Tropical Living CONTEMPORARY DREAM HOUSES IN THE PHILIPPINES by Elizabeth V Reyes with Fernando Nakpil Zialcita and Paulo Alcazaren photography by A Chester Ong PERIPLUS EDITI ONS Singapore • Hong Kong • Indonesia contents 6 122 a different tropical style rustic assemblage Professor Fernando Zialcita introc:luces the contemporary Diaz Beach House Philippine architectural scene, highlighting local trends and Franco Delgado Beach House indigenous crafts, the influence of medernism, and the Antigolo Artists' Homes innate aesthetic of the archipelago. Bolipata & Borlongan House Johnson & Laudico Flomes 14 Avellana Apartment Roa House asian fusions & cross currents Baylosis Apartment Jaime Zobel Guesthouses Sandico-Ong Flouse Escano House Minana House 168 Fernando Zobel Heuse Ho House larin rhythms Makapugay ComJ3ound Roxas House Yabut Compound Delgado Penthouse Antonio House 60 Inigo Zobel House reworking rhe vernacular 194 Hofilena House Pleno House furnishing index Lazatin House Abaca, bamboo, baskets & vines, capiz, pina & philippine silk, Concepcion House ceramics, coconut crafts, contelJipmary furniture, rustic-eclectic d'Aboville House collections, handwoven fabrics, organic lights, marble & stone, Laperal House modern mixed media, rattan & cane, wood art. 92 224 urban modern & minimalist acknowledgments Chan House Velasco House Eduque House Roxas Triangle Condo Calma Flouse Recio House introduction: Fernando Nakpil Zialcita a different tropical style The Republic of the Philippines shares with In recent decades, other woods from the foothills Indonesia the distinction of being the largest are being used. Examples indude coconut and tropical archipelagos in the world. It has 7,100 bamboo trunks which, when split, flattened, diced, islands, which range from small coral atolls to huge and laminated, are transformed into classy boards islands with deep forests and towering volcanees. with unexpected textures. Wherever one travels in this beguiling land, there is There are many varieties of howse design in the always the promise of a breezy tropical scene; and Philippines. Consider the lanai. One common there is always a new beach, with swaying palm interpretation used in beach houses is a simple trees and clear blue skies, where warm waves break structure of bent wooden columns that draw the and slide over the sands. thatch roof and split-bamboo ceiling ciQse to the In tune with the country and climate is a relaxed, ground. Just as pof;)ular is the Mecliterranean contempora.ry architectural style. Homes are variation: eaves of eurved red tiles, plain stone tropical, exotic, romantic; there is a prodigious use pillars, and tiled floors. Or the starkly simple: a of light and space; breezes flow through rooms, cantilevered.concrete roof and highly polished cooling and caressing occupants. A permanent marble floor that together extend outward to meet feature is the lanai, a type of verandah that has wide the sky and the la~n. There are also the personal, eaves to shelter the interior from the suA and is one-of-a-kind interpretations, such as the lanai that open to the elements on at least three sides, thus . marries stone columns with ornate capitals and ensuring the free flow of cooling breezes. In many lace-like metal tracery on the roof edge. cases it acts as an alternative to the more formal Variety likewise characterizes Filipino furniture. dining room. It is the place to lounge in, to relax in, Bauhaus inspires the locally made, severely simple to take in the scents of a tropical garden. furniture in. stainless steel, vinyl and glass; or, lately, Filipino house design also reflects other features comfortable sofas that combine wood and abaca, Qf the environment, such as the sea or the forests. an extremely versatile hemp fiber. Yet other furni- for centuries, the capiz shell, a bivalve flatter than ture styles include Mediterranean-inspired designs the oyster and more translucent when cleaned, has with a lavish use of scrolls·. and iron as the predomi- been used as the tiny panes of traditional wooden nant material. Others draw on influ·ences closer to grid-windows. In modern design, capiz shell finds home and simplify the horseshoe-shaped back- and new spplications, such as in lightboxes, picture arm-rests and curving back slats of Chinese chairs. frames or as tear drops in chandeliers. Furthermore, There are, of course, other.,designs that cannot be people who can afford it furnish their houses with readily pigeon-holed. One example is designer increasingly rare local hardwoods which are superior Ernest Santiago's highly personal and comfortable in density and texture; one such example is the long chair that evokes a river bank. Formed from narra, a fragrant wood with an intense sienna eolor. multiple materials-twisted driftwood for the