PORTFOLIO PORTFOLIO ALBERTINE PRINCIPE
HELLO! Being able to create is my ultimate joy in life. I am an architect who likes to play around with color and pattern. My other endeavors including dabbling in graphics and the web, taking photos, and making eccentric wardrobe choices. I also occasionally write about architecture and design for a local lifestyle website, and just ventured into starting my own online publication along with other fellow creatives. My enthusiasm and dedication in the things that I do provides me with a fresh view on architecture and the potentials of its collaboration with other discipines.
Tower 1 Unit 15 Q Avida Towers New Manila Boni Serrano Avenue, Quezon City (+63) 917 566 4563
allieprincipe@gmail.com foureyedwonder.com kathamagazine.tumblr.com
MY NAME IS ALLIE .
ARCHITECTURE MIGO PBRIC KOREAN EXPO 2012 AVID ROOMS FOR KIDS CORE SKILLS SUELAS HQ SINUDE BOOTH
+ INTERIORS
MIGO
2012 // project under Utwentysix Design Studio
It’s rare to find clients who are willing to be as adventurous as you are, especially for their first ever headquarters in the country. Designing for Migo, a start-up foreign firm, was a great chance to play around with elements that you otherwise wouldn’t find in your typical corporate office. They wanted to marry their taste for modern aesthetics with local Filipino flavor, so we came up with the concept of “bringing the barrio into the city.” I got to oversee most of the progress of this project from drawings to construction. We designed an open plan to encourage interaction between all the members of the Migo team. In contrast to the polished concrete floors and exposed ceiling, we used a lot of reclaimed wood and old furniture to create a warm, almost rustic vibe. This is especially emphasized by the old capiz windows that we upcycled and turned into massive sliding doors to hide their storage cabinets. We also used a more modern material that is very unmistakably Filipino: corrugated GI sheeting. It became a unifying element throughout the space that worked very well with the Migo branding and graphics. The end result is a fresh, playful workspace that is very representative of the company’s young and creative culture.
PHILIPPINE BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH AND INFORMATION CENTER 2012 // collaboration with Leonard Cusi
The client requested schematic designs for the proposed center to be located inside the University of the Philippines camps in Diliman, serving as a museum and lab facility. The concept was to focus activity inwards of the building, with the focal point being a large, towering aquarium that spans all three floors of the entire facility. The main circulation for museum visitors and guests will also center on the aquarium using the wide ramp that enables one to view the aquarium from all around as you traverse from one floor to the next. The ground floor is where all the public exhibits are located, while specimen collections and laboratories are located on the second and third floors. The roof is also a garden that the public can access and enjoy. The facade of the building is clad with large panels with a grooved design that mimics flow of water. The panels also serve as sunshading for the predominantly glass exterior of the building.
Our firm won the bid for the design of the Philippine Pavilion for the 2012 World Expo in Yeosu, Korea. Our design played on the expo’s theme of marine biodiversity, and we used the coral motif in different ways throughout the pavilion, from the facade, to the interior and the exhibits showcased inside the area. The large hanging corals house projectors inside its shell and project images onto the screen on the floor. Our pavilion won the People’s Choice award as well as the Best Pavilion Design for its category.h This project had a lot of environmental graphic design elements and requirements, and I got to take charge of most of its preparations. This includes the large butanding infographic of the facade, to the different wall exhibits and signages throughout the pavilion.
PHILIPPINE PAVILION 2012 2012 // project under Utwentysix Design Studio
BLUPRINT AVID DESIGN COMPETITION 2011 // project under Uo2 Architects
There is a popular Filipino saying: “Ang ‘di marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan, ‘di makararating sa paroroonan.” “One cannot move forward without looking back to the past.” “Balik-tanaw”, which is “looking back” in Filipino, is the main inspiration for this Philippine Pavilion that we designed for Bluprint’s competition. Looking back allows for a selection of cultural symbols that can be used for the pavilion’s design. One such symbol is the Bahay Kubo, known as the traditional form of dwellings of the Filipinos, translated into the building’s form. The pavilion consists of a cluster of deconstructed cubes, like a series of houses joined together. This group of masses houses the permanent exhibit platforms. It is held up by columns on the ground floor where the main exhibit hall is located, much like a Bahay Kubo held up by stilts that rest on the ground. The pavilion’s form is also inspired by another cultural symbol, the Alibata, which is the Filipino’s first form of writing. Now it is a popular theme for graphic design, body art, etc. In the structure, Alibata characters spelling ut “Pilipinas” are deconstructed and serve as windows to let light into the second floor. The building itself is surrounded by a reflective pool, to resemble the Philiippines’ being an archipelago. The landscaping around the site, as well as on the Pavilion’s roof, are designed in reference to the Philippines’ wealth in natural resources. Remembering the past and retelling it inspired some of the elements incorporated into the design, increasing the pavilion’s function as a space for learning. Through graphic design, ramps convey historical accounts, and windows express culture and literature. Our design won 2nd place in the Professional Category of the design competition.
ROOMS KIDS FOR
2012-2013 // various projects under Utwentysix Design Studio
I got to do a lot of kids’ room designs during my stay with the firm. These projects allowed me to do explore the things I love most about design, which are colors and patterns. They also gave me the opportunity to incorporate a lot of fun elements such as custom wall graphics, light fixtures furniture. These projects were some of my favorites during my stay with the firm, and I think they really honed my sensibilities in choosing color schemes and creating spaces that are both fun and functional.
CORE SKILLS 2013 // collaboration with Leonard Cusi
The clients were moving from their old clinic that was situated in an old house, to smaller office spaces inside a nearby commercial building. Our biggest challenge was trying to fit all their required spaces into a limited area, but we were able to pull it off by being very precise with the sizes of the spaces and using compact furniture and built-ins. The clinic is divided into two main areas that were split between office spaces: (1) the main clinic which housed their cubicles where verbal therapy sessions were held, and (2) the movement room which incorporated an indoor play area for the kids’ physical therapy. Since the project was a kids’ clinic, we decided to make it as fun and colorful as we could, but still retain a clean and modern look. Keeping the larger wall areas in a muted color, we used most of the brighter colors for doors, long shelves, and some of the built-ins. We also designed custom wall graphics that would give the clinic a distinct personality and would also give the kids something fun to look at whenever they enter the clinic. We also updated their old logo to match the new look of their interiors.
SUELAS HQ 2012 // solo freelance project
I frequently got to work with Suelas brand on different design projects, and one of my first ones with them was helping them design their new office/store in Jupiter St. As their whole brand centers around the idea of travel and comfort, they wanted their headquarters to have the same aesthetic. The floor finishes and built-ins were from the previous tenant and was something we had to work with to cut down on costs. The blue-gray paint for the walls was chosen to counteract the warmth of the laminate wood flooring, while other furniture were sourced from secondhand furniture shops, or refurbished storage that Suelas already owned. Accessories related to travel such as photo frames, maps, and luggage were used to create the travel vibe inside the space.
FLEXIBLE DISLAY SYSTEM
BASE SHELVES
SINUDE BAGS BOOTH 2012 // project under Utwentysix Design Studio
The client needed a display system that they could use for bazaars that had different booth configurations - 2’x3’, 4’x6’ and 6’x8’. We decided to design a modular shelf system that would be flexible in terms of arrangement and budget. We had two main modules, a 3’ and a 2’ ft base, where box shelves of different sizes can be stacked on top of each other. They will be joined together using standard sized foldback clips that you can buy from an office supplies store, cheap yet effective in stabilizing the entire unit. Boxes are either white or wood stained with pastel colored backing, to tie up with the brand’s logo. Gold accents are also used for a more polished, vintage feel.
TUGAWE COVE RESORT LIVE TO CREATE CUSTOM WEB WORK INVITATION SUITES KATHA MAGAZINE
GRAPHIC + WEB
TUGAWE COVE RESORT 2011 // branding and identity
This was my first branding project, and I got to work on all aspects starting from the logo to all the resort’s collaterals. We went with colors that were representative of the resort’s environment and tagline (Sun. Sea. Lake.). but kept the look fresh and modern. To add a more natural element, I also made use of warmer textures. I have since then taken on other branding projects but this remains to be the one with the most extensive amount of work and output, and I was able to create a very uniform feel for all their initial promotional materials.
LIVE TO CREATE 2013 // custom phone case design
I was commissioned to design a phone case that reflected my personality, so I decided to try my hand at doing some custom handdrawn illustration and lettering. I illustrated some of my favorite design and craft tools and used them to frame the statement “Live to Create” -- which I think exemplifies how I try to life my day-to-day life. The commission fell through, but I’m hoping to have this made at my own expense and sell some to to interested buyers.
CUSTOM WEB WORK 2013 // web design projects
I am self-taught in web design and have learned a lot of what I know through customizing my own personal website and blog layouts. Over time, people have commissioned me to help them give their sites a fresh, new look to match their content. So far I have handled smaller projects like my friends’ blogs, to larger projects like websites for local shops. I am most familiar with HTML and CSS language, but I am also looking into learning more advanced coding in the future so that I can take on more complicated web design work.
INVITATION SUITES 2013 // various commissioned designs I’ve had a handful of clients who asked me to create custom invitation designs for their special occasions. These projects allow me to play around with a lot of graphics and typography. This first set is for a 50’s themed birthday celebration, while the two on the next spread are for weddings.
KATHA MAGAZINE 2013 // Co-founder | Layouting and Art Direction
Katha Magazine is a new venture along with some friends, and it’s a bi-monthly magazine that celebrates Filipino creatives and their boundless imagination. The magazine contains inspiring stories, DIY tips, yummy recipes and a lot of other stuff that we hope will inspire people to live a more creative life. Aside from writing some of the content, I am in charge of layouting the entire magazine and designing most of our online promotional material.
FO U R E Y E DWON DE R . C O M