In the heart of Midtown Cebu lies White Brick Studio, a creative hub where visual professionals gather to collaborate and elevate design standards across Visayas and Mindanao. Midtown, more known as a vibrant entertainment district, owes much of its growing network of creative spaces mainly to Mango Square Mall where White Brick is located, Atúa […]
S Residence: Shelter in Place
Architecture often transcends utility, becoming a narrative of connection where every element contributes to a harmonious whole. By orchestrating light, materials, and movement, it creates environments that engage the senses and nurture well-being. This philosophy of user-centric, immersive design elevates everyday living into the extraordinary. And Luther Sim of Sim Ateliers is a huge proponent of this ethos, as seen in S Residence.
Sim Ateliers maximized the home’s living areas by extending the structure to the property’s easement and anchoring the design around the central courtyard.
When tasked with creating a home in Quezon City that would serve as a self-contained sanctuary for its inhabitants, Sim faced competition from other esteemed architects. The client, keen on finding a design that balanced luxury, functionality, and privacy, bid out the project in search for the concept that suited their lifestyle best.
Sim’s winning design stood out for its empathy and ingenuity. He envisioned a home that would cater to the family’s desire for an all-encompassing lifestyle—a space where every need, from relaxation to recreation, could be met without leaving the property. It wasn’t just about creating a big house. The challenge was to design a world within a home, where every corner feels purposeful and every space invites discovery.
Introspective Design
With a total built area of 2,500 square meters spanning multiple levels, the home reimagines the conventional relationship between architecture and its surroundings. Sim anchored his design around a sun-dappled central courtyard. By extending the structure to the property’s easement, Sim maximized the footprint, allowing the open space to reside in the heart of the home.
A sculptural spiral staircase connects the ground floor with the basement’s amenities. The space also serves as a lightwell so that these levels are as bright as the rest of the home.
This inward focus creates a sanctuary-like atmosphere, where kalachuchi trees act as a sculptural anchor that unites the home’s narrative. The courtyard connects public and private spaces, floods the interiors with natural light, and promotes cross-ventilation, ensuring a sustainable, breezy environment.
The home’s vertical design features a two-story, above-ground structure complemented by two underground basements, providing expansive living areas without overwhelming the surrounding landscape.
Spaces That Tell a Story
The home’s dynamic design ensures that no two spaces feel the same. From the open expanse of the courtyard to the intimate retreat of the master suite, each area offers a unique perspective while contributing to the overall harmony of the property.
According to Sim, “We have to study the narration of the materials within the house.” Sim Ateliers masterfully harmonizes these elements, using a cohesive color palette to unify the diverse textures and tones, and tell a cohesive design narrative.
Designed for entertaining, the home’s stunning dining room elevates every gathering with its grand wooden table, marble accent wall, and sculptural chandelier.
Each area has its own identity; the overall design remains cohesive and materials subtly transition from one space to the next. From warm wood tones to cool stone finishes, every surface feels intentional, contributing to the home’s immersive atmosphere. To balance the clean lines and solidity of concrete and stone used throughout the home, Sim Ateliers incorporated African teak into the courtyard’s architectural features. This natural material, chosen for its durability and warmth, breaks up the visual monotony of harder surfaces while infusing the design with a softer, organic feel.
The World Within Reach
This home redefines the essence of “shelter in place,” transforming necessity into luxury. In a world where staying home has become more significant than ever, Sim Ateliers crafted a space that offers everything its inhabitants need—comfort, connection, and convenience—all under one roof.
With its inward-focused design, the home becomes a haven that nurtures family bonds, prioritizes wellness, and elevates life’s daily rhythms into meaningful experiences. Each element enriches the act of staying home, making it both functional and fulfilling. Here, sheltering in place is a privilege embodying the ultimate luxury: a home that brings the world to you, allowing you to live, relax, and thrive without ever having to leave.
Read more about S Residence in BluPrint Volume 2, available via the sarisari.shopping website, Shopee, and Lazada. E-magazines are available for download via Readly, Press Reader, and Magzter.
Photographed by Benson Go.
Read more: Beauty in Subtlety by Nazareno Architecture + Design
Frequently Asked Questions
The “Shelter in Place” concept refers to a design philosophy where the home is created as a self-contained sanctuary that meets all of a family’s needs—relaxation, recreation, and work—within the property. Sim Ateliers envisioned a “world within a home” that prioritizes privacy and wellness, allowing inhabitants to thrive without the necessity of leaving the premises.
The sun-dappled central courtyard acts as the home’s narrative and structural anchor, featuring sculptural kalachuchi trees. By focusing the design inward and extending the building to the property easements, the courtyard becomes a private oasis that floods the 2,500-square-meter interior with natural light and facilitates essential cross-ventilation.
To provide expansive living areas without overwhelming the street-level landscape, the home utilizes a vertical design strategy. It consists of a two-story structure above ground complemented by two extensive basement levels. A sculptural spiral staircase serves as a lightwell, ensuring that even the subterranean amenity levels remain bright and airy.
To soften the clean lines of concrete and cool stone finishes, Sim Ateliers integrated African teak into the courtyard and architectural features. This durable natural material was specifically chosen to break visual monotony, adding organic warmth and texture to the cohesive color palette used throughout the multi-level residence.
Designed for high-end entertaining, the dining area features a grand wooden table set against a striking marble accent wall and a sculptural chandelier. The transition of materials between these social spaces and private retreats is handled subtly, ensuring each room has a distinct identity while maintaining a unified design narrative.
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