Cover The L-shaped house embraces a Modern Filipino papag while fully allowing the sun and the breeze to enter (Photo: Courtesy of Royal Pineda Architecture & Design)
The L-shaped house embraces a Modern Filipino papag while fully allowing the sun and the breeze to enter (Photo: Courtesy of Royal Pineda Architecture & Design)
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On this small, sloping lot, the architect Royal Pineda worked with nature to articulate the dream house of his couple clients
Challenges, when handled properly, can be seen as hidden opportunities. A 500-metre lot might be acceptable but not ideal for many leading architects. Sloping terrain can also present architectural constraints.
When this challenging description of a home project was given to architect Royal Pineda, he responded differently. “I love slopes because they immediately indicate that this will not be a typical house, which is flat. If it slopes down steeply, the lot is clearly asking you not to design something flat.”
Despite its size and slope challenges, the lot was, however, endowed by nature with a high elevation and spectacular views. When one is blessed with such gifts, it is a sacrilege not to celebrate them. And Pineda did so by simply “listening to nature”.
His drawing pen moved on its own. “I did not have to imagine the design; it manifested itself,” Pineda says. Facing his drawing board, he knew what he had to do: “I must ask the question: ‘What is the best for my clients? As I reveal the beauty of the views, how must I also reveal my clients’ personalities’?”
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Above The papag, architect Royal Pineda’s tribute to his Modern Filipino design dogma, is this house’s central focus
Above Aerial view of the roof made of asphalt shingles
The papag, architect Royal Pineda’s tribute to his Modern Filipino design dogma, is this house’s central focus
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Above The living room, in the house’s black-and-white palette
Above The dining table made of magkuno with lamps by Schema
The living room, in the house’s black-and-white palette
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When construction began, the owner was still a bachelor; when the house was finished, he had married his girlfriend, who had been involved in the process from the beginning. “They have the same taste. I never saw them quarrel over the house,” Pineda recalls significantly. After all, many a relationship had been tested by a house project.
The client’s first requirement inspired one of the house’s two major features. “He wanted a swimming pool; I also wanted water, which is always a peaceful detail. Use it or not, water emits therapeutic effects,” Pineda says. Besides, he found it strange for a house in this island city to have no pool.
For an outdoor structure to complement the pool, Pineda stuck to his concept of Modern Filipino. “Because I was designing something tropical, I avoided anything massive like the roofed gazebos prevalent in Asia. Besides, for a tight space such as this, a typical gazebo is not advisable.” Designing for the size of the lot, he says, “was management of space to the inch”.
He turned towards his favourite trait of maaliwalas (open, airy, spacious) and pictured a papag, a slatted, multi-purpose Filipino piece of furniture that serves as a bed, a sofa, and a dining area. “I thought the permeability of the papag would fit this tropical location and, at the same time, give me a light outdoor structure for the pool.”
The papag is the central focus of the house. Seen from street level, it is an eye-catching modern block, with sides made of bio-wood composite panels and fronts a 4-foot-deep pool. The roof is glass. “This square wall seems to be floating and is not readily identifiable from the street,” says the architect, who adds, “When something is not obvious, for me that is a feature of modernity.”
Above The view from street level shows the house’s aperture design featuring eaves tilted upward, the architect's technique to bring the light in
Above Kenneth Cobonpue’s ‘Curio’ chandelier
The view from street level shows the house’s aperture design featuring eaves tilted upward, the architect's technique to bring the light in
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The L-shaped house hugs the papag in a half-embrace, its omnipresence a subliminal design detail. From the papag, not only does the entire house present itself, but the view extends beyond. This optical distance is best enjoyed sitting on a pool bench in the water, visually connecting the living room to the horizon, where the hills sit in the mist.
For this visual length, Pineda used two design techniques: borrowing spaces and surface manipulation. He painted the overhang in the same white colour as the ceiling of the living room, enjoying a stretch which is, as the idiom goes, “as far as the eyes can see”.
The papag marvellously sits atop the three-car driveway. Land was excavated to create a space for the garage and the service areas. “But I didn’t want that feeling of entering the back of the house,” Pineda shares. So, he added a peripheral rock garden outside the glass wall and placed the stairway there, allowing light to filter in. Visually, the area is far from a typical dark, dank basement.
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Above The view from the west side shows the house beautifully sloping, following its terrain. The uneven levels created by the half-storeys create a subliminal visual movement
Above A bar awaits at the end of the living room as the wooden stairs beckon to explore the upper floors
The view from the west side shows the house beautifully sloping, following its terrain. The uneven levels created by the half-storeys create a subliminal visual movement
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The Aperture
Apart from the papag, and true to his design philosophy of maaliwalas or openness, Pineda added another feature which he calls The Aperture, officially defined as “a space through which light passes in an optical or photographic instrument, such as how light enters a camera”.
Pineda explains: “I want the sun to enter the living room space on the ground level. But because I have my papag on this same level, I also want to see the sky and the view from the height. The typical eave, which angles downward, will cut the flow of light to a smaller area, so here it atypically turns upward. Above this floor, maximum light is not needed anymore, so the eave on this second floor can angle down.”
If the papag is the design’s focus, this aperture is its profile, which, Pineda says, “is a manifestation of the gesture I want to happen”. However, he adds, “I did not do the aperture all over this level because I wanted to manage the light as well. Otherwise, the setback of making a big overhang will make the dining area too dark”.
The house’s palette is black and white, a favourite of the owners. As a counterpoint, they commissioned Kenneth Cobonpue to create a chandelier that drops from the top to the ground floor. Titled Curio, it is composed of shades shaped like shallow-water fishing basket traps, holding corals in different colours and shapes. Both shades and corals are made of wire mesh.
Above Glass, asphalt shingles, wood, tiles—the short list of materials used on the house
Above The house ensuite features his-and-hers vanity basins, a bath tub and a bit forward, the walk-in closet
Glass, asphalt shingles, wood, tiles—the short list of materials used on the house
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The black-and-white chiaroscuro is beautifully executed in the living room. Here, another commissioned artwork dominates the space. Bulak sa Gabi by Rom Villaseran, a 6m x 8m acrylic on canvas, occupies the only non-glass wall of the area, complemented by also a commissioned rug with the same play of colours. Flexform sofas and Minotti side chairs face three centre tables of different sizes, shapes and heights. “The idea is to create some movement,” Pineda explains.
A top-view angle of the elegant seating area can also be appreciated from the staircase. “That is why even the pattern of the carpet is important,” says Pineda. “It must amplify the painting; otherwise, it is going to be a wasted view. This beautiful sight of patterns escapes the normal eye-view level.”
On this floor, at the other part of the L-shape, is the dining room and kitchen. The area holds a table for ten made of magkuno (Xanthostemon verdugonianus) or Philippine Ironwood. Considered one of the hardest woods in the world, it can, in some cases, substitute for metal.
As I reveal the beauty of the views, how must I also reveal my clients’ personalities?
Given a small area, the only way for the architecture to go is up. But Pineda wants this climb to be enjoyable too. And so, he broke the storeys into halves with landings, easily negotiated through an open stairwell to the top floor, each half-pause offering top, bottom and eye-level views. “You get a variety of views at each storey; it is also gentle on the knees.”
This house project clearly requires not just an expert but one who is passionate about its challenges. It was quite fortunate to find one in the Royal Pineda Architecture and Design firm, which also collaborated with Nicole Tan of Boon Interior and of Realm for the interior design.
And yet, Pineda insists: “My design is simple.” But agrees: “It just poses many ‘hows’.” From his satisfied clients who say they continue to discover some new spot or angle to enjoy a view or a vignette, clearly the “hows” have been answered—be it simply or complicatedly, but definitely completely.
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Credits
Images: Courtesy of Royal Pineda Architecture & Design
A journalist of more than 30 years, Chit has had varied exposures in this field, both in hard news as well as in soft news, and brings everything she has learnt to the production of the magazine. When not writing or editing, Chit is deeply involved in her chosen service organisation, Rotary International.
