What is your favourite city for design inspiration?

Tokyo, easily. Many of my architecture can be traced back to what I see in Japan; I have continually been inspired by architects there and just how forward-thinking they are.

What is your dream project?

A church or a house of worship. I think the challenge for the designer in designing a place of worship, especially nowadays, is to find a way to disconnect those who enter from the wired world we live in and elevate the spiritual aspect that I feel is important for all of us and has been greatly important to me.

Read also: Getting to know Anthony Nazareno and his design philosophy on architecture

Jason Buensalido, Chief Design Ambassador, Buensalido + Architects / Barchan Architecture and Design

He is committed to effecting and inspiring a positive change in the nation, communities and people’s lives through architecture that reflects our collective identity and culture. 

Who is your favourite architect/designer?

The designers I look up to seem to have found a balance between opposing things. John Lautner, for instance, balances expressiveness and timelessness. Bjarke Ingels balances large architectural gestures that create impactful experiences with modularity’s granular quality, making his projects easily constructible. Thomas Heatherwick combines sweeping organic forms with the human scale, making his projects relatable. What is common, though, is that their projects always seem to have the potential to be positively transformative and uplifting.

What is your favourite building?

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao by Frank Gehry.

What are your favourite pieces of furniture?

Zaha Hadid designed the Moon System from B&B Italia. It is sculptural yet very functional and versatile at the same time. There are endless ways to enjoy it–sitting, slouching, relaxing, sleeping. It is even used as a trampoline or a balancing ledge by the kids at home, yet it keeps its original form as it is so well built.

Fill in the blank. Every house must have ___.

Duality. For instance, a house must have spaces for connection (with others) and contemplation (solitary), celebration and meditation, expression and function, fast and slow, inspiration and presence. 

What is your favourite work of art?

In Progress by Ronald Ventura. As a person, I believe that one of the most exciting journeys one can have is to constantly be a better version of yourself, to take one’s mistakes, learnings, and experiences and use them to inform oneself on how to move forward a better way. I feel that this painting has an attitude of being a constant “work in progress”. As an architect, I can relate to it as it seems to be a person dealing with the complexities of the contemporary world, yet somehow resolves and transforms them into a swirl of beautiful energies.

Read also: Architect Jason Buensalido talks about his unique take on designing the Screen House

Sarah Canlas, Architect and Developer, Greener & Partners Properties Inc

Describing herself as “soulful and open”, the University of the Philippines-trained architect conceptualises designs with space and time in mind. This is reflected in the uninterrupted flow of the open floor plans of her many projects. 

Who is your favourite architect/designer?

Peter Zumthor and Ilse Crawford. Rather than focusing on the material aspects of design, both celebrate the atmospheric quality related to human emotion.

What is your favourite building?

Peter Zumthor’s Therme Vals is one of the tops on my long list for its singularity of purpose and a deep sense of place. Swimming and soaking in there felt like floating in a dream.

What are your favourite pieces of furniture?

It is impossible to decide on a favourite, but my Flag Halyard Chair from Hans Wegner is top of mind because my Frenchies love it the most. 

What is your favourite work of art?

The Dream by Henri Rousseau from 1910 and the rest of that series with a jungle theme. It awakens my wild side.          

What is your favourite room to decorate?

Bedroom, as a sanctuary for sleep.

What is your favourite coffee-table book or book on design?

Books on contemporary art or food stimulate my senses.

Fill in the blank. Every house must have ___.

Dappled light streamed in from its windows.

Read also: Home Tour: Architect Sarah Canlas' Two Living Spaces For Fluid Dual Living

Endika Ampudia, Co-Head of Design, Estudio Arkipelago

Beauty, simplicity and functionality are always the guiding principles Ampudia, and his team follow when designing.  They create a framework for creative and original ideas, creating beauty through form and function. 

Who is your favourite architect/designer? 

Frank Lloyd Wright, at the end of his life, said: “The mission of an architect is to help people understand how to make life more beautiful; the world a better one for living in; and to give a reason, rhyme and meaning to life.”

What is your favourite building? 

I could name many, but if I had to choose one, it would be The Pantheon of Agrippa in Rome, which stands as the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world after two thousand years.  

Which among your work is your favourite so far?

You are only as good as your last work, so Cokoro House, which we recently completed.

What are your favourite pieces of furniture?

Any piece by The Bauhaus movement that so brilliantly incorporated art and architecture in their furniture and accessory design, whose influence resonates up to today’s methods.

Fill in the blank. Every house must have ___.

Tons of natural light and air. 

What is your favourite coffee-table book or book on design?

A book I have been obsessed with lately and wouldn’t be tired of recommending is More Escapism by Bill Bensley. 

What is your favourite work of art?

The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. It is unbelievable that one is standing before a 16th-century artwork.

What is your dream project?

In our studio, my design partner Felipe and I have always agreed that the most incredible dream project would be a church. The symbolism and spirituality of it have to go beyond its architecture, and that’s something that fascinates us. 

Read also: Designing for the Elements: Endika Ampudia of Estudio Arkipelago on the Role of Nature in Architecture

Sudarshan Khadka, Partner, Leandro V Locsin Partners and Khadka + Eriksson Furunes

The search for a modern vernacular and exploring the tectonic potential of construction for meaning drives this multi-awarded architect. Together with Alexander Eriksson Furunes, he brought home the country’s first-ever win at the Venice Biennale 2021 with their Structures of Mutual Support exhibition.

Who is your favourite architect/designer?

I am inspired by vernacular architecture and the multiple anonymous hands that make them. In a sense, designed without designing in mind.

What is your favourite building?

Peter Zumthor’s Bruder Klaus Field Chapel for silence, temporality and presence.

Which among your work is your favourite so far?

A house I designed in Punta Fuego. It was an exploration of how to enclose and connect space softly.

What are your favourite pieces of furniture?

The best pieces of furniture are the ones that disappear. No statements, no flash, they work.

Fill in the blank. Every house must have ___.

A soul.

What is your favourite work of art?

The Sleeping Lady from the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, Malta. It is both ancient and modern and made me realise that we are connected through time and space by our humanity. 

What is your favourite city for design inspiration?

Kathmandu is my second home and has been a constant source of inspiration because Nepalese architecture, culture and history are deeply rooted in a reverence for the sacred.

What is your favourite coffee-table book or book on design?

Stories and Reflections by Axel Vervoordt.

Read also: Philippines Pavilion Stirs Up the 58th Venice Art Biennale

Jim Caumeron, Chief Designer, Jim Caumeron Design

This explorative designer who aims to introduce new ideas in architecture is the creative force behind last year’s Tatler Homes Design Awards - Philippines’ Best Architectural Concept for his iconic Viewpoint House–a masterful example of how architecture, using visual connections, can shape what we see.

Who is your favourite architect/designer?

I prefer citing a particular work more than the personality, but if I have to pick my top three, these would include Rem Koolhaas, Alvaro Siza and Zaha Hadid.

What is your favourite building?

For something current, Fondazione Prada in Milan comes to mind. I wasn’t keen on seeing it in person since some of the buildings in this project were just restoration work. But I was surprised how Koolhaas showed his mastery of the cinematic quality of spaces as each area felt like different scenes zooming in. He enhanced this with his very thought-provoking use of construction materials. For example, he unabashedly exposes unfinished plywood and its raw putty with accent lighting, and the effect is mesmerising but chic. I saw the same application inside the Taipei Performing Arts Center, which he also designed.

For something a bit old, Grundtvig Church in Copenhagen was impressive. It is an excellent example of the expressionist style in the Twenties, but this building has some unique details. Especially the interiors that have a Scandinavian minimalistic sensibility that is modern and resonates with my style. My experience of the church interiors was just sublime.

Which among your work is your favourite so far?

Viewpoint House because it provided me with global exposure. It landed on the cover of a design magazine in South Korea, featured in a magazine in Taiwan and Finland, exhibited in a housing design exhibition in Serbia, showcased in most online design magazines and earned a Tatler Homes Design Award for Best Architectural Concept in 2022.

What are your favourite pieces of furniture?

Soft Brick by Tjeerd te Dorsthorst for Nendo as it is unapologetically rigid, sculptural, and modular, but it is soft. Osom Tables by Sebastian Scherer for Neo/Craft as the functional surface has a very soft presence in space, no matter the variation.

Read also: How Architect Jim Caumeron Designed Viewpoint House as a Modern Sculpture

Edwin Dychauco Uy, Principal Designer, EUDO

A keen interest in different fields underpins his experimental inclination. The University of Santo Tomas and Domus Academy alumnus is a passionate designer developing craft and critical regionalism that lead to design authenticity.

What is your favourite building? 

Over the years, I have seen architecture that evokes awe. Modernist icons include the Villa Savoye, Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Farnsworth House, and newer builds from Fondazione Prada and Schaulager to the Tai Kwun Center. All these have enamoured me, but since I recently came from Malta, Renzo Piano’s Parliament of Malta is such a marvellous piece of architecture using a singular material for the entire facade in local limestone and makes it look like a light material by laser cutting them which filters the intense light. I have also read that this treatment represents an abstract map of the islands of Malta and Gozo. Amazing. 

What is your favourite room to decorate? 

Since I always do open planning, it will be the living, dining and kitchen areas of a house. Designing functional spaces allows me to be more playful, from lighting to furniture and accessories.  

What are your favourite pieces of furniture? 

Because I appreciate designer furniture, I have plenty! I collect them for my own spaces, but a few years ago, I was introduced to this Swiss wooden furniture brand named after the family name of the owners, Röthlisberger. Their furniture pieces are well-crafted and designed by well-known designers such as Swiss Atelier Oï, who has designed for Louis Vuitton and, more recently, Fendi Casa. The brand’s values share the same as how I see my practice in authenticity, so I have an affinity with their collection.   

From Röthlisberger, my favourite pieces are the Schubladenstapel (Stack of Drawers), Hommage sideboard, Venus portable closet, Paravent Plus flexible room divider and the Bank Plus, which can be a seating bench or a coffee table by folding the base up.    

What is your favourite work of art? 

I have three pieces from Kris Ardeña, Roberto MA Robles and Roberto Chabet that hang beside my bed above my side table. Kris’s work is on sandpaper, which I connect with its material and the structure of the lines and shades that speak of architecture. Robles’ abstract diptych is titled Caravaggio, but I see an opening that brings me to a bright future, while Chabet’s strokes on the painting are just pure art. 

What is your favourite city for design inspiration? 

I always go through Zürich and have travelled more than usual. Any city in Switzerland has brought me a new cultural insight that has somehow influenced how I design today. The Swiss cities have this strong respect towards the old and the traditions while embracing the technological nature of the future. 

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