Sofia Townhomes

NCR, Philippines

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Cultural Center of the Philippines Competition Entry

Sofia Townhomes

NCR, Philippines

Firm

Buensalido Architects

Type

Residential › Multi Unit Housing

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2010

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

BUDGET

Unknown

Photos

william m. ong (6), Wesley Cruz Villarica (1)

The Brief
Due to the rising cost of land in Metro Manila, even the high-end sector was starting to offer townhomes on a relatively small pieces of land, but built as high as four stories to gain more space. The parameters were very clear from the start: double height spaces to achieve an illusion of space, large views through large fenestrations, and customizable spaces for varied needs of potential buyers.

Customizable Layout
We started by interpreting the design brief and space requirements into volumetric cubes to represent the needed spaces, then sliced these cubes to segregate the service spaces (stairs, toilet and bath, maid’s room) from the main ones (living and dining areas, kitchen, bedrooms). We then pushed selected cubes up to create double height spaces in the living area, causing a ripple effect on the cubes above and beside it. During this process, interstitial spaces emerged and created opportunities to integrate lofts all throughout the interior of the house. This effectively increased the useable floor area of the otherwise compact row house. These loft spaces could also be expanded to create even larger spaces, such as additional closets or bedrooms. So much so that during the build, a lot of homeowners personalized their units in their own ways, some we didn’t even think of. The sequence and relationship of the spaces had become a perfect canvas to customize the entire house according to their liking.

Winged Architecture
After establishing the spaces, we were left with a number of stacked cubes that seemed to be in a disarray. We addressed this by wrapping a continuous architectural frame around the stacked cubes to visually organize the composition, then skewed these frames towards the street to not only visually engage the onlooker but more importantly project deep shadows over the expansive fenestrations, a simple yet effective technique to alleviate heat in a tropical setting. We did the same to the firewalls that separate each unit from another, resulting in a “winged architecture” that funnels in wind through the interior spaces and lets it escape out the opposite windows. Massive windows allowed an abundance of natural light to flood the insides, but kept the heat out with wide canopies and eaves. These steps ensure minimal energy consumption as there would be a less need to turn on artifical lighting and cooling.