Aesthete Townhouse​

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We’ve been commissioned by the client in early 2019 to prepare a concept design for a 5-unit, tri-level high-end townhouse block that is to be located in Quezon City’s ever-evolving district of New Manila. The purpose of the exercise is to come up with an architectural and marketing package that will be used for drawing-in investors in the project, mostly from within his close circle of friends and family members.

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The brief lists a requirement for a 4BR configuration with maids’ room, a small home office, and at least a 2-car garage for each unit. The plot of land is rectangular with the longer side facing the road. It has a considerable depth which posed a challenge when it comes to providing natural light and ventilation to the individual units. The brief states that the design should be modern, non-imposing, and must have a light feel to it.

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Instead of the traditional side-by-side parking, the architect has opted for a tandem parking arrangement as a response to the deep nature of each unit plot. This approach is seen as a better option because it allows each unit to have a proper entrance while still having the visual connectivity between the living space and the outside. Security and road traffic conditions were studied before adopting this option. The living room, kitchen, dining, and maid’s rooms are all located on the ground floor with a timber-decked area at the rear which acts both as a service and an outdoor seating seating. The second floor hosts the double volume master bedroom and one of the secondary bedrooms - both having en suite baths. Two of the remaining bedrooms, a small home office, and the master bedroom’s wardrobe are located on the third and final floor. A central courtyard that connects all floors feeds natural light and ventilation into the spaces and acts as an informal meeting point for its residents on the second floor. While each unit is narrow and long, the architect has made sure that the spaces have sufficient access to natural light and will always have the option to be ventilated naturally.

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Much attention has been given to the solar control of the façade due to the plot’s south-facing nature. A combination of slanted walls, steel plate shading, automatically irrigated vegetation, the use of a non-habitable room as a buffer, brise-soleil, and canopies have been used to shut out direct and excessive sunlight and limit the heat gain on the facade. Wide-format wooden blinds are also integral in the design as part of the multi-tier approach to combat the negative effects of the harsh afternoon sun.

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Having the combination of a much sought-after location and a design that is in tune with the modern times, the owner is well-positioned to offer a high-value, high-end property that would allow him to command a higher premium when compared to similar projects within the Metro Manila real estate market.

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Project name: Aesthete Townhouse

Location: New Manila, Quezon City, Philippines

Architect: Michael Gracilla, UAP, LEED AP | ARKMIKEL Design Architects

Features: 5 nos x G+2, 4BR Townhouse Units

Architectural style: Contemporary

Scope of work: Concept Design

Lot size: 591.80 sq.m. (6370.08 sq.ft.)

Total built-up area: 5 nos x 209.70 sq.m. = 1048.50 sq.m. (11285.96 sq.ft.)

Project status: Concept design completed, 2019, Build TBC

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