TRANSPAUSE: Shifting Norms, Rethinking Future

University of Santo Tomas (UST), College of Architecture

Project idea

Designing a Modern Filipino Pandemic-Resilient Residential house in Eastland Heights, Antipolo, Rizal that conforms with the different approaches of preventing and reinventing solutions of space planning and designs in response to the crisis happening in the Philippines. The project aims to be a prototype design of a Filipino residential house that conforms with the post-Pademic era. The project is modeled to be a self-sustaining house and also a place for safety and healthy living.

Project description

Pandemics are a spatial problem that hinders the normal lifestyle of humans creating a social disruption to the system of life. Thousands of Filipinos have been affected by the horrors of crisis and breaks out to adjust to the new norms. In addition, the architectural characteristics of a Filipino home have been altered into varieties of globalized styles that needs to be rethink. This project mainly focuses on the reimagination of Filipino Architecture with a touch of modernized approach, the concept of a bahay kubo, an indigenous cultural house that uses local resources, while it takes the inspirational form of the content changing. It is a continuous flow of energy and life that is evident to the planning of spaces and partitions in relation to the panedmic’s issue.

The form of the residential building blends with the morphology of the place in Rizal Province in the Philippines. The green roof compensates the area where the building taken up. It helps in cooling of the area through incorporating the grass and plants in the roof. The designer based the planning of the building in the orientation of the wind and sun to maximize the natural air flow as well as minimizing the heat inside the building. The ground floor plan of the residential house is composed of the important spaces for anti-COVID design and sustainability. The designer provided anti-COVID Spaces such as Foyer and Mud disinfection room, Isolation room, and gym/sun room. The sustainable approach in the plan is incorporating edible garden, and hydroponics farm. For the second floor, it is mostly composed of personal spcaes.

Technical information

Design Strategies
1. Low E-glass with Warm Edge Spacers
Windows for thermal comfort. Lessening excessive energy consumption cooling within the structure.

2. DAVIES BioFresh paint
Anti-bacterial paint with stain repellant technology, ultra low odor, and low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

3. Rip Rap Structural Wall
Protects the structure against scour and avoiding soil erosion.

4. Hydroponics
Protects the structure against scour and avoiding soil erosion.

5. Foyer and Mud Disinfection Area
Sanitation/Disinfection area for guests. Provision of disinfectant foot mat and shoe cabinet for hygienic purposes.

6. Delivery Pod
For contactless receiving of packages and other deliveries.

7. Sliding Panel with Integrated Furniture System
Serves partition from the disenfecting area and the living area.

8. Isolation Room
For COVID Patient. It prevents droplets (from sneezing, coughing or exhalation) and contact transmission of infectious agents.

9. Infrared Sanitary Technology
It kills a generous percent of microbes, a guarantee for maximum hygiene and sanitation.

10. Plant Stair Railing
Plants planted on top rail to avoid direct contact with the handrail. Also these plants help purifies the air inside.

11. Vertical Green Wall
Purifies the air, reduce the ambient temperature, and creates a sense of well-being. It can grow small fruits and vegetables.

12. Anti-Microbial Vinyl Tiles
A type of tile that inhibits bacterial growth upon surface contact.