“Bahay Sibi” is a 300 square-meter residence, located at Baliuag, Bulacan. The site is inside a private subdivision that is composed of generic lots with restrictions typical of gated villages. The property is a corner lot with the village clubhouse on its front. The situation calls for a design that can provide a level of privacy to the family, yet open enough to allow the sun and breeze inside. The brief given by the client was concise. The clients are determined to get their money’s worth in terms of lot size and budget.

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The design is contemporary Filipino architecture, with features adapting to the tropical setting while reflecting the vernacular. All bedrooms are employed with a “sibi.”  The main spaces are oriented toward the north, while the lanai and garden are located on the north-east, for the morning sun.

The house is accessed through a concrete path walk surrounded by tropical landscaping. Vegetation surrounds the house with a gabion fence bordering the property. Inside the galvanized steel gabions are limestones.

The ground floor has open-planned common areas. The lanai is connected to these common areas and serves as an extension of the space. All wood doors and accent wall panels found inside Bahay Sibi follow the same wood strip design, simulating the wood sun-shading devices of the exterior. The idea is to bring inside the exterior design, showing not only the spatial relationship but visual connections of the indoor and outdoor elements.

The palette of the interior is neutral, with accents of wood. The furnishings and accessories are minimal to have a relaxed ambiance and to avoid unnecessary clutter. The stairs connect the main spaces to the private rooms while permitting a stack effect that allows airflow and cross ventilation. The motorized windows on the stairs act as an exhaust for hot air. It also has a skylight with UV film, bathing the stairs with sunlight. The design of the stairs reflects the openness and porosity of the house while distributing sunlight to the common areas.

Private spaces are located on the upper floors with a balcony on the 3rd floor, which serves as an intimate space for the family. Operable wood louvers separate the family room ans the stairs, with an option to control the amount of sunlight.

Platform 21 Architecture’s works strive to produce a brilliant solution to every design problem. We design buildings within the limitations of context and beyond the possibilities of function. A building must be bounded by its site, molded by its context, but shall be inspired by the environment of its time.

Project Information

Project Name: Bahay Sibi

Location: Baliuag, Bulacan, Philippines

Completion Year: 2019

Project area: 287 square meters

Gross Built Area: 300 square meters

Project Credits

Architecture Firm: Platform 21 Architecture

Firm Address: 4F Unit 402, A.B. Sandoval Bldg., Shaw Blvd. cor. Oranbo Drive, Pasig City

Website: www.platform21-architecture.com

Contact email: [email protected]

Lead Architect: Agatha Rodis

Design Team: Philip Mendoza

Engineering: ADA Alfiler + Engineering Consultant (Structural), ATM Engineering (Electrical), Herbert Castro Engineering (Plumbing and Mechanical)

Landscape: Eliser Mojico

Contractor: Crossline Builders