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space matters: art + home

I don’t think our Cebu trip is complete if we weren’t able to visit at least one home in the city. My college friend, Zina, suggested her uncle’s home, but didn’t give any details about the design of the house. She just told me, “My uncle has a really nice house,” and I simply took her word for it. I just didn’t know what she exactly meant by “nice”, hehe.

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the house is more than just “nice”. The design goes beyond style and aesthetics. It integrated features for sustainability (green design) and accessibility (universal design). Plus, the house is also home to an interesting collection of artworks.

This is the home of Dr. Ted Gonzales, an ophthalmologist, who also happens to be an art collector and a design enthusiast. The site was previously occupied by his parents’ house which, unfortunately, got burned several years ago. His interest in design and architecture grew during the time when he and his partners were building clinics. He learned so much about design and construction from those projects, which he later on applied into building his own home. In fact, Ted was the one who technically conceptualized and designed the house with the help of Google Sketchup. He still closely coordinated with his architect to check whether the design complies with building standards, and to draw up working drawings for construction.

A big part of his design was inspired by the book Off The Grid: Modern Homes + Alternative Energy by Lori Ryker. Therefore, a lot of green features were integrated into the design. One, which is also the first thing that I noticed upon entering the house, is the use of louver glass windows (jalousie) all throughout the house to maximize the openings for ventilation. I personally like louver windows because I think they’re the best and most appropriate for tropical climates. While louver windows are often perceived as baduy in the Philippines, they are widely used in Australia especially in the design of many modern homes (see homes with louver windows here). Apart from providing 100% ventilation, their louvers could be adjusted/angled, instead of totally closing them (like in the case of casement and sliding windows), to protect the interiors from rains and strong winds while still allowing some amount of air to flow through. The clerestory windows above the living area are also in louver type. They allow hot air to rise and exit from the interiors and provide generous natural light during the day. Another green feature is the rainwater cistern built under the garage. Water collected here is used for watering the plants and for flushing the water closets.

Because Ted lives with his parents, the interiors, particularly the ground floor, have provisions for accessibility. The parents’ room is located near the entrance-living-dining areas, convenient enough for the older couple who have limited mobility. A ramp replaced typical steps leading to the adjacent bathroom under the stairs. 

The rail-free staircase, an interesting focal point of the interiors featuring mangkono (Phil. iron wood) planks, leads to Ted’s space at the second floor. Starting from the staircase up to the hallways, he displays his collection of artworks, from paintings, sketches, and sculptures, mostly from artist Raymund Fernandez.

[Image above: This is a replica of Picasso's Guernica which was used for a stage play in Cebu. Part of the play was a reenactment of what happened to the painting--the words "KILL LIES ALL" were spray painted onto the artwork during a protest againts Richard Nixon's pardon of William Calleyin 1974. Read about it here.]

His den at the second floor is like a mini-apartment which includes a living area with a sleeper (sofa bed), a dining area, a small kitchen and a bathroom. Apart from being Ted’s workspace, it also functions as a small entertainment room where he hosts small gatherings, and as a spare room for guests. Opposite the den is Ted’s bedroom which is also fitted with a working desk and a bathroom.

[Images above: (left) Raymund Fernandez's "Ninoy", which is part of his Alpiler Series. Read about it here. (right) Nude drawings displayed in the masters bedroom.]

Apart from the design of the house and his collection of artworks, Ted is also proud to share that the house was built within a limited budget. He did this by making the design simple and functional. Also, a lot of his furniture pieces were flea market finds, like the leather chaise lounge and coffee table at the den (photo above).

Ted’s love for art and design coupled with a realistic and practical mindset allowed him to create a beautiful, functional and equally comfortable home. [Thank you again Sir Ted for welcoming us to your home. And for introducing us to dried langka and pineapple!]

conscious living: cool spaces 06 – elevate, ventilate, insulate

A green space is a space that is built with the local climate in mind. Our country is a tropical climate. And one of the major difficulties of tropical climates is cooling interior spaces.

 Cooling a space mechanically generally takes up as much as 50 percent of the electricity bill. By cutting down on your use of the air-con, not only do you save energy and money, but also any greenhouse gases that may have been emitted by the production of electricity. This series looks at the various ways of being comfortable without turning on the energy.

 ELEVATE, VENTILATE, INSULATE

We can learn a lot in designing for the local climate by looking at our own vernacular houses. Design elements from these houses are perfect examples of how to passively cool your own space.

Bahay Kubo: Illustration by Arch. Stanley Fernandez

Elevate

The most famous of these vernacular houses (at least in Luzon) is the bahay kubo. The bahay kubo has an elevated flooring. Air is freely allowed to pass through underneath and in between the bamboo slats of the floor, ensuring interior circulation.

The elevation also ensures that the floor will not have the same temperature as the ground (in those cases where the ground has absorbed the heat of the entire day).

Ventilate

Ever wonder what the vents on the roof eaves are for? Their purpose is to remove the heat accumulated underneath the roof. The space between the roof and the ceiling serves to trap the heat and prevent it from directly entering the rooms beneath. Conversely, the bigger the space, the bigger is the capacity to absorb more heat. That excess heat has to be ventilated.

Old houses have high-pitched roofs (and high ceilings) for that function. Indigenous tropical houses from around Southeast Asia, including the very popular Balinese style, call for high-pitched gable roofs (inverted V). At both ends of the roof, vents are placed to allow the wind to pass through completely. The steep slope also prevents roof leaks during heavy downpours.

Insulate

The bahay na bato (typical houses found in Intramuros and Vigan) has a ground floor made up of thick adobe walls. The walls kept the temperature so low that the space was sometimes used as cold storage for perishable items.

Adapting to modern times, the thicker and denser the wall material, the better it can absorb and prevent the heat from entering the space. Try using a thicker section of concrete hollow blocks. Other cladding materials such as adobe or bricks are also ideal due to their abundance, and if lucky, can even be quarried and produced from the site itself.

Previous: proper orientation, maximize openings, cross ventilation , stack effect, sunshades

conscious living: cool spaces 05 – sunshades

Bahay kubo in CELL, Cavite

A green space is a space that is built with the local climate in mind. Our country is a tropical climate. And one of the major difficulties of tropical climates is cooling interior spaces.

Cooling a space mechanically generally takes up as much as 50 percent of the electricity bill. By cutting down on your use of the air-con, not only do you save energy and money, but also any greenhouse gases that may have been emitted by the production of electricity. This series looks at the various ways of being comfortable without turning on the energy.

Sunshades

One of the most efficient ways of preventing direct sunlight from entering spaces is providing sunshades.

Sunshades are horizontal or vertical elements that are strategically placed at windows and other openings to directly block the sun’s rays at any given time of the day. Sunshades can also protect the exterior face from added heat gain, keeping the interior cool. There are certain structures that even placed them on the roof!

Window overhang. Photo by Jacob Termansen from Tropical Style by Gillian Beal (2003)

Sunshades come in all shapes and sizes. They can be large fins at the sides of a window or a group of flat louvers covering it entirely. They can also be a lattice or mesh covering the entire structure. They can be made of steel, aluminum, concrete or wood. Plants, specifically vines and hanging varieties, can also be allowed to creep over exterior supports (and if it’s a fragrant, flowering kind, can generate a nice scent inside when the wind passes through).

Vertical louvers. Photo by Jacob Termansen from Tropical Style by Gillian Beal (2003)

Here is the rule of thumb for the use of sunshades. For north or south-facing windows, use horizontal sunshades due to the vertical position of the sun. For east or west-facing windows, use vertical sunshades due to the low angle of the sun at mornings and late afternoon.

The size and design of sunshades can be computed based on the orientation, location and size of the window. Just ask your capable designer (make sure he/she knows the formulas). Or you can download The Solar Tool from the internet (http://ecotect.com/products/solartool).  Try the trial version for free!

Wide roof eaves of the Manosa house

If you have a limited budget, think about redesigning the biggest sunshade you may already have – the roof eaves! Lengthen the roof eaves to at least two meters. Consider lowering and extending the roof line (if your roof is sloped) to at least eye level and partially protecting your windows. That way, even while standing up and the sun is low on the horizon, you will not experience glare.

Previous: proper orientation, maximize openings, cross ventilation , stack effect

Next: elevate, ventilate and insulate