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The art of home as its builders see it
Source: Inquirer
Author: Tessa R. Salazar
Date: 1999-11-16
 
ARCHITECTS can be artists when

designing homes. But they can be more

than that because aside from merely

injecting their own style of architecture

when thinking of designing a home, these ''artists'' are faced

with architectural challenges that may be unimaginable for us

who inhabit the homes that they design.



More than the design and the creativity that their artistic juices

could give them, they also have to think about the present and

future needs of the would-be inhabitants. They have to explore

the design flexibility of the materials to be used. These are the

structural components, the budget constraints, the safety and

comfort of the inhabitants and a host of other things that only

an architect knows.



The Laguna Properties Holdings Inc. (LPHI), the middle-income

housing arm of Ayala Land, featured Nov. 11 at Tower 1 Ayala

Triangle, leading Filipino architects who were tapped to design

LPHI's new project designs called Prima Casa. These are

architects Francisco Maqosa, Carmelo San Juan, Nepthy del

Rosario, Vicky Tee, Eduardo Hordejan, Carlo Gervacio and Rod

Bernardo. They were asked to design houses using the two

building technologies adapted by LPHI--the French developed

Phenix system, and the British Tex system.



The Phenix system uses an all-steel structure with precast

concrete panels as cladding. Since Phenix is Prima Casa's

premium range, it offers larger floor areas. This system was

introduced in LPHI's Santarosa Estates, a residential project in

Laguna for junior executives. The more affordable Tex system

uses as its structure a prefabricated and reinforced concrete

panels, beams and columns. These can be seen in LPHI's

middle-income housing project in Batangas and Quezon.



Architect Maqosa's expandable home designs, which used the

Phenix system, can be modified and expanded to meet the

growing needs of the occupants with minimal disruption.

Maqosa, whose signature style of architecture is Filipino, called

his works as ''Munting Tahanan,'' ''Gitnang Tahanan'' and

''Dakilang Tahanan.'' With the bahay kubo- and bahay na

bato-inspired designs, the three house designs were meant to

jive with the landscape and the tropical environment.



When a family outgrows a 142-sq.m. Munting Tahanan, living

areas can be expanded and new rooms and dens can be added.

This transforms into a 207-sq.m Gitnang Tahanan. As the

family's financial capacity progresses, the house can now be

converted to a 221-sq.m. Dakilang Tahanan where the den can

be transformed to a guest room with a bathroom and an

additional driver's quarter and toilet.



The Spanish-Mediterranean inspired designs of San Juan, on

the other hand, are characterized by large doors and windows.

He also made use of the Phenix system.



''The Phenix system is very strong. Steel is very resistant to the

earthquakes. It's more pliable, it can move, it can bend. The

joints were actually studied very well. Welding experts were

hired,'' said San Juan. He stressed that joints are very important

because structural failures of other buildings lay in it.



Architect Del Rosario, who had earlier designs in LPHI's

Santarosa Estates using the Phenix systems, updated his French

design for the Prima Casa collection. Architect Tee, on the other

hand, drew up European-inspired homes that stressed elegance

and spaciousness by using large windows and doors.



The most compact design, at 80 sq.m, created by architect

Hordejan is an ideal home for newly married couples.



Two architects--Gervasio and Bernardo--designed homes using

the Tex system. Gervasio went for the Victorian and

Mediterranean look, while Bernardo explored the tropical.

Gervasio focused on the spaciousness of the home while

Bernardo made use of well-placed windows, ventilator slots,

shading devices for a cooler environment.



Prima Casa designs were offered to selected clients in June.

Manuel Colayco Jr., LPHI president, said that Prima Casa was

received well by clients.



''There are also those who have some technical background who

acquired the structural components and assembled the house to

their own specifications,'' he said.



With the difficulty in constructing new homes, LPHI's Prima

Casa designs offer artistic and habitable solutions.



LPHI also claimed that it can help future homeowners or lot

owners within Luzon, analyze the site to determine the soil

condition of the property.



Along with that, LPHI also claims it can procure construction

permits for future home owners, provide them with licensed

architects and engineers in civil, electrical, sanitary and

structural works during site construction, and provide them with

two options on the type of building systems for their homes.
 

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