La Casa Filipina Moderna

National University - Manila

Project idea

The Filipino Modern House

In the Philippines, temperature varies each day. It might go as cold as Baguio City during the nights of July to the scorching heat of the summer on April. Between the unbalanced climate changes, more Filipino home buyers are seeking sustainability but also considers practicality.

The goal of this project is to design a Modern Filipino house preserving its tradition and culture while incorporating it with modern features even with narrow spaces in the cities.

Project description

Traditional ideas that are combined with modern details are what makes these kinds of design comfortable or serene to live while being conscious of their environmental footprint. The design emphasizes more of an open-plan-flow or much more of an expansive flow of spaces based from the traditional Filipino houses.

The design highlights tropical details and a layout that allows the users to move around freely and conserve with our very own nature. Bahay Kubo houses for instance are popular in resorts or in provinces in tropical countries but in here, I tried to show it in a narrow space within the city.

Although Traditional Filipino houses can be seen from different regions in the Philippines, We'll try to show modern traditional houses like these in the busy streets of Metro manila.

Technical information

Tropical Architectural design helped the infamous Bahay Kubo or Nipa hut inspired homes to cater not only aesthetically but also to leave the smallest environmental footprint possible.

Concrete walls offer a vigorous emphasis in the form, balanced by the warmth from its wooden accents, exterior wood paneling, and unique sun shading. External shading such as brise-soleil or sunshades that helps lower internal temperatures but adds an simple aesthetic touch to its exterior. Also, Optimal Ventilation is achieved through strategically placed opening and partitions that will allow the exact amount of natural air to move throughout the house. Green surroundings or landscapes help give exceptional cooling properties for the entire home.

The open plan on the ground and the second floor provided an unimpeded flow to multiple areas such as dining and kitchen in the ground floor and an open plan of the living room in the second floor. Simple, clean, and coherent materials and textures are balanced with warm oak tones.

The balance of the design and materials are best exemplified by the difference between the lightly-colored rough stucco finish of the flooring, wooden ceiling and huge glass walls/ windows. These details in the interior space harmonizes with the house’s exterior design.