and lofts. In the classic modernist manner, the lack of outdoor space and gardens is compensated by locating them up high, on decks. With improved construction and waterproofing technology, these elevated terraces and gardens replace what would normally be pitched roofs. The Luz Studio home by Eduardo Calma (page 146) and the Ngo house by Joey Yupangco (page 56) are good examples of this strategy.
In older suburban districts as well as in the more exclusive residential gated enclaves, larger plots spawn modern courtyard configurations derived from Asian vernacular precedents, or large atrium-centered and inward-looking spaces that emulate palatial architecture. The courtyards in these houses serve as settings for ground-floor entertainment or as the focus of upper-floor viewing. Outdoor spaces are defined by variations in the way houses are massed into L, C, or U shapes. Their borders are delineated by vegetation or perimeter fencing, oftentimes taking advantage of neighboring landscapes to extend the space visually beyond the boundaries of the property. This strategy has been employed to perfection in the Martinez-Miranda house designed by Anna Maria Sy and Jason Chai (page 198).
Full courtyards have also come back into vogue. A number of these new houses, like the Dee residence by Conrad Onglao (page 18), are so expansive that their atria form just one part of a series of spaces. Such volumetric expressions have antecedents in communal vernacular houses in Southeast Asia. Since these dwellings usually house more than one family, it is possible to think of them as a modern revival, fulfilling the need to define and confirm kinship by sharing space.
An abundance of space provides opportunities for large landscaped gardens to enhance the modern tropical dwellings set within them as well as appropriate settings for freestanding pavilions. The Montinola house designed by Romeo Delfinado and Andy Locsin (page 72) showcases such pavilions, here used for entertaining, dining, or simply reading. The pavilions are linked to the main house by covered walkways with large overhangs, producing, in effect, one continuous verandah.
The designs of these resort-like pavilion homes are undoubtedly influenced by the numerous resorts that have sprung up in Southeast Asia, the now almost generic Amans and Hyatts in Bali, Bangkok, and even Borobodur, that have become favorite destinations for both local and foreign holiday-makers. Images of pampered hospitality and sun-dappled splendor have become stock features of design magazines and coffee-table books worldwide. Pavilion homes carry the same amenities as their larger cousins—spas, pools, sunning decks, and outdoor baths—but on a smaller scale. The resort-style Verandah house by Milo Vazquez (page 104) and the Zobel hacienda by Ed Ledesma and Andy Locsin (page 120) project an ambience well suited to such publications.
Another design direction under the rubric of tropical modern—minimalist modernism, albeit a seemingly revivalist strain—is also gaining ground. Stark, all-white modernist boxes, design allusions to Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Richard Meier, are being introduced in the suburbs and outskirts of tropical Metropolitan Manila, signaling an alternative path taken by a growing number of Asian clients whose lifestyles are defined by "less is more" and the projection of restrained, moneyed elegance. Minimalist interiors, a limited number of materials (usually only glass, stone, and metal), and expanses of glass define these houses. The seacoast setting of the Knox house by Eduardo Calma (page 44) maximizes its minimalist modern mien.
The materials, embellishments, and furniture used in these minimalist homes come from the same palette, leading one to believe that further evolution will take place as experimentation with this style continues. Already adaptations can be seen in response to the problem of preventing white surfaces from staining, minimizing the glare from white surfaces, selecting garden designs that complement rather than conflict with modern geometries, and finding solutions to the same problems with flat roofs that beset the first introduction of modernist styles in the 1960s. This experimentation has also seen adaptations from architectural solutions used in other tropical regions, including hot dry desert climates, and using simplified forms, as evident in the Pedrosa courtyard house (page 98). As the examples of these experiments multiply, so too will post-occupancy evaluations that will provide feedback to the designers on the possible approaches to this trajectory's functional and aesthetic evolution. This will eventually lead to greater public acceptance.
This experimental glass and concrete mansion (page 56) was built for Edwin and Alice Ngo by cerebral designer Joey Yupangco, who has always favored the new European modernism. The rear elevation comprises a fully glazed sculptural steel grid, interplaying translucent and clear panels. The house of raised ramps and bridges hangs over a lucky koi pond visible through the dining room floor.
dee residence
Beng & Rikki Dee
CORINTHIAN GARDENS, QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA
ARCHITECT CONRAD ONGLAO CT ONGLAO ARCHITECTS
"Think of an architect as a medium, not a signature. My designs are driven by a sense of scale and proportion, not style. We do what the client is comfortable living with. We interpret, not impose. We are flexible and versatile depending on a client's interaction and trust." CONRAD ONGLAO
In recent years, new residential projects have been forced by lack of space to move from the traditional elite haven of Makati City to the upcoming; entrepreneurs' communities of Ortigas and Quezon City. Well-traveled restaurateurs Beng and Rikki Dee had seen the homes of fellow entrepreneurs in Makati, and decided to build their house in the same genre. They eagerly gave free rein to architect Conrad Onglao to design a modernist structure in Quezon City, which combined comfort with dramatic impact. The result is a bold complex of concrete, glass, and marble cubist boxes with a classical configuration hut on a scale that makes the house ideal for entertaining.
Their big white house, on a prime 1500-square meter corner lot, comprises a classical central mass flanked by two similar but smaller masses. A stylized white picket fence provides a fanciful domestic reference to the sculptural but neutral geometry of the architecture. Horizontal sunshades and concrete balconies add a modern touch.
The grandeur of the house derives from the use of white marble combined with solid black frames, as in these Mondrian-influenced sliding doors—repro art using different textured glass—leading to the dining area.
A glass bridge across the atrium—the symmetrical center of the interior architecture—forms a dramatic passageway, connecting the two side masses.
A clear view runs through the white marble interior—under the glass bridgeway—from the front entry at right to the formal sitting room at left.
The double-height atrium makes a perfect setting for the classic baby grand and a minimalist painting by Lao Lian Ben, The repetitive vertical lines in the wall divider replay the cubist theme
A bold black cantilevered staircase, without railings, sprouts From the white wall. The solid plank steps in a matte black finish ascend to the bedrooms on the upper Floor
The restaurateur couple entertain in this Formal dining room replete with multiple framed mirrors, a sleek ten-seater
