Sundial

University of the Philippines Sundial

The Sundial is one of the earliest devices used by man to tell tiime. It is a device that measures time as an effect of the earth's movement with reference to the position of the sun.

History

In the early days of the University, a floral sundial stood by the corner of Taft Avenue and Padre Faura streets in the 1920's. When the old Villamor Hall (now the Supreme Court Building) was constructed, a new and much larger one was built in the middle of the Ermita Campus.

It was designed by Edward R. Hyde, an American Civil Engineer and the dean of the College of Engineering that time, with the collaboration of Professors Alejandro Melchor and E. P. Angeles.

The Sundial was at the time considered one of the largest sundial in the whole world with steel arches and a gnomon 60 feet long. It wass bedecked with flowering vines and the surroundings were abloom with flowering shrubs making a very romantic ambiance.

However, it was sadly torn down the following decade during the commonwealth era to give way for the ROTC Parade grounds to provide more space for military training which was emphasized at the time.

When the seat of the UP System transferred to the Diliman Campus, several alumni engineeres built a testament of loyalty to their Alma Mater in the form of a giant sundial. The UP Alumni Engineers (UPAE) of 1957 built the UP Sundial on the front lawn of Melchor Hall, to the west side by the corner of Osmena and Roces Avenues in 1958. It was made of steel on concrete moorings with a gnomon in the shape of a slide rule, at the time the symbol of mathematical skill.

Unfortunately, the disastrous Typhoon Yoling dislocated the steel engineering sundial from the west front of the building and carried it some distance away towards the street in 1968.

Present

After four years since Typhoon Yoling destroyed the sundial, the UP Alumni Engineers started the construction of the present-day sundial in 1972. It is a sturdier, all-concrete structure designed by Quintin R. Calderon during his UPAE Presidency from 1971-1972.

However, the sundial's location was moved from the front of the engineering building to the space between the engineering east wing and the UP Alumni Engineeers building along G. Apacible Street. At the base of the gnomon is a date, 1947, which marks the Alumni Engineers' founding year.

With the National Center Building at the east side, the UP Sundial will be at the middle of the engineering complex in Diliman. The sundial and the UP Alumni Engineers are the tangible manifestations of Engineering alumni regard and loyalty to their Alma Mater.