Palisades Villa. Bacolod, Philippines
Set within a landscaped development where half the land is given to space and soft landscaping, this brief called for living in nature. Our proposal looks to embrace the ambiance of flowering trees and tropical plants crafted by local and renowned landscape architect Ildefonso P Santos. Nestled amongst the nook of a stream, this home provides a peaceful and airy environment, away from the bustle of Bacolod City within the Western Visayas of the Philippines.estern Visayas.
Inspiration was drawn from its Purple Bauhinia street name, commonly known as the purple butterfly tree that produces elegant orchid-like flowers. This, coupled with the parameters of the site, led to a natural splay of spaces accommodated within two main wings. In addressing their eastern and western settings, an open double-height volume was formed at the heart of the home. This encourages connections and views through the space and across the two levels.
Our approach was to create as many opportunities as possible for the occupants to interact with the outdoors. The splayed and open floor plan allowed opportunities to bring in pockets of greenery. On the ground floor, the idea is to have a seamless relationship between indoors and outdoors with sliding-folding doors that allow full exposure to the garden.
Sun movement and prevailing winds have been carefully considered with the buildings orientation to capitalise on passive cooling strategies. Emphasis is given to shade and natural ventilation, while low-emissivity coatings on windows provide an additional layer of protection from too much sun. Generous verandas around the house will provide deep shade and temperature regulation as well as great opportunities for seating around the green buffer.