We designed a series of townhouses for DMCI Homes and VConsunji Inc way back in 2009. The Sofia Townhouse, as it was called, was so successful that it was dubbed the “most beautiful townhouse in the Philippines” by some websites.

See design in these links:

http://www.dmci.bobonbeachresort.com/mahogany-place-3-taguig/

http://www.buensalidoarchitects.com/projects/sofia-townhomes-dmci-homes/

Perhaps that was because in 2008, Buensalido+Architects bagged the first prize in a national competition called “Ang Pinakamagandang Bahay Sa Balat Ng Lupa” (The Most Beautiful House on the Face of the Earth) against over 40 other architectural firms.

The interiors for this townhouse is a tribute to the Filipino spirit. As we constantly push for contemporary Filipino architecture, we found the aesthetic expression of this design intent through triangles, an abstracted representation of banderitas (or flaglets) that one would commonly see in local fiestas and festivals. As a country, the Philippines has one almost every day.

The Living Area

The Dining Area

The Deck, with the Fort Global City Skyline

It is a manifestation of the Filipino’s optimism and positive outlook in their lives, always knowing how to smile no matter how bad their situation is. This was captured with the different bursts of colors within the house, achieving a sense of vibrancy, festivity, and positivity.

These conceptual ideas were physically implemented in a contemporary and innovative way: the banderitas and triangles on the interior surfaces were achieved with a CNC milling machine, therefore attaining precision in its production and avoiding human error. Light fixtures were located above the cutouts, creating an ever-changing pattern of shadows, depending on how many lights are turned on. A certain kind of material honesty was aimed for, so for the concrete flooring for example, was kept as is, applying a special kind of lithium-based sealant to achieve a smooth, terrazzo-like effect.

THE HOUSE was featured in the Philippine Star, a national daily broadsheet in the Philippines, in it’s Modern Living section. Tanya Lara captures the story of the owners and interiors of the house in her article, Crazy Quilt.

Online version here - http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=836712&publicationSubCategoryId=85

Thank you so much Tanya, and to the Philippine Star!

page 1 of philippine star, modern living section

full spread - first half

full spread - second half

BluPrint Magazine, one of the firm’s favorite magazines, features Kenji-Tei Greenbelt 5 in their Interiors section. The shoot and interview were done simultaneously a few months ago with Asst. Editor Gaby Alegre, photographer Ed Simon (who took the spectacular twilight photo of our chapel project  in Batangas that made the cover of BluPrint as well), and Jim Caumeron. Ken Kho, our friend, maverick restaurateur and owner, was of course there as well.

We had to schedule it at 730 in the morning because everybody’s schedules wouldn’t meet and that was the only time everyone could be there at the same time. It actually worked well especially for the shoot because the reflections of the other store’s signages weren’t visible in our storefront shot, and the morning light penetrated the interiors beautifully.

Here’s how the feature looks like:

Some process diagrams and original renderings of the ramen house:

original renderings - showing dining space and function area

original rendering - dining area towards sushi bar

Thanks again BluPrint! Grab a copy now! Try the food too, especially their cheese gyoza, curry ramen, and the spicy negi ramen! Cheers!

Urban Zone was an iconic show on TV which featured well-designed homes and other spaces as well as the architects and owners responsible for their beauty. Hosted by Daphne Osena-Paez, it became a much sough-after and inspiring show for “Urbanistas”, and a platform where architects and designers like us could share our projects and design sensibilities. The show stopped airing on TV a few weeks back, and Buensalido+Architects’ Icon(‘s) Penthouse luckily caught the tail end of the show. It was truly an end of an era.

But as they always say – “When God closes a door, he opens a bigger one”. True enough, just yesterday, Daphne posted a video on her blog announcing that UZ will air in a new form. Its coming back with a bang thru her website - http://daphne.ph/ as webisodes!

We’re all excited for this as now, we can watch the show anytime, on our own schedule. We think that this is really a great move as it will now have a wider reach – time-wise, geographically, and socially. A true democratization of design. Kudos to you, Daphne!

Sharing with you guys her video, as seen in Daphne.ph. Enjoy!

As featured in Slivers Magazine.

Special Thanks to Paolo Navarra for the photos and the the editorial team of Slivers.

Cover Page

Feature on Kasoy House.

Feature of Project C

Click on the gallery below to see the rest of the feature! enjoy!

Photo Credits:

Paolo Navarra for Architecture and Interiors

Oly Ruiz of MetroPhoto for Profile

Images of B+A feature in Metro Home.

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One of the earlier features of Buensalido+Architects back in 2006, in Personal Fortune Magazine.

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view of the deck from dining

Sharing with you guys a link we found in the web of a video of our feature in Urban Zone in 2011. Our project ICON PENTHOUSE, was shown in the show, hosted by Daphne Osena-Paez. Thanks Daphne for featuring us and for helping us let people know that Filipino design can be contemporary too!

Here’s a link for more images of the project, as seen in our facebook page. – LINK

And here’s a link of that same feature in Daphne’s blog – Daphne.ph

Enjoy!

February 2012, Issue 08

Thank you to Carren Jao – http://carrenjao.blogspot.com/  and Surface Asia – https://www.facebook.com/SurfaceAsiaMag!   - http://www.surfaceasiamag.com/

Cover Page

table of contents

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