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roque residence

Gunn & Cris Roque

BATASAN HILLS, QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA

DESIGNERS BUDJI LAYUG & ROYAL PINEDA BUDJI LAYUG+ROYAL PINEDA DESIGN ARCHITECTS

"Every project is unique. But to design a home to suit a property's given characteristics, one that at the same time evokes sensual delight, is a challenge. For this site, which had great natural potential, our objective was to design a house in harmony with the surroundings," BUDJI LAYUG

Deep in Quezon City, tucked in the shadows of massive government buildings, is a long, 3000-square meter property on which is built a thriving garment business and a delightful home. Workaholic owners Gunn and Cris Roque were expanding their fashion enterprise and their family when they decided to build their home on an undeveloped back lot, close to yet removed from their workaday world.

The couple wanted a home that would showcase what they considered the best available in modern Asian design: furniture created by popular designer Budji Layug and new works by members of Movement 8, Layug's design colleagues. The Roque residence was the first house that Layug had built from the ground up after completing the award-winning pueblo-style Zulueta home on the slopes

Sinuous lines and organic spaces flow through this remarkable split-level residence The house streddles the natural mound Fronting the entrance, while a crescent-shaped swimming pool wraps around the curved sate pavilion.

The family den-cum-television room in the second curved pavilion overlooks a view of the main curved sate pavilion "afloat" the crescent-shaped swimming pool, a recent addition by architect Royal Pineda-In the foreground is a modern Yin-Yang chair by Kenneth Cobonpue.

The informal lanai on the lowest level is furnished in Budji Layug and Royal Pineda's much-vaunted "Tropical Modern" style. The sofa set with matching ottoman is designed by Evolve, the solid wood coffee table by Claude Tayag, the abaca woven rug by Soumak, and the paper art pieces by Mind-masters.

The massive curved picture window in the grand sala allows a sweeping view of the crescent-shaped pool and the garden beyond, All interiors were custom designed and accessorized by Budji Layug, while the garden was landscaped by Ponce Veridiano.

Deep in Quezon City, tucked in the shadows of massive government buildings, is a long, 3000-square meter property on which is built a thriving garment business and a delightful home. Workaholic owners Gunn and Cris Roque were expanding their fashion enterprise and their family when they decided to build their home on an undeveloped back lot, close to yet removed from their workaday world.

The couple wanted a home that would showcase what they considered the best available in modern Asian design: furniture created by popular designer Budji Layug and new works by members of Movement 8, Layug's design colleagues. The Roque residence was the first house that Layug had built from the ground up after completing the award-winning pueblo-style Zulueta home on the slopes of Tagaytay in 1983. The house took two years to conceptualize and complete—down to the last piece of art.

Making the most of the limitations imposed by the site, and working within a concept which he calls "organic-modern," Layug designed a curvilinear 750-square meter split-level house on the naturally rocky property. At the entrance is a large rock mound, from which the house flows in an L shape. The front elevation is a multilayered grouping of clean, dark-colored modernist roofs over a sand-colored resort-like structure. At both ends, the central volume flares outward to curved "pavilions" with expansive picture glass windows. Bordering the main living room pavilion are rounded Art Deco corners—features that give the house its retro "organic" flavor. At the back of the

The rounded form of the sala pavilion, here reflected in the new swimming pool, exudes an organic and Art Deco air On the right is the entrance to the kitchen and the peripheral wall with a sleek new terrace landscape.

Every angle of the dominant spiraling central staircase makes a graphic statement. Here, the wide steps lead from the dining area to the lanai on the ground floor.

Ground floor plan.

This section of the staircase leads from the bedrooms on the second level down past a gallery corner displaying a stone and marble sculpture by Impy Pilapil.

Inspired by rice terraces, the luxurious staircase curves down gracefully to the dining mezzanine, to greet a pivotal and pregnant white column on a rounded base.

The formal dining area features a magnificent red narra wood floor, a solid narra wood table from Claude Tayag, and a gilded abstract mural by artist Gus Albor.

The curved edge of the swimming pool is visible from the deck outside the master suite. The pool is surrounded by manicured lawns and well-tended gardens.

The second floor plan of the Roque residence shows the house pushed back against two adjacent sides of the lot.

The grand "terraces" flow through the dining area—a raised platform of gleaming narra wood—then swirl by a gently rounded Art Deco column atop a curving base, before turning back sharply and flowing down toward a lower den-cum-television room located in the second curved pavilion. Standing near the front entry, the white column on the mezzanine is the axis of the L-shaped house. From its base the space sprawls outward to the main sala pavilion with its massive curved picture glass window. There the living setting is a showcase for the tropical modern furnishings by the designers of Movement 8.

The outside of the Roque residence was recently altered and modernized along the same organic theme by Layug's business partner, architect Royal Pineda. He reconfigured the landscape from the entrance to the rear garden, removing the jungly waterfall, improving access to the kitchen, and adding a spacious tiled terrace at the back. He also designed a stunning crescent—shaped swimming pool with blue-green tiles which echoes the shape of the curved glass window in the living room pavilion, and which descends to the deep end via three layers of curved steps.

Pineda explains the new landscape: "The swimming pool fronting the house is the first thing that people notice. Following the curvilinear lines of the house, it was made into a crescent shape and wrapped close to the main sala pavilion so that the house could be reflected in its waters. At the entrance to the property, the existing rock formation with a new water fountain is used as a natural point of interest and as a contrast to the new crescent pool." By night, glowing glass pavilions appear to "float" upon the reflective waters of the pool.

Two complementary styles are now evident in the home: Layug's original interior with its terraced stairway flowing among stunning settings, and Pineda's modern crescent pool and terrace that mixes disciplined modernism with a fresh use of space. Together, they form a picturesque home—the inner scheme in harmony with the landscape.

The crescent-shaped swimming pool is a picturesque tour de force by architect Royal Pineda. The custom-made blue-green tiling was manufactured by Manila contractor FNSP.

Pineda's landscaping at the rear of the house opened up the kitchen to a new sandstone tiled terrace. A modular two-level water feature flows gently into the children's wading pool below. Fine bamboo softens the high perimeter wall.