Mixed-Use Housing – Bacolod City, Philippines

Villa Geronca (La Pensione) was one of the first new buildings to be built in the inner city community immediately adjacent to the northern edge of downtown Bacolod. A local development corporation requested a mixed-use housing project that would create a new sense of community. This donut shaped building is environmentally friendly. The roof screen shades the building from the suns rays. The atrium encourages natural ventilation. The aluminum screens were hand assembled on site from imported materials which was less expensive than locally harvested hardwood.

The concrete frame of the four-story building edges the street. The frame is then filled in with a balance of solids and voids on a 1-meter grid. The aluminum sliding screens provide shade to both the windows and the primary colored walls. The users individual control of screens together with the Mondrian-like colors provide an ever-changing collage to the street scene, and blends with the jipneys.