Building 101: 25 Tips for a Tropical

Home

A tropical home is best suited to our climate, but it seems a lot of Filipinos want something
else—Mediterranean, European, American Country, even! Before blaming it on colonial
mentality, maybe it’s a misinterpretation of the style at worst; unfortunately, the words “tropical
style” are two of the most abused (and misused!) words when referring to home design. Do you
really know what it is? Four Filipino architects—all with expertise in tropical design—give us the
skinny on what “Tropical” really means.

OUR RESOURCE PERSONS

 Joven Ignacio is a professor of Tropical Design at the College of Architecture in the
University of the Philippines-Diliman.
 Joel Paul Muñoz is an architect at Leandro V. Locsin and Partners.
 John Pangilinan runs his own architectural company
 Vincent Martin Pinpin is architect/designer of VMBP Architecturals, and is a lecturer on
Asian Vernacular Architecture at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Read the original article ("25 Tips for a Tropical Home") in the April 2009 issue of Real Living
Magazine. Download your digital copy of Real Living on the Real Living App now! Log on
to summitnewsstand.com.ph/real-living for more details.

Modern residential architecture in tropical Asia generally and in the Philippines in

particular is going through a fascinating phase of architectural evolution. Stylish new homes in
Metropolitan Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and sultry waterside locations scattered around
the archipelago’s 7000 tropical islands, are providing plush living spaces for increasingly affluent
Filipinos. These new houses have sparked a renaissance in residential architecture that is not only
changing the Philippine suburban landscape but is also providing fodder for the imagination in
international publications, pointing to a nascent design trend: “Tropical modern” is becoming the
new modern.

Philippine “tropical modern” is characterized by residential designs that are distinctive in

their use of mutable space, sensual local materials, and functional accommodation of hybrid East–
West lifestyles. Echoing a pan-Asian trend and a larger trajectory for architectural development in
tropical-belt countries, spaces in these homes show creative configurations of often-minimal
spaces. Filipino architects and designers are also offering fresh approaches in the use of materials
and architectural elements that cater to both the changing cosmopolitan tastes of an ever more
discerning Filipino élite and the aspirations of a progressive, budget-conscious middle class.
Tropical modern design is affordably “cool.”
 “Cool” means more than fashionable façades and hip interiors. It includes environmental
friendliness. In their search for this, Filipino architects are constantly experimenting with new
materials and techniques or rediscovering almost-forgotten materials and traditional arts and crafts
expertise. Cross-ventilation, sun screens, wide eaves, raised floors, and sensitive solar
orientation—devices long used in local vernacular architecture, perhaps unknowingly—are now
given a contemporary twist with the use of steel instead of bamboo, concrete and fiberboard instead
of woven mats, glass and plastics instead of capiz shells. These older vernacular materials are not
being discarded but are instead being processed in new ways with lamination, machine weaving,
heat tempering and shaping to produce attractive building materials. Passive cooling, solar power,
recycled gray water, and ventilated roofs are being rationally employed in house designs. Tropical
modern is not only architecturally “modern” and affordably “cool” it is also “green.”

1. Aptly put by architect Joven Ignacio, “ATROPICAL HOUSE BELONGS IN A

TROPICAL ENVIRONMENT.” This type of house is immediately appropriate for our climate,
which Joven relates, is all in extremes. “We have high humidity…strong winds, we have a lot of
sunlight, [and] we have pests because of the high water content in the air.” Architect Joel Muñoz
shares the same view, “I would say tropical design responds and addresses the climactic
requirements of the tropics.” All these environmental factors should be addressed by creating the
right kind of tropical home, which is to…

2. CREATE A CONTEMPORARY BAHAY KUBO. For all architects, the bahay kubo
is the model of a perfect tropical home. “The house-on-stilts form, while perfect for hot/humid
climates…is our most economical answer to the environment. It is cheap, it is fast [to build,] it is
easy to re-locate or even replace,” explains architect Vincent Martin Pinpin, who affectionately
refers to the traditional bahay kubo as “TBK.”

But before you snap up sawali and bamboo to build your hut, take heed. “It’s certainly
impractical however to build a bahay kubo in the metro, for fire safety and durability issues,”
warns Joel. “But a modern tropical house may take off from its practical design. Materials may
also be substituted with more modern and durable ones available today.”
 3. BE CULTURE-SENSITIVE. Make your tropical home apt in the province or area you
are in, says Joven. “Culture of a people is very important…look at the behavioral patterns of the
ones who will be living in it, the historical background of the family. If your family grew up in
Metro Manila, iba ang kultura, mas harassed, yung nasa labas ng Metro Manila, medyo laidback.”

4. PLAN WITH RAIN IN MIND. Admits architect John Pangilinan, “rain is a part of
tropical design…we have six, or even seven or eight months of rain, and that has to be incorporated
into [the] design, and use it for sustainable purposes. [I] like using rain water for watering the
plants, creating storage for it.”

5. DO PROPER SOLAR ORIENTATION. Where your house is located in a lot and the
location of its openings is crucial to having a cool and comfortable home. Vincent explains; “The
proper siting of the structure [lessens] the radiant heat…and encourages natural airflow into the
space. Orienting the structure on the north-south axis [where] wall openings face it and keeping
the east-west facing walls closed (where the sun rises and sets—Ed.) ensures that [harsh] sunlight
will not enter the space.”

Architect John also suggests “[having] more openings towards the north and south, if you
want to have more openings at the east and west, you have to put more vegetation.”
 6. DISCOVER THE BEAUTY OF BRISE-SOLEIL. Simply put, brise-soleil means “sun
shades,” exterior architectural elements made out of wood or metal placed over window openings.
“Basically, [it] blocks out the sun’s rays and helps lower temperatures,” says Vincent.

7. GO FOR WIDER EAVES. Longer and wider eaves (that part of the roof that hangs
over the walls of your house) shield parts of the house from sun and rain. But it also helps if you…

8. …HAVE A STEEPER PITCH. “A steep roof slope allows rainwater to flow down
faster, and creates a larger void between roof surface and ceiling. The air [in this void] circulates,
and cools the home,” explains Joel. The recommended pitch is 30 to 45 degrees.

9. “CHOOSE LOW-THERMAL CONDUCTIVE MATERIALS FOR THE

BUILDING ENVELOPE,” says Vincent. This means we should use…

10. …CLAY ROOF TILES. Why do we always end up using GI sheets for our roofs?
Joven explains: “It’s a technology that was imported from America during the war. Nasira ang
mga building natin, [and that was the] easiest material to use. Our Asian neighbors, they’ve been
using clay tiles, malamig yung mga bahay nila.”
So nix the GI sheets and go for the cooler option of clay. “Right now for the city, a clay
tile roof or cement tile roof might be best,” says Vincent. “It’s the least thermally conductive and
it lasts longer.”
 11. HAVE AN OPEN PLAN LAYOUT. “Considering that most Filipino properties are
small, the lesser walls you have, the better the ventilation, and better communication in terms of
interaction,” says John. “You can actually open everything.”

12. UTILIZE PASSIVE COOLING. Passive cooling simply means cooling the house
without using artificial air conditioning. This is the trademark of a tropical home, and this means
having wide window openings, and employing the next few techniques.

13. HIGH CEILINGS ARE THE TROPICAL NORM. Hot air rises, so a higher ceiling
means that hot air has space to circulate, and the space would be less humid and stuffy.

14. BRING BACK VENTANILLAS. According to John and Vincent, ventanillas (sliding
panels located beneath windows in a traditional Filipino home) should still be utilized in cooling
a home. Conversely, openings located near the ceiling also help. “Clerestory windows or vents
above act as an egress for hot air,” says Joel.
 15. HAVE AN OUTDOOR SPACE. Tropical homes always have a connection with the
outdoors. “The idea of bringing the outdoors in is very Asian,” surmises Vincent. “It is good for
the soul, calms the nerves, heightens the senses.” So even if you live in a small condominium, add
a seating area and lush plants to your balcony, or have your townhouse’s dining room open up to
a pocket garden.

16. EMPLOY ALL METHODS OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY. Tropical homes are by

nature energy-efficient, as they do not need artificial air conditioning or lighting during the day.
“Noong unang panahon ang mga vernacular houses natin, hindi energy-guzzlers,” relates Joven.
Vincent also suggests going further by building “a turf roof. This is literally…a ‘green’ roof since
it is planted with ground cover over soil and other layers, and lowers interior temperatures.”

17. CUT DOWN ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING IN THE DAYTIME. Wide window

openings ensure proper lighting during the day.

18. MAKE IT A MONOCHROME PALETTE AND LIGHT, REFLECTIVE

COLORS. “A monochromatic color scheme brightens the space, gives the illusion of it being
bigger than it actually is and cool to the senses—more maaliwalas,” explains Vincent. Light colors
reflect heat, and thus can be used on any surface—from roof and walls to floors and furniture
upholstery—to make an area cooler. This is why the trademark colors of a contemporary tropical
home are white and beige.
 19. GO NATURAL. “We want to keep colors to a minimal level, because we want it [to
look] natural,” avers John. “If you look at nature, they [have] simple colors—greens, browns,
beige, whites—and we would like to complement the environment.”

20. USE INDIGENOUS MATERIALS. “Houses should be allowed to breathe,” says

Joven. “The materials used should also be allowed to breathe, para matuyo kaagad [because] we
have a humid environment.” He recommends not only using traditional bamboo and nipa, but other
sustainable and fast-growing materials like rattan, and jemelina wood.

21. MAKE YOUR FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES GO TROPICAL, TOO.

Unless you want to make an eclectic statement, furnishings should be related your tropical home
and the region it is in. In more contemporary tropical spaces, as suggested by John, modern
furniture pieces in indigenous materials by the likes of Kenneth Cobonpue (or other Movement 8
designers like Milo Naval and Ann Pamintuan—Ed.) are perfect in such homes.

22. TRY A CLEAN, MINIMALIST LOOK. Scared of going rustic? Vincent explains
that a tropical home can be as modern as you want it to be. “It can be as modern as you want, very
sleek, sparse, simple, uncluttered, and clean, yet still be perfectly tropical just by using the
techniques of our vernacular heritage.”
 23. LANDSCAPE WITH TROPICAL GREENERY. One of the trademarks of a
tropical home is the presence of plants, inside and out. “Of course tropical plants are best suited to
our climate, we have a lot of beautiful indigenous plants around us,” says Vincent. He suggests
soft barriers (in lieu of fences) such as bamboo hedges, violet Ti plants, popular croton or San
Francisco, or dramatic gabi plants. These plants can also help cool the area, and provide shade.
“[A] trellis is also key in controlling the influx of direct sunlight,” says John.

24. CREATE A WATER FEATURE. “Water features (such as ponds, pools, fountains,
waterfalls) do decrease the temperature, especially when air passes through these,” explains
Vincent. Joel on the other hand, suggests placing water features outside window openings since
“evaporating water helps cool the air.”
 25. BAMBOO IS THE BEST. Regarded as one of the most versatile (and readily-
available) plants in the tropics, bamboo serves not only as a decorative plant, but also as a sturdy
building material or surface finish. “There are studies that bamboo is a very resilient material for
building…with an even greater tensile strength than steel,” explains Vincent. “This is perfect for
light house construction.”