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Freedom Beyond A Modern Filipino House

In the Philippines, everyday is a series of congested and restrictive events. Take transportation for example, whether you take public or private transportation, you are met with congestion, jam-packed roads, pollution and noise. After spending a stressful time navigating through the torrents of traffic, one would love to return to a home where all of the inconveniences are absent. Therefore, it brings to question:

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“How can we make a living space that frees people from the usual congested and constrained lifestyle of the Philippines?”

With a 240sqm lot, that would present a challenge. Especially if we stay close to the ground and consider the setbacks provided by the National Building Code which states that there needs to be a setback at the front at 4.5m, sides and rear at 2m. This will leave us with only 108 sqm workable space. Therefore, if we cannot go wide, we go high. This design’s objective is to give its users a feeling of vastness and serenity within the limited space.

Inspirations

High Ceiling

Emphasize the volume of space through high ceilings by having a minimum of 2.7m for the residence.

Materials

Bio Wood

In consideration that the structure will lie on an elevated area with strong winds, using a sturdy material like Bio Wood will be ideal as the material is light-weight and durable.

FINAL LAYOUT (DETAILED FLOOR PLAN)

Ground Floor

This will mainly be reserved for utility areas as well as the main living and dining room. Next to the living and dining room is a lanai on the right side on top of the setback to ensure most of the space is utilized. Closest to the perimeter can maintain plantation to remove the perimeter wall from sight and give more ease for sore eyes.

The lanai will be accessible throughout the living and dining through large glass sliding doors and would give its users the option to install screen doors if they want to improve ventilation while maintaining the view.

The maid’s room can be accessed through the left gate, together with the laundry and dirty kitchen which will be reserved towards the back of the house.

Second Floor

The front will be the Master’s Bedroom which will be the largest bedroom spanning almost 36sqm in floor area. It will contain a large bathroom capable of having a bathtub and a large Walk In Closet. The Master’s Bedroom will be facing the front with one large glass window on the front and a French Window on its right to allow more natural light to enter and allow the masters of the house to have a splendid view every waking moment.

Toward sized rooms which are approx. 23.4sqm in floor area which allow it to have a 7.4sqm bathroom complete with a standing shower area for each room. The doors orientation have been changed from side-by-side to its current layout due to Feng-shui.

Natural Elements

Natural elements like wood and concrete plastered walls give a more natural look to the residence seperating the space from the typical city atmosphere.

Bahay Kubo

Taking some parts out of the traditional Filipino house which utilizes natural elements which allows it to have a connection between the outside space and the

Large Openings

Improve circulation and ventilation while allowing the area to be invite light during the day allowing the house to save electricity on lights.

Thermal Control

Using elements like thick walls, double-glazed glass with a tint reduces the heat that enters the structure while keeping the cool air in more effectively.

Elevations

Sawali Styled Ceiling

Sawali gives the structure character reminicent of the traditional Filipino house; Bahay Kubo. Using a (PVC) synthetic woven bamboo for the ceiling, allows us to get the Filipino character while avoiding the disadvantages of traditional

Double-Glaze Glass

In order to fully utilize the view, large windows have been added which might make the structure heat up as light can enter easily. Double Glazed Glass prevents heat from entering the interior and expels it out of the structure.

Exterior Renders Interior Renders

Tint

PVC Floor Planks

Third Floor

The Third Floor will contain the Guest Room in which maintains the same size as the standard rooms on the second floor. The bathrooms are placed on the same side as the second floor’s standard rooms to make it easier for plumbing.

The large enclosed space is reserved as a common area as it would be the place that has access to a lot of ventilation especially at night when using screen doors. This will make for quite the comfortable living space.

Finally the balcony will span almost 40sqm which can be used for gardening, but mainly as a viewing deck where people can enjoy the cool night sky along the view.

Roof

The Roof will be separated into two, one slightly tipping upwards in order to bring more natural light into the house as well as bring the overall structure more character.

The main roof also overlaps the structure slightly to provide shelter from the sun and rain to the facilities below.

Outlining the structure’s sides are canopies which can provide an additional shelter to sun and rain as well.

Installing window tint can reduce the heat and glare that may come through the structure’s large glass openings. It also provides an additional layer of privacy.

PVC Floor Planks with Wood Texture is fireresistant, water-proof and is easy to maintain

Front

The Ground Floor, Second Floor and Third Floor will be 3m, 2.7m and 2.5m high respectively. Assuming a normal height of a Filipino to be 1.6m, there would be more than enough headspace even on the third floor to allow its user to feel unconstrained by space. With the structure going high, there will be a staircase from the staircase from the Ground Floor going all the way up to the Third Floor with a landing between each floor to reduce the length of stairs which allow it to be more comfortable for its users as it puts less strain as well as reduces the risk of falling down a longer flight of stairs. The staircase will be facing the left side of the house which will have windows beginning from 1.6m above the Ground Floor all the way to the Third Floor to give space for a storage room beneath the stairs if the user wishes.

The roof will be slightly tilted up to give way to a slit in the upper part of the structure which will be covered by glass to allow more natural light to come in. Utilizing large openings particularly in the front and right side facing the house, would allow more natural light into the structure but also allow the user to have a splendid view of Metro Manila.

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