“What we wanted was not so much a place of hiding, but a place of finding.” These words by the homeowner of the DSB House are illuminating despite their contradictory nature. Built on a cliff 4,000 feet above sea level in the outskirts of Bacolod, the house is easily an escapist’s dream, embraced by nature and sheltered from the worries of city life. Yet, while it cocoons its inhabitants, it leads them on a contemplative journey through its thoughtful architecture, lighting design, and landscape design.
From the house’s aesthetic alone, one would assume the homeowners were of Japanese descent, with its gabled roof clearly taking inspiration from Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. The design, however, is influenced by the tranquility they want each space to exude, which happens to align with the principles of Japanese architecture.
Creating a place of quiet reflection and “capturing the beauty and feel of the mountains under any weather condition” to create a meditative sanctuary was the client’s most essential requirement, which the design team composed of architect Edwin Ordoñez, lighting designer Christine Sicangco of CSLDI, landscape designer Ted Lizares, and interior designers Yvette Benedicto and Sheila Yusay sought to achieve through careful collaboration. “We wanted the house to have versatility, functionality, and form—a space that would be wonderfully intimate in a fun and relaxing way,” says the homeowner.
The conceptual framework of the DSB House sprouted from the landscape itself, specifically from the need to respect its natural terrain and for any architectural intervention to move with it as organically as possible.
The land is described by the homeowner as a “gigantic hole” that she didn’t want flattened or filled up to accommodate her house, so they chose the flattest plot of land on which to build on, which happened to be the cliffside area that provides an expansive view of the valley and mountains in the distance. The house only occupies a 200-square-meter footprint, with the abundance of pocket gardens and shrubbery taking up the rest of the lot.
Orienting the house to frame the breathtaking view was a no-brainer, but any designer can simply build a structure on such a location and call it a day. For the DSB House to be an organic part of the landscape, there needed to be a harmonious union of architecture, light, and landscaping, where hardscape and softscape appear indistinguishable in both form and function.
This harmonious union is immediately felt in the journey—and yes, it is a journey—toward the main door, where one has to walk up over 60 steps that are walled in by escalating plots of vegetation. Walking up these steps can leave one out of breath, but the lushness and beauty of the landscaping can render visitors breathless as well, as though they were being led on a path to enlightenment.
While its architecture and landscape design manage to make its users feel nature’s embrace, it is the lighting that completes the tranquil environment of the DSB House. The illumination of every leaf, surface, and step feels natural, with each wash of light painting a story that can change a person’s perspective. This cliffside house is proof that once everything is illuminated perfectly, we can easily find ourselves.
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Photographed by Ed Simon.
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