” C. Yap, SJ; Vice President for Basic Education Fr. Joaquin Jose Mari “Jonjee” C. Sumpaico III, SJ; and AJHS Principal Ms. Genalyn “Gen” S. Sanvictores. Also joined by AJHS faculty members, staff, students, and representatives from the Central Administration.

Designed by LPPA Design Group, the Montserrat Cluster Building reflects a vision that is both forward-looking and grounded in Ateneo’s traditions. LPPA envisioned the building as a modern, innovative, and inspiring space that captures the university’s character as an academic and faith-based institution.  

Architecturally, the Montserrat Cluster Building is designed to have clean vertically inclined elements, accentuated by terracotta bricks and concrete finishes. This reinforces fresh and contemporary design language to the building—evoking strength, power, and dynamism—while still being true to the campus’ visual identity. Such facade interplay draws inspiration from a row of upright and tilted books symbolizing order, curiosity, discipline, and discovery.

This four-storey building houses 36 classrooms, with each floor equipped with standard restrooms for males, females, and persons with disabilities. Two stairwells per floor—one near the EDSA Walk and another in the central core—providing ease-of-access and safety for users. Administrative offices are strategically located on the second, third, and fourth floors, ensuring proximity to student activities and academic operations.

The newly inaugurated Montserrat Cluster Building is set to serve students of Grade 7 and Grade 8 beginning this July. Notably, the incoming Grade 8 batch is AJHS’s first co-educational cohort—a historical development for the institution and a symbol of its continued evolution in basic education.

The opening of the Montserrat Cluster Building provides not just an addition to the university’s academic spaces, but also as a tangible symbol of expressing Ateneo’s mission in molding students’ career potential. It stands as a testament to the collaborative effort between Ateneo de Manila University and its design and construction partners, particularly LPPA Design Group, whose thoughtful architectural vision has helped shape a learning environment that meets both the practical and aspirational needs of 21st-century education.