Posts tagged "architecture"

Sofia Townhomes Revisited

October 30, 2017

We revisited Sofia Townhomes, designed in 2007 and completed in 2009, to observe and enjoy how the people living in it have turned the village into a community and made the houses their own, often adding their touch of personalization to it.

Enjoy the video and the short narrative of Sofia below!

Customizable Layout
We started by interpreting the program into 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 some 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. We were happy to see 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.

Keeping it Light and Right
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 visually engage the onlooker. We did the same to the firewalls that separate each unit from another, resulting in a “winged architecture” that effectively 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.

Modern Living TV (Current State of Philippine Architecture)

September 26, 2015

Our Chief Design Ambassador, Jason Buensalido, was invited by Modern Living TV (A PhilStar Show on ANC), to share his thought son the current state of Philippine Architecture, what he and his firm are doing to improve it, and how they applied their principles in a recently completed project.

Our book, ‘Random Responses’, even has a cameo appearance!

 

 

 

 

Buensalido Architects launches Random Responses, sparks movement for Filipino architecture

March 29, 2015

Buensalido Architects may only be on its eighth year, but the architectural, interior, and urban design laboratory has already built a formidable resume of projects that show off its distinct design flair, and the launch of its book Random Responses only added to the firm’s string of contributions to the industry as it aims to contemporize Filipino architecture.

Held October 28, 2014 as a cocktail event at the Main Lobby of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the launch of Random Responses solidified Buensalido Architects’ mission to instigate change in the country’s design industry.

Hosted by Issa Litton, the affair brought together Buensalido Architects’ industry friends and distinguished clients. Principal Architect and Chief Design Ambassador Jason Buensalido, wife and Associate Architect Nikki Boncan-Buensalido, and VP for Operations Ems Eliseo led the team as they welcomed some of the event’s guests, which included Ces Drilon, Julius and Tintin Babao, Ed and Dinti Tuviera, Atty. Charito Planas, Artist Leeroy New, Joseph and Stenie Tay, and Daniel and Monica dela Cruz.

Also joining the firm in celebration were Architects Manny Illaña and Rommel De Guzman of Ayala Land, Ric Gindap of Design For Tomorrow Branding Consultancy, Mike Marquez of Evermount Construction, Tony Tuviera, Direk Mike Tuviera, and Jojo Oconer of APT Studios, and CCP’s Tess Rances and Nes Jardin, who received the book for CCP.

A compendium of the firm’s past, future, built, unbuilt, small, and large scale projects, Random Responses is Buensalido Architects’ “love letter” for Philippine architecture, which the firm believes still holds great relevance amidst the newer, more foreign architectural styles in vogue today.

Random Responses is our call to fellow Filipino architects, designers, and creatives to spark an architectural revolution, one that brings back the glory of Filipino architecture as exemplified by the bahay kubo and the bahay na bato,” said Principal Architect and Chief Design Ambassador Jason Buensalido. “We believe that by applying contemporary materials and methods, we can enliven Filipino architecture to make it appealing and competitive in the current times, despite the prevalence of newer and more foreign design styles.”

A special exhibit which included some of the works featured in the book, as well as a special book signing for guests by Architect Jason Buensalido capped of the event.

The Random Responses Book Launch and Exhibit was made possible in part by general contractors and Buensalido + Architects collaborators Evermount Construction Corporation and Perfect Dimension Corporation.

Random Responses: A Crusade to Contemporize Filipino Architecture is available for purchase through email: design@buensalidoarchitects.com. For further inquiries, please contact +632 478.3445. The book will be available in bookstores beginning second quarter of 2015.

Modernity: A Menace or A Promise?

March 29, 2015

Photos and Text by Nikki Boncan- Buensalido (As seen in Urban Monologues v2.0, Business Mirror)

 

What does it mean to be truly modern? How did modernity come about and how did it evolve in the past century?

My most recent adventure took me to “Fundamentals” the 2014 Architecture Biennale which is currently on display in Venice, Italy.  The exhibition, which runs from July 6 until November 23, 2014 is the 14th international architecture biennale exhibition entitled “Absorbing Modernity 1914-2014” portrays the century that has passed highlighting the influences that changed the parameters of modern architecture.  Some countries were ravaged by war, destroyed, divided, occupied leaving people traumatized yet these countries have survived and have come out stronger.  The exhibitions of the different pavilions from various participating countries show how the elements of architecture have survived and how they evolved to put up with the latest ideas and inventions of their time.    These exhibitions aim to perform an “audit” of architecture and posts questions such as: “what do we have?”, “how did we get here”, and “where do we go from here”.  According to Paolo Baretta, president of the Biennale di Venezia exhibition, the presence of the national pavilions representing 66 countries, show national identity and the country’s ability to become a protagonist in the cosmopolitan world of art and architecture.

The “Elements of Architecture” exhibit curated by well-known Architect Rem Koolhaas offers a new perspective on the elements of architecture that should form the relationship between us- our civilization and architecture. The exhibition compiles a new body of knowledge that explores the often universally mundane parts of a building and highlights its evolution.  The floor, the ceiling, the wall, the roof, toilet, windows etc. are exhibited and broken down into parts and how it was developed over the past century.  With great courage and ambition, Koolhaas mentions that he was able to review the history of modernity in the past hundred years, and offers a new perspective of those “elements” that should constitute reference points for the new architectural prototypes of the next century.  Afterall, these elements, being the simplest parts of a structure will essentially never be removed no matter how the next century architectural models evolve.

As one lands in Venice, the biennale is celebrated everywhere.  The exhibit spaces are divided into three venues and showcase not just architecture but art, dance, film, theater and a music festival as well.  The summer sun complemented the exhibit space at the Giardini Gardens as well as the Corderie dell’ Arsenale grounds where the architecture pavilions were located.  What was effective for this Biennale was that it was truly about architecture and not a tribute to the architects themselves generally making the exhibit communicate in a more universal language.  It highlighted in-depth research, discourse and discussion on modernization of architecture rather than a simple portrayal of various architects’ works which made the experience even more insightful.

Upon disembarkation from the Vaporetto, the taxi boat that takes you anywhere in Venice, we were greeted by a pylon welcoming us to the biennale and signs that led us through the grounds.  Our first pavilion was the Stirling Pavilion which houses an exhibit of the past century’s effect on various countries thereby ‘Absorbing Modernity’.  The pavilions post the question of national identity being sacrificed to modernity as the development of global architectural movements and technological processes took over the once local and vernacular architecture.  It turns out that each country has adapted and evolved from their individual experiences, be it war, new technologies available or natural destruction, etc. to create their own definition of modernity.  Images compiled from various pavilions show how each country has locally adapted to the miles stones of modernity.

Milestones of Moernity – The Stirling Pavilion houses the exhibit that shows images compiled from different countries on how the concept of modernity has affected their design thinking and their built environment

Rem Koolhaas Exhibition on his “Elements of Architecture” was also top pick on my list of exhibits.  Upon entry of the main gallery, one is greeted by a 1:1 installation of the ceiling.  The exhibit talks about how the modern ceiling has become a faux representation, whose main purpose is to conceal utilities within it, increasing in space requirements over time, effectively decreasing the served spaces below.  It was interesting to see how the utilities were initially placed on the floor early on in the century and how it has technology has allowed us to transform the way buildings and ceilings are constructed.

Rem Koolhaas' Ceiling – Rem Koolhaas shows how the modern ceiling has become a faux representation, whose main purpose is to conceal utilities within it, increasing in space requirements over time, effectively decreasing the served spaces below.

Fundamentals - The exhibition compiles a new body of knowledge that explores the often universally mundane parts of a building and highlights its evolution. The floor, the ceiling, the wall, the roof, toilet, windows, stairs, elevators, etc. are exhibited and broken down into parts and how it was developed over the past century.

Various wall cladding installations were also displayed and Koolhaas was able to show how temperature and climate change affected building systems and how they work.  It made me think of how designers are constantly looking for solutions to improve living qualities and building techniques and how sustainable materials are incorporated more often at this time.  This just goes to show that designers are now more sensitive to climate change and how information has been widely available to the vast majority.  Experimentation and new inventions help push modernity forward keeping building technologies at par with the fast evolving times because of globalization and the internet age.

 Aside from the Central Pavilion where the “Elements of Architecture” were tackled, was caught my attention was the installation of the Architectural Association (AA) Students.  They replicated a 1:1 scaled model of Le Corbusier’s ‘Maison Dom-Ino’ which dates back to 1914. The structure was first designed as a prototype for mass-produced European housing whose design as been iconic images of 20th Century Architecture. “This initial installation will remind visitors not only of modern architecture’s most foundational project, but of an architectural instinct made even more apparent today than it was at the time of its original conception; namely that architecture always operates in the space created by a contrast between architecture as already known, and what it might yet become,” said Brett Steele, AA School Director.

Le Corbusier's Dom-Ino - A 1:1 scaled model of Le Corbusier’s ‘Maison Dom-Ino’ which dates back to 1914. The structure was first designed as a prototype for mass-produced European housing whose design as been iconic images of 20th Century Architecture

The French Pavilion caught my attention because it was challenging the evolution of Modernity as a menace or a promise of a better built environment.  The French have contributed a lot to modernity in terms of architecture and engineering.  The research inside the pavilion questioned if the large scale monotonous housing structures of heavy pre-fabricated concrete panels answered the questions of economic scale or monotony in design and which of these should be taken into consideration more: Design or Utilitarian Function? On the other hand, they also showed how structures like this which were put up in 1942 are now undergoing the process of re-urbanization.

Overall, the Biennale led to me think about how modernization affects those living in this time and age.  A century ago, the concept of modernity was so different from what it is now.  An introspection of the past points out that modernity always had the intention of trying to innovate and trying to improve the way of life through technology and new ideas.  It has challenged us to think of new ways on how to evolve as each generation is an improvement of the former.

In some ways, modernization has also affected our social relationships and how we interact with one another.  Personal touches disappear as one is all too dependent on man made machines. Cultural identities in architecture are less pushed to give way to a standard way of doing things such as pre-fabrication to achieve efficiency. Family communications are now limited as social media through the internet has depreciated one’s ability to personally communicate with another. It could happen that a family lives under one roof, yet they don’t see each other for weeks physically, since they are connected to each other virtually anyway. At the same time, this same technology has allowed information dissemination and new to spread faster and more efficiently.  More people are aware of current state of affairs.

Modernity is positive except that we have to be extra sensitive to what it affects, especially our social and cultural values.  One just has to think of how to balance the menaces and the promised of this new and constantly evolving society.  So to answer the question on whether modernity is a menace or a promise. Well, I guess it can be both.

20 Young Outstanding Filipino Designers Under 40 – BluPrint Magazine

March 29, 2015

In 2013, we were privileged to be part of BluPrint Magazine’s list of 20 Young Outstanding Filipino Designers under 40. The article was beautifully written by Joseph Javier and clearly expressed our crusade to contemporize Filipino Architecture. Entitled THE NEW FILIPINO, we had a discussion about our beliefs and design practice, striving towards a NEW FILIPINISM in our architecture.

Thank you again, BluPrint!

 

Whenever, Whatever, Wherever. Just Ask. – W Hotel Taipei

November 15, 2014

By Nikki Boncan-Buensalido, As Seen in Urban Monologues 2.0,  Business Mirror

When W Hotel agreed to host our 3 night stay in Taipei, we were ecstatic.  As avant-garde and modern architects, we knew that the W Hotels Worldwide Chain was nothing short of impeccable attention to detail.

 W Hotels Worldwide is an industry innovator that brings a jolt of electrified design surge to Taipei.  W Taipei, located in the heart of the bustling Xinyi  Central Business District is an electrifying sanctuary of serenity and energy in the heart of this bustling neighborhood, reflecting the surrounding natural beauty of Cising Mountain and Yangmingshan National Park, juxtaposed alongside Taipei’s vibrant, modern cityscape. “Besides being the urban mecca and capital of Taiwan, Taipei’s strong connection to nature continues to influence the culture here. W Taipei will be a haven of fun luxury, where serenity meets energy and will be the venue of choice for discerning and style-conscious trendsetters who want to be wowed by the finer things in life – particularly those inspired by W brand’s unique mix of contemporary cool design, modern comfort, and innovative style” recounts Cary Gray, General Manager of W Taipei.

W Taipei’s vibrant exterior at dusk carries through the entire branding experience of W Hotels

We arrived in the evening and were greeted by Wina Chen, Markerting and Communications Director of W Taipei and we were ushered into our ‘Wonderful Room’ one of W Taipei’s 405 guestrooms and suites.  As designers, the room itself was a feast our eyes.  We were greeted by the oh so soft and ultra-comfy 350 thread count linen W Signature Bed accompanied by state-of-the-art in-room technology, including high-speed wired and wireless Internet access; flat-screen, 42-inch LCD televisions; Surround Sound Bose sound systems; iPod charging docks; IP phone with voicemail; and a W Taipei signature zodiac animal that greeted us set the mood of our stay. Warm-colored stones, burnished wood and lush electrified floral carpeting contrasts with modern, subtle lighting inspired by Chinese lantern boxes bring out hints of the local Taiwanese culture while the white table and designer leather chair set amidst a seating vignette overlooking Taipei 101 acts a good complement to the background and view overlooking the lights of the city – which I though was a good balance of culture and modern design in one space and a true epitome of chic and style.

Sliding doors disappear when tucked inside pockets on the wall blurs the separation of the bedroom from the bathroom.  The bathroom on the other hand is accented with an oversized vacation-style islander tub set against an orange or chartreuse panel set beside the shower area and a seamlessly connected counter with an oversized lavatory complete with bath products all labeled the W way.

The architectural details were all there because they needed to be there.  The screws, the placement of the doors, lights were all there because they needed to be there. It was a very smart way of providing comfort.  From the sliding doors of the bathroom all the way to the termination joints of the drains, there was a very high level of design and detail.  Everything was well thought of.

The Hotel Room - Everything is there because it needs to be there.

The next morning, Gary Lee, Marketing and Communications Manager of W Taipei gladly showed us around and described in detail what the W Linggo was and how everything was tied to their concept.  Gary related that different W Hotels in various parts of the world had different themes.  W Taipei’s was “Nature Electrified”.  Gary related that this theme stemmed out of Taipei’s distinct location set amidst the Yangmingshan range of mountains and the Yangmingshan National Park.  W Taipei’s vision was to bring in nature and translate it in an electrifying hip and happening way.

As one enters the W Taipei’s Wheels Lobby, one enters a sensory overload of layers and layers of design.  From its front door mat that greets visitors a Good Morning, Good Afternoon and Good Evening depending on the time of the day to the Whatever Desk where you can ask for “Whatever you want, Whenever you want” (As long as its legal). The Whatever, Whenever Service is one only W Hotels Worldwide has and they can give literally Whatever you what, Whenever you want it. (We tried asking for hairpins, a pancake recipe from the Kitchen Table, which was emailed to us directly by the Chef and a nail cutter) All you have to do is ask.

 Upon entering what distinctly caught our curiosity were two art installations called “To Light You Fade” created by Random International, UK.  The installation is an interactive piece that deconstructs a person’s movement as one passes by it. It is mounted on a reclaimed wooden wall on the ground floor of W Taipei and allows guests to engage with the light itself in an intuitive manner.  Developed with custom software, this installation consists of several hundred unique OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) from the world’s first ever production line in Aachen, Germany.  Jason and I spent quite an amount of time watching it and playing with it and even posted some pictures and videos of it on Instagram.

The second installation was a Circular Disk titled “Purple Target” by the elevator Lobby. Created by Howard Chen of China also exclusively for the W brand.  What caught our fancy was that this piece was entirely made out of high-grade thumbtacks.  Later on, Gary recalls that W Taipei houses a big collection of design installations throughout the hotel that synergizes with the design of the spaces while charging one’s sensory experience.  Even the elevator itself that took us up to the 10th floor Welcome Desk was on detail overload mode!

W Taipei’s “Nature Electrified Lobby” showcasing mixed elements of wood, bamboo and steel framing the motion censored LED Art Installation on the lobby wall. What distinctly caught our curiosity at the Wheel’s entrance were two art installations called “To Light You Fade” created by Random International, UK and a Circular Disk titled “Purple Target” by the elevator lobby created by Howard Chen of China also exclusively for the W brand

Gary showed us around the Welcome Desk juxtaposed with white discs of LED uplights evoking water droplets and vertical strips of stainless steel metal saplings. He invited us over to the W Living Room where a kinetic series of timber louvers form a stepped canopy, folding down to enclose the second story meeting areas as their version of the Lobby.  The W Living Room was reminiscent of our own living room at home and it was even complete with a cozy yet very well designed fire place.

W’s Welcome Desk, located at the 10th floor is juxtaposed with white discs of LED uplights evoking water droplets and vertical strips of stainless steel metal saplings

The W Living Room at night is transformed into W’s WOOBAR. The WOOBAR is equipped with over sized ottomans, lounge chairs, sofas and cocktail tables spread out across the space. At the end of the bar is a DJ Island which is home to W’s Resident DJ and other world-class DJs who control the state-of-the-art sound and light systems integrated into the design – the perfect place to see and be seen.  Connected to the Living Room and the WOOBAR is WET and the WETBAR, both surrounding a pool integrated with underwater speakers below and a rich foliage on land. At the edge of the pool, a striking metal bubble sculpture looms evoking suspended, silver droplets of water, while reflecting in its bubbles the W Hotel Building whose character changes at night when the lights illuminate.

W’s electrifying yet cozy Living Room turns into the WOOBAR at night. A kinetic series of timber louvers form a stepped canopy, folding down to enclose the second story meeting areas

The Kitchen Table’s modern interpretation of yellow interiors and patterned ceiling emits the feeling of the sun’s warmth and glow in a garden cottage every morning.   Everyday, the Kitchen Table is filled with a fantastic breakfast spread that it quite reminiscent of our own kitchen table at home. The spread that morning was filled with a smorgasbord of food.  I personally enjoyed the Mac and Cheese as well as everything that had truffle on it!

Next Gary welcomed us into Sweat Fitness Center, W’s Signature Gym and W’s Away Spa and Sauna.  What amazed us was how W was how consistent the branding of W was.  Every little detail was properly considered and thought of.  In each of their signature spaces, they have a special color for way finding which I thought was very interesting.

On the top most floor, is Yen Restaurant, a Cantonese Restaurant with a spectacular view overlooking Taipei 101, Taipei City and the mountains that stretched beyond.  The restaurant itself was filled with quirky details that were impeccably tied up to the space.  The rich purple colored glass created a mirage of spaces, reflections that brought out a unique identity to the space.  Accented with shades of red, this was not your typical Chinese Fare restaurant.  Another interesting detail was that in certain function rooms and nooks, artists found very clever ways of using kitchen and cooking utensils as the medium of their art pieces.  In one nook, spoons, knives and forks brought to life Chinese warriors standing in attention guarding their own “gateways”.  In another function room, cookie cutters were used to create a stunning backdrop amidst the colorful yet classy interiors of the room.  Still in another room, there was an art piece that was composed of chopsticks and teacups arranged in a modern and very interesting way. I enjoyed looking at every art piece because each was a statement piece that was still traditional but at the same time was able to veer away from the usual and the common – which is what we also try to do in our Architectural Design Practice.

The YEN BAR Located on the top most floor, offers the most captivating views of Taipei City as well as the Yangmingshan Mountain Ranges surrounding it

To cap off our tour, Gary treated us to W Signature Drinks at the Yen Bar and showed us the best seat in the house over looking the full height of Taipei 101.  As architects, this was an added bonus to the tour.  At lunch time, we already started Happy Hour.  We had two of W’s Signature Cocktail Drinks.  I had a Green Tea Mojito  and Jason an Oolong Tea Infused Vodka Fizz Cocktail.

The service at W Taipei is also superb.  After the tour, we asked Gary where we could go around the city and he was gracious enough to point out that there was a Red Dot Exhibit and Design Expo just around the corner.  We headed out and spent the whole afternoon.  Turns out, it was an old factory that was converted into a museum and expo space and to top it all off, it was situated beside the new Eslite Mall which was another design haven for us.  After heading to the local night market we headed back to the Hotel and we found a note from Joyce Hsu, W Insider of W Taipei with three test tubes of M&M’s almonds and macadamia nuts.  Joyce graciously extended to us her warm welcome and noted that if there was anything else around the city we’d like to visit we can just ask her – “Wherever, Whenever, Just Ask” was her closing statement.  We loved how personal the service of the W Team was during our visit and we felt like we weren’t very far away from home.

Truly, W Taipei is a rich experience in itself.  At the end of our trip, we were inspired and bursting with design ideas.  It was a sensory experience that allowed us to recharge and get excited to push contemporary architecture to its limits once more.

For more information on W Taipei, please visit www.whotels.com/taipei.

PMBBL on Green Living, ANC

August 19, 2014

One of the first competitions we joined was the “Pinakamagandang Bahay Sa Balat Ng Lupa” Competition way back in 2009, which was launched by Lafarge Cement Philippines and the University of the Philippines College of Architecture. A national open competition, it  challenged Filipino architects to submit blueprints featuring new concepts of what makes a magandang bahay (beautiful house) that takes into account adaptability to the local climate and lifestyle, while keeping the cost to build relatively low. Out of 79 entries, we won and bested the other firms with a design reflecting the Filipino’s creative spirit.

It was a long journey before we actually saw our concept in fruition. There were a lot of administrative problems between the organizers (Lafarge was to donate the structure to UP, who owns the land) as far as who was going to handle and manage the project, finances, etc, among other things. But in November 2013, we finally broke ground for the project with our partners (Lafarge, U.P. Diliman, Wilcon Builders, Icon Builders, among others)

Finally, in June 2014, after a quick 4 months of construction, we finally inaugurated the building along with the stakeholders and prime movers of the project. Sharing with you guys a TV feature of the event, as seen on Green Living, on Channel ANC (ABS CBN News Channel).

Enjoy!

Here’s a link to an article in 2009 about our winning entry. – Philippine Star Article in 2009

Here’s an article of the inauguration in Business Mirror Newspaper.

And a link to Lafarge’s website explaining the competition. La Farge Website Article

 

The Mystery of Stonehenge

June 21, 2014

Text and Photos by Nikki Boncan- Buensalido , As seen in Urban Monologues 2.0, Business Mirror Newspaper (2014)

Welcome to History of Architecture 101. In one of my recent trips, I got to the chance to visit Stonehenge, located in Wiltshire, England amongst the Salisbury Plain.  It is an ancient structure that still boggles the minds of historians and locals alike.  Stonehenge is considered to be one of the wonders of the world and is the best-known, prehistoric monument in Europe.  Its post and lintel construction has paved the way for the modern column and beam type of construction as well as the jointing systems we currently use.

Detail of Tenon and Mortise – The joint systems on the stones were carved out perfectly using deer antlers and bone

Stonehenge’s architecture and methods of construction are basic today but so complex at the time it was built.  It was produced in a culture that left no written records which leads to various imaginative theories.  Historians are still unsure of how the Blue Stones got to where they are now considering that these originated from the Perseli mountain 240 miles away from the current site.  Not to mention that most part of the journey of the 40-50-tonne stones included a trip which crossed waters and scaled a river.  Methods of construction and how the stones were transported, carried, carved, measured and laid out have been studied and theories began to pop up but up to this day, no one knows for sure.  This is what makes Stonehenge so extraordinarily ordinary.

What started out as a simple earthwork enclosure turned out to be the most complex, comprehensive stone structures of the pre-historic times.  It was built in stages that spanned centuries apart in three phases in which all phases required more that thirty million hours of labor.  Historians date the structure back to the late Neolithic period around 2500 BC.  Stonehenge was an important structure in the Bronze Age as later on revealed by the burials mounds surrounding it when artifacts suck as drinking vessels and pottery relating to that period were discovered around the area.

It has been said that Stonehenge was built for various purposes.  One story relates that it was built by aliens because of the way the circles are perfectly laid out.  Others say that it was built by locals who revered the land and used it to be a memorial and a human sacrifice site.  Around Stonehenge to this date, there are hundreds of barrows otherwise known as burial mounds scattered.  This area is considered to be sacred ground as it is a burial site made for the well-known people of the ancient village.  Still others theorize that Stonehenge is an ancient real time calendar laid out in a perfect circle, which maps out seasons, equinoxes and solstices.  Thus it was also regarded as a place of worship and the celebration of the Summer Solstice.

The Stonehenge Circle – The Blue Stones, Heel Stones, Station Stones, Altar Stones and the Five Trilithons of Sarsen Stones is what makes up the circles of Stonehenge. This is the remains of the prehistoric structure to date

The Summer solstice usually occurs between June 20 and 22.  Also known as the “Midsummer”, it is during this time that the axis of the Earth is tilted toward the sun.  It is also at this point of the year that the sun reaches its highest point in the sky as seen from the north and the south pole. On Solstice day, people in the northern hemisphere experience the longest period of daylight in a year.  In the polar regions however, daylight during the Solstice season is continuous for weeks to even months. People usually flock to Stonehenge at this time of the year because the solstice sun sits perfectly in between the horseshoe shaped stones, other wise known as a trilithon – two vertical stones capped by a horizontal lintel.  In the ancient world, the alignment of the sun to a certain stone marker was a sign that the seasons were about to change or that it was time to plant and harvest crops. On the site even sits an arrow and a Heel Stone marker that points to the true north which probably helped determine how far away the sun was from the north and most likely what season was coming. At summer solstice an observer standing within the stone circle, looking north-east through the entrance, would see the sun rise above the Heel Stone.  What a feeling it must be to witness this natural phenomenon!

Trilithon on Solstice – This is how the Solstice is celebrated every year during the Midsummer festival. The Sun sits directly at the center and in between a Trilithion. This scene informed the ancient people that the Summer Solstice was above head

Today, the government of the United Kingdom has gone through a very extensive program that helps intervene the destruction and decay of Stonehenge for over a period of 5,000 years. Sarsen Stones, Blue Stones, the Trilithons and Heel Stones are typical  parts of the monument.  These stones have various functions and characteristics.  Although some over turned, the government has done a lot to preserve the stones that act as markers and speak a certain language to the prehistoric people.

The Heel Stone and Arrow – The Heel Stone is a single block of Sarsen Stone tilted at 27 degrees, standing near the entrance to Stonehenge. It is a marker that points toward the north-east direction. Notice the arrow that also points to a certain point toward the horizon

What also quite interesting to note is the earthwork, surrounding the Stonehenge, are circular ditches on the earth that seem to close in on the monument.  In the middle of the ditch lies the Stonehenge monument itself. A lot of the stones have fallen and have been eroded but a portion of the structure still stands to tell the story.  What is even more interesting to point out is the impeccable detail that was put in to build the structure.  Locks were carved out on the stones which acted like mortise and tenons joints. To make it fit like a puzzle, some stone had tongue and grooves to their sides which helped the stone stay together longer.    It was very well thought of and perfectly executed.  How this was done so perfectly still remains a mystery to this day.  Local artifacts found on excavation sites reveal that tools such as bone and deer antlers were used to carve out these jointing systems.

I never thought I would set foot on Stonehenge but on that day, oh, how I felt the images of my history books come alive. Images in black and white popped out in full color, my five senses taking in all it could.  I almost didn’t want to take the Stonehenge trip because after all, it was “just a pile of rocks” but after experiencing the place in its context, and listening to the rich history of the place, it was a sight to see.  It was amazing enough to catch my attention during the first day of Architecture History class but it was even more spectacular to see it in person.

I was in awe to see how perfectly laid out the stone were and the details that I was able to take in from that simple piece of construction was well worth the trip.  I can almost imagine how it was like to experience the solstice using this prehistoric calendar.  I am left wondering how it must feel like to be there to witness the sun align perfectly in between the stones and how the prehistoric calendar, dating to about 5,000 years still seems to work without fail.  I intently took a stroll around the whole circle taking in every angle and detail, studying the stones and how they were laid out.  I was so blessed to have experienced this enigma to humanity that has stood out for thousands of years.

S House in Urban Zone

May 10, 2014

Sharing with you guys our latest completed residential project, S House, as featured in Daphne Osena-Paez’ webisode of Urban Zone. Thank you Daphne for providing a platform for us to share our ideas and spread our ideas on “Filipino Rennaisance”. Mabuhay!

 

Designing houses in the Philippines can be frustrating a lot of times for us. Since we practice contextual architecture, we do not believe in ‘themed’ residenial developments but instead believe in an architecture that is designed specifically for the place its going to be built, the climate there, and should reflect the culture and identity of the people using it. For this project, for instance, the lot is located within a strictly Mediterranean-themed development. We understand the whole point of having rules and restrictions in a subdivision which is essentially to achieve harmony within it. But since the village had a mediterranean theme, and houses there had little or no eaves, we were being restricted to have a maximum of half a meter for our eaves! This doesn’t make sense at all in a tropical climate because we need eaves and canopies and different architectural contraptions to be as long as they can be to protect our fenestrations from heat and rain (which happens to hit the house horizontally when combined with strong winds).

We essentially designed the house as if we weren’t governed by the theme. We designed it to be honest to it’s site, climate, condition, and client’s pramaters. We started off with the idea that as an owner or designer of a private house, we will never have control over the urban condition that surrounds our property. One day, it may look good, the next day, it may deteriorate because of lack of maintenance. The theme of the village, for example is something we cannot control, more so the attempt of the other homeowners to build a Mediterranean house but most often ending up wth a very poor and tacky copy.

Given this fact, we proposed a house that’s defensive. A house that’s inward looking, and whose back is faced towards the street, and whose spaces all are oriented towards it’s own controlled environment, in this case a courtyard in the heart of the house. By doing this, the spaces between the street and the courtyard become transitory barriers that protect the controlled environment within from being degraded by the uncontrollable harshness that our urban jungle creates such as noise from traffic, pollution, undesireable views, etc.  We used public spaces such as circulation areas as visual and auditory buffers that protect the private spaces from the outside world.

We proposed a house with projecting canopies to ensure the interiors from direct heat gain. We realized that if we push back the building line a bit back relative to the allowable building line, we can have longer eaves and canopies. In combination with this, we made sure that cross ventilation occurs throughout the house. The plans of the house are not deep, therefore making it easy for wind to exit through another opening as soon as it enters.  Even walls that open up to an internal hallway have transom windows, to allow wind to cut through. There is no room in the house whose windows are only on one wall effectibely funneling the wind to cut across the entire length of all rooms.

We proposed a house whose general form is still oriented towards the courtyard, articulated with a series of walls that act as if they were hugging and shielding the internal environment of the house from the outside world, made even more expressive by arraying these fins in shifting angles.

We proposed a house that is honest with its materiality – concrete is shown as concrete – raw and unpainted. Wood is shown with all of its grains and knots. Glass is kept as transparent as it can be. The imperfections of all of these materials remain unhidden.

We took a chance on the design as we believed that it represented the client’s preferences, and the cleint ended up believing in the design so much as well. We submitted the plans to the subdivision with our fingers crossed. Despite the theme,  and with a little push and a bit of argument, we had the design approved. Ever since it was built, the village has now been revising their regulations. The mediteranean theme has slowly been eased out as they realized that it was only a market-driven trend and there are now lesser and lesser people wanting to buld their house in such theme, especially after seeing that an honest house can turn out to be much more beautiful and expressive of who they are than themes that developers set. To cause things to change for the better, some rules should really be aimed to be broken.

Exploring the Urban Fabric

February 10, 2014

Text and Photos by Nikki Boncan- Buensalido , As seen in Urban Monologues 2.0, Business Mirror Newspaper (2013)

 

Last year, I had the chance to visit Seattle in the US.  My family and I took a 3-hour road trip from Vancouver, Canada to the border of Washington State in the US.  It was my first time in Seattle and I read from books that it was a gloomy city – always raining and cloudy.  Records of the local weather bureau point out that Seattle is ranked as one of the five States that receives the most amount of rainfall in a year.  This was what I was expecting and was prepared to get soaked but as we drove into the border, we were greeted by a warm and very fair day with wisps of clouds in the sky with the afternoon sun preparing to set in the horizon.  It was a pleasant surprise and I was excited because I only had 24 hours to soak in all the Architecture and the local flavor of the City. As dusk set in, we were driving into the curb of the apartment of one of our family friends, Cassie Lim.  Tita Cassie, graciously invited us to stay with her for the night and offered to take us around the city in the morning.

Being an architect, all the items on my Seattle Bucket List were all modern buildings.  After our first stop at the Pike Market to pick up our early morning breakfast at the very first branch of Starbucks, we headed towards the Seattle Central Library which opened in 2004.  The Central Library is the flagship building of the Seattle Public Library System and was designed by world-renowned architect Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince- Ramus of the Office of Metropolitan Architecture or simply OMA.  Right smack in the middle of a normal street with normal buildings, was this very expressive art piece.  As you turn the corner, the first glimpse of the building jolts you alive.  An American Institute of Architecture blog notes that this building was voted 108 on the list of Americans’ 150 favorite structures in the US.  The building also received the 2005 National AIA Honor Award for Architecture. At 11-stories of 56 meters high, the building is made of a diagrid structural system, bare concrete and glass.  The building’s massing is composed of a three structures piled, peeled and pulled off from each other in some angles enveloped a structural system that also acts as the skin of the building.  As if inviting users inside, the architects of the building wanted to allow people to still experience how to use books despite the fact that almost anything can be pulled out of the internet.  Koolhaas and Ramus wanted to make sure the program of the building’s spaces functioned as reading nooks and public spaces recreated as a “Living Room” with light filling in from the outside,  encouraging users read more books and stay lengthily inside the library.  The wanted to create a building that was functional and kinetic rather than static and imposing, which is usually how other old libraries look like.

Right smack in the middle of a normal street with normal buildings, was this very expressive art piece.

Next stop was the Experience Music Project Museum or the EMP.  The EMP is located in the heart of the Seattle Center Campus where the Seattle Needle can also be found.  The EMP was designed by Architect Frank Gehry. Having been acclaimed for other famous structures such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Frank Gehry, another maestro in the world of Modern Architecture.  The EMP Museum is the home to some of the most significant eras of popular culture, science fiction, rock and alternative music.  Similar to its architecture, the museum is dedicated to push risk-taking ideas further so that it can fuel creativity of pop culture further.  The colorful reflective exterior of the building is made up of riveted sheet metal which changes its form as one turns every corner of the building’s façade. Frank Gehry describes the building to take the form of a “smashed up electric guitar”.  Our local guide mentioned that to some local residents, the building is reminiscent of a “crumpled piece of musical score sheet”.  What was interesting too is that the purple side of the structure is inspired by Jimmy Hendrix’s song “Purple Haze”.

Loved the colors all over the facade so I decided to take snap shots in each colored background :)

When I visit architectural landmarks, I make it a point to experience the building on all sides since some have entirely different angles and forms. The details of each particular structure also leave traces as to how the building was constructed and the though process that goes with the design concept. At every turn, the building contorted, bent and cracked to form crevices some of which formed pedestrian entrances and display boards.  There was even a hole in the building to allow the monorail track to slice through!

Sufficient to say that truly, creativity has no limits. Both the Seattle Public Library and the Experience Music Project Museum are notable landmarks in Seattle.  Both carry a distinct identity.  Both are avant-garde, modern and contemporary. The concept of reading and appreciating music is not a new thing.  The Seattle Public Library and the EMP Museum has just found new ways to allow the user to experience reading and listening to music in a new light.  These two buildings have successfully bridged the gap for the elderly and the young by introducing a new and tangible experience.  Both architects used normal elements such as books and music that we are all used to and translated them into something relevant for the current times.  They were able to translate it into something that the younger generation can understand.

Taking these into our local context, I hope that someday, we too can create modern buildings that are responsive to local context and local culture but at the same time these buildings may also allow our people to experience the mundane things in different ways. Allowing them to expand their knowledge based on personal experience is a more effective tool. I invite you to join me as I explore the adventure of life and as I relate a series of observations to dissect what the Urban Fabric contains and to go deeper than just mere aesthetics.