Filipino architecture has long made use of bamboo, a sustainable and low cost material that has made another striking appearance on the facade of this Courtyard House in Manila. Designed by Swiss architecture practice Atelier Sacha Cotture, this single-family house wraps around a central landscaped courtyard, a typology passed down from Manila’s Spanish colonial era. Rows of vertically oriented stained bamboo poles clad the exterior of the building, and electricity is partially generated through rooftop solar panels.
Atelier Sacha Cotture stacked the living and bedroom areas into a three-story structure located at the farthest point from the access road. The first floor comprises the main communal areas, including the foyer, living rooms, and kitchen. The second floor contains bedrooms and a guest-office room, while the master bedroom sits on the top level and is wrapped around by an L-shaped outdoor garden terrace that overlooks the courtyard and pond. The entrance foyer, garage, and service area provide a privacy and noise buffer between the access road and the courtyard.
Many materials used in construction were sourced locally, including the bamboo poles, which are also used for decorative purposes inside the house. To provide a visual contrast with the rich, earthy hues of the stained bamboo, the architects lined the base of the main house and entrance foyer with Araal, a type of local granite. The stone-and-wood motif is carried through the interior, where all the windows, cabinets, and beds are fabricated with locally sourced Mahogany wood. The stone material for the bathrooms and living room were sourced from the nearby island of Romblon.
Source: http://inhabitat.com/atelier-sacha-cotture-clads-filipino-courtyard-house-in-low-cost-bamboo-and-solar-panels/
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