Find out what each industry expert had to say during our most recent virtual event
In comparing old and new residential projects, which do you think has evolved the most? Last February 26, 2021, BluPrint, Scavolini, and Modularity Home held a webinar event titled Rethinking Residences where renowned speakers such as Architects Luther Sim, Cathy Saldaña, and Denise De Castro, as well as Interior Designer Tina Periquet presented keynotes on the emergence of architect and client collaboration, factors to consider when investing on a residence, functionality of a home to match a family’s lifestyle, and a designer’s influence towards the next generation, respectively. Modularity Home’s General Manager, Brian Hontiveros, also shared his thoughts and comments on each of the speakers’ presentations. The event was hosted by Architect Manolet Garcia, and each member of the webinar, both speakers and viewers alike, fostered a circle that deepened their understanding on all the aspects that should go into molding one’s humble abode.
Rethinking Residences started with Manolet’s humble introduction of the event’s themes, four speakers, and sole reactor. Through the webinar, design solutions for residences in the fast-paced age of innovation and technology will be highlighted. These not only showcase the expertise of the speakers, but also bring to the fore Scavolini’s world-renowned authenticity through their core values of efficiency, elevated quality of life, equity, and evolution that are conveyed and achieved in every project. As the co-presenter of the event, it is only apt that conversations on design solutions are emphasized for both current practitioners and aspiring professionals. After welcoming remarks from BluPrint Brand Manager Mike Cabbo, the event officially kicked off with Architect Luther Sim as the first speaker.
With his presentation titled Residences Moving Forward, Sim shared that clients are starting to be more involved and vocal about what they want to create with their homes. More than being a realization of an architect’s vision, houses have now become structures deeply founded on collaboration. Designs are becoming more and more intentional, and it is an architect’s duty to come up with ingenious solutions to every problem a client presents. This is a skill deeply rooted in adaptability–being able to adapt to various specifications and conditions. This is the guarantee Scavolini expresses as one of Italy’s top manufacturers, from kitchen cabinetry systems to those in bathrooms and living rooms. Through their pristine and distinctive Italian design, each homeowner will be able to understand what modernized luxury and purpose is. As an example from Sim’s firm, entertainment areas are distanced from the more intimate spaces as to avoid not just a clash in function, but in mood as well. It is through this example that he was able to remind everyone that architects and designers should not stop at form and function alone. More than the materials, space, and all other tangibilities, the intangibles are the ones that add true value. “A house has to be timeless, beautiful, functional, and stable,” he states.
The second Rethinking Residences speaker was Architect Cathy Saldaña whose presentation was titled Making Residences Count, focusing on looking at residences as major investments in every portfolio. Saldaña shared multiple variables that should be considered when talking about a home’s increase in value, namely: location, the location’s potential in value increase, and the physical attributes or features such as a skyline or mountain view. But more than just the environment, she stressed that the quality of life is always the focus when creating a home. This begins in choosing your team experts, and continues through the knowledge on property appraisal. As she mentioned, “Everything that’s expensive is not exactly excellent,” which is entirely in line with Scavolini’s mission of creating pieces that embody the characteristics of the present’s best technologies and future’s goal of reaching sustainability, all while ensuring excellent value for money. Wrapping up, Saldaña reiterated that quality relies on design and design construction, its maintenance, selection of components, and the actual livability of the entire space.
Architect Denise de Castro followed, and she shared how the importance of design cohesion and a resident’s touch. With her presentation entitled Designing in Moments, De Castro expounded on her studio’s design process focused on “the collaborative endeavor of building a home with the client, engineers, contractors, suppliers, and everyone on the team.” Through every partnership, the human experience has proven to be vital in the conceptualization and construction of homes that understand the client’s values and lifestyle. Prioritizing the hows and whats of daily family life runs deep in the Scavolini heritage, placing clients at the forefront of each collaboration, giving them the freedom to customize and design their own space as they want and need it to be. De Castro and her team does the same by sending a detailed questionnaire that creates a picture of what everyday life is like for the entire family, which leads to creating the perfect home that is not just habitable, but is also functional and effective now and in the years to come. This is the foundation of De Castro’s approach: human-focused, knowledge-based, and experience-driven.
Lastly, Interior Designer Tina Periquet presented The Designer as Influencer: the hows and whys of a designer’s approach to the task of designing differently, and the outcomes they shape. In talking about influencers, famous architects and designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Antoni Gaudi, and Le Corbusier come to mind. These are just a few innovators who had tremendous influences on aspiring creatives. Through the years, their voices still reverberate not just because of their competency, but also because of their keen eye for detail, a quality that Scavolini and its Philippine distributor, Modularity Home, also embody. Focusing on modular living systems that cater to Filipinos, Modularity Home knows what specific areas of a residence to target, thus being meticulous enough in identifying the right brands that fit every client’s specific personality. Periquet also shared the emphasis and expected outcomes of those who consider themselves rationalists, explorers, or artists. While a rationalist emphasizes creating order out of chaos through elegant solutions, an explorer highlights the yearning for meaning by providing authentic and profound responses, and an artist focuses on purely creating a work of high significance through unique creations. Evident in the various facets we can emulate, Periquet reaffirms, “The designer is the ultimate influencer,” and that they should “use their influence well to help build the world we want.”
Speaking as someone part of the team behind Rethinking Residences, Modularity Home General Manager Brian Hontiveros also raised a number of insights and questions to further expand the topic of discussion after the presentation of each speaker. He commended Sim’s approach on design through their way around negative space, thus creating areas that can be used for productivity as well. On that note, Hontiveros posed a question on managing multiple projects that require great focus, to which Saldaña responded with what may be one of the skills that professionals tend to forget to utilize: time management. Being able to provide the necessary amount of attention to create work that meets her and her clients’ standards is how the architect confidently accomplishes everything that needs to be done.
Managing time also goes hand-in-hand with managing expectations and requests. Hontiveros raised the importance of utilizing client meetings to redesign a residence that adapts to the current situation everyone is experiencing. Now is the perfect time for homeowners to rethink how they see and work with the spaces they live in, just as De Castro shared. Lastly, Hontiveros admired the MasterClass-like presentation of Periquet that left him practically speechless. However, a pertinent remark he added was that the team behind Scavolini and Modularity Home has to be flexible when working with different types of creative professionals such as architects and designers.
To find out more about each speaker’s perspectives on the topic and focus of Rethinking Residences, and also Brian and Manolet’s comments and questions, watch the entire webinar on BluPrint’s Facebook page.
