Psychological Effects of Zen Houses

At one glance, zen houses give you tranquility. The unusual symmetry creates an impression of orderliness that puts your mind at ease. Some ask, is it just psychological or does the design really have a mental relaxation effect, the way Japanese traditional houses and gardens do? Some observers are convinced it's both. The psychological effects of Zen houses are evident in Metro Manila as more and more people prefer to have the design trait on their dwellings, seeing its mind-calming and mind-health value.

Incidentally, some mind experts have aired their concern on the growing incidence of mental disorders due to mental stress. Hence, the increasingly rampant cases of dementia, strokes, hallucination, paranoia, and abnormal feats of anger. And they aver that these are due partly to environmental stress factors--what people see and feel around them that affect their mental disposition.

And talking of environmental, what else contributes to this factor than the house we stay in? The home we make as our daily  sanctuary and refuge from the outside world is sheltered in a physical structure we see and experience daily. How its appearance and atmosphere [along with its functions] affect us emotionally has some reverberation on our inner health condition.

For instance, tired and stressed from work, you go home to your refuge sanctuary--your house. And once you set foot on your property and see it, some emotional stimulation trigger in you, affecting your relaxation or stressed-up mode. Of course, in this regard, a happy familial relationship does powerfully well. But aside from it, the physical structure of your dwelling has lots to contribute.

Some house designs have chaotic first impressions. You see every design available in the world lumped into it and the result is simply mind boggling, or sometimes even disturbing, and your emotions are stirred negatively even before you enter the house. Emotions stirred up like that has the house design to blame to some degree. So, design your house well.

The psychological effects of Zen houses are evident as one time during a site visit, prospective buyers changed mood on seeing the Zen character of the projects for sale. You could see the calming effect on their faces. They stopped awhile to regard the house from a distance, appreciated the whole thing in a contemplative mood, and that set their mood to appreciate the houses further as they went in to check the interiors. And the projects were sold!

Indeed, the psychological effects of Zen houses inspire a quiet spirit, mediation, and appreciation for the small details in life--and sales as well.

Interested to buy the Zen houses above? Please contact me: 0916-386-5251.

Symbolic Bahay Kubo

People have got to change their traditional view of what the Philippines is, which is often associated with the rustic and underdeveloped bahay kubo. While at the same time, it isn't timely yet to get rid of the symbolic bahay kubo totally because in truth, we are yet underdeveloped as a nation. 

The bahay kubo is reflective of the rustic Filipino simple dream of home convenience and amenities. It is of light materials readily available in his milieu, easy to construct, easy to move around, and refreshingly cool even in the fierce heat of summer. These Filipino housing principles should never be left aside even in modern day Pinoy architecture ideas. 

Light Materials

I know we have the propensity to borrow foreign architecture ideas, and it's good to explore as many possibilities, but we should never forget to go realistically back home and remember that we're building in the Philippines. Light materials are always the best for our context because of the fact that our geographical reality is complicated with thousands of crisscrossing seismic faults which experts say could trigger major earthquakes anytime. 

We are in the so-called pacific ream of fire which is dotted with a systematic lineage of major volcanic activities. The symbolic bahay kubo is powerfully resistant against major tremors, with its tensile strength ever an effective anti-earthquake feature. Not only so, but the light material is also the best counter measure against tropical weather disturbances. The light materials may be easily swayed and destroyed by gusty winds but they are as easily re-constructed after. Unlike heavy concrete materials which are costly to re-construct and dangerous during destruction.

Light materials with due consideration for durability should be designed for the modern Filipino dwelling, still holding fast to the symbolic bahay kubo principles while exploring more possibilities with modern construction technology. 

Easy to Construct

Let's not forget that majority of Filipinos still live within the poverty line. We should conceptualize a kind of modern Philippine architecture that is easy to construct with locally available materials. And I'm not referring to the squatter-shanty type that was once adapted by the housing authority that was later trashed due to its impracticality. And this easy-to-construct Pinoy architecture ideas should be closely tied up with a much more affordable government financing like PAGIBIG to be affordable to the largest segment of the populace. A bahay kubo is easy to construct. We should take hints from that and develop construction principles from the same.

Easy to Move Around

The symbolic bahay kubo principle of being easily moved around is this: it should be easy to re-design or re-model and extend. Filipino families are naturally extendable, and in fact most families are extended. That's how we are. We should develop Pinoy architecture ideas that make it easy for people to adjust their dwellings for future expansion, preferably, vertically. Steel construction coupled with wooden finishes is a welcome development here.

Refreshingly Cool

Without resorting to air-conditioning, we should develop a tropical design that maximizes on what natural ventilating refreshment is afforded by our climate. We should develop more our open space designs and principles of building openings. For instance, how can we let in more air into our rooms without compromising security? 

If only we can devise an effective community security system that can considerably reduce burglary and create more open spaces (like interspersing mini gardens) for making more windows and openings possible, we can create refreshingly cool abodes with the symbolic bahay kubo concept, and make homes more Filipino, and the Philippines more Filipinistic.

Modern Pinoy Architecture Ideas

I'm always amazed by the striking designs of my batchmate, Arch. Vener Quizon. I'm featuring him here as a design guru and see for yourself why. His unique designs are generally aesthetically tropical with a touch of Asian modernism and practical conservatism. But what I really love are his zen designs which radiate with an aura of contemplative spirit making inhabitants easily adapt to a relaxing ambiance, among modern Pinoy architecture ideas I love espousing here.

I love zen designs because they are relevant to our world's fast-pace and stressed out lifestyle. Stress is really a mental issue and can trigger lots of deadly and debilitating diseases. Treatments are made for stress, but the real cure is a relaxing atmosphere in the office and home. And this is why I appreciate modern Pinoy architecture ideas with zen modernism features like the works of my FB friend and batchmate, Arch. Vener Quizon.

Modern Pinoy architecture ideas, I feel, should veer more to a refreshing and relaxing design more than anything else. This is the need of the times. More than aesthetic considerations--which are also vital, mind you--designers and builders ought to put more time and effort on coming up with looks, features, and conveniences that afford and promote relaxation. A relaxing atmosphere equals good work bearing and mood. That equates to good human relations, good working atmosphere, and therefore, good performance and good business.

And what better defines a relaxing ambiance than modern tropical designs with a touch of the zen character? And what better designers on this than creative Pinoy architects creating a subtle architectural blend of nature, modernism, art, and function. Just look at the HousePinoy designs here that exude unassuming elegance, value, and a slight whiff of Filipinism.

On the other hand, full building edifices are rendered with a desirable mix of zenism and modern western architecture. Enjoy other modern Pinoy architecture ideas in the following images:

Thanks to the kindness of Arch. Vener Quizon for letting me post his works of art here.

Interesting Dwellings During My Mountain Trip

Here are some pics of interesting dwellings during my mountain trip last Saturday. We went up Baguio City and then farther up to the highest place in Benguet--Tuba and Ampucao. Along the way I saw some interesting dwelling places and took pictures of them. 

The pic above is a model of a typical Igorot dwelling in the Mountain Province--well, actually it's more a leisure hut than a typical Igorot dwelling. You will probably find improvised huts like this in rice fields or on the corners of rustic roads. I'm standing with an Igorot wooden image. We were there during the Pinagbenga Flower Festival for an official business presentation and Session Road in the heart of the city was closed to traffic so that tourists can enjoy walking along it freely. 

Look at the earthen clay pot behind me, which is a real typical earthen jar made manually by a native. Igorots are natives of the Mountain Province, which Baguio City--the summer capital of the Philippines--is a major part of. I enjoyed seeing a lot of manual carvings on hard wood.

Hut roofing material is called "Kugon" which is made of piles of dried rice stalks stitched to the roof. It makes for a cool roofing material that allows for free air circulation and makes a great relief from the sun's heat. You never feel hot under a kugon roof. Well, getting your skinned burned by the hot sun is another story altogether. Most Igorots have rosy chicks and fair skin but those who work in the fields have golden grown complexion. 

I saw lots of beautiful, colorful flower arrangements ideal for indoor house gardens and orchards. Along the road I got glimpses of interesting dwellings during my mountain trip, plus a curious small building with lots of mezzanine floors with low ceilings and extremely narrow stairwells. You won't believe how they forced small spaces to become office spaces. 

The building above has many narrow corridors going to this and that direction. On the second floor, a corridor leads to an alley near the Baguio Cathedral. Amazing how they can connect narrow passages together and create a functional small building. 

Oh, by the way, they say that all buildings and hotels in Baguio have their ghost stories. Haha! This building on the left probably has one. I'd love to go back to Baguio to have more pics taken. We were on official business so there was not enough time for pic taking.

Here on the right are makeshift dwellings of the miners' families. Finally, we reached the top of the Tuba, Benguet area. After seeing no human on the way up, we finally saw people. I did a business presentation for the women's organization in the area and it was a lively one, thank God! 

Native and Modern Designs

Though they say we're in "modern times" now, a lot of us can't help but look appreciatively and admiringly back to the past and marvel at how our ancestors were able to devise conveniences using artfully handcrafted design elements. Such creativity, resourcefulness, and artistry! Thus, it always makes us stop and stare in appreciation each time we see native and modern designs mixed into furnishings and especially in architecture. 

Native and modern designs keep us updated with present trends and at the same time in touch with the past. It also reflects our mindsets, being in the NOW, looking ahead, and nostalgic of the past, all at the same time. That's a healthy personality. And moreover, it's always an eye-relaxer to see varnished wood, concrete, and polished metal all incorporated artfully in design. I always love seeing bricks or adobe tiles mixed in with polished wood or topped with rustic lumber to resemble mountain cabins. Imagine mountain-cabin designs for your city dwelling right in the heart of a modern community. It's not just unique--it's refreshing to the eyes and refreshing for the soul. That's always how Pinoy architecture ideas are.

And native and modern designs are not just for HOUSEpinoy or Philippine dwellings. They're equally superb for offices, clinics, cafes, restaurants, hotels, etc. I saw this pizza parlor in Guimba, Nueva Ecija where the owner decided to get rid of some of the usual fast food modern design features and replace them with rustic wood furnishings, polished but retaining their rugged quality. I wish I had a cam then so I could take pictures. I told the owner how I appreciated the whole thing, and she was greatly encouraged and would do the same thing to the rest of her eateries. The native and modern designs seemed to have added refreshment while I and my group ate our lunch there.

Many so-called "developers" (who are just businessmen dealing in housing and knows nothing about architecture) just cut up all the trees and place a solid, rigid concrete dwelling all over Manila and make everything ugly. Yeah, the townhouses and condos they build look so modern and imposing, but lacking the semblance of nature and rustic elements, they eventually become an eye sore. All-concrete structures add to global warming and make the place seem so hot especially in summer. We always need native and modern designs in our architecture plus a few elements of nature, like trees and plants and shrubberies and some water form.

That's what HOUSEpinoy stands for--a striking balance in architecture and in life for the comfort of Filipinos. Godwilling, when I have the money to renovate our house, I'd incorporate contemporary and native design features. This works well especially for limited spaces, which is often the case here in Deep Asia. Remember to always consider Pinoy architecture ideas!

Crazy About Indigenous Dwellings!

As marketing director of an organic fertilizer and Purple Corn Juice in a company in Quezon City, I sometimes get to travel in the countryside. It's just frustrating that I don't have a good camera to take pictures of native houses I see on the way. I'm crazy about indigenous dwellings, especially nipa huts I see in rice fields and remote rural towns. 

This job of mine took me to Isabela, Nueva Viscaya, Cagayan, Cavite, Tagaytay, Pangasinan, and Nueva Ecija. I saw a lot of old and rustic houses I was just itching to take pictures of. But I didn't have any camera, not even a cell phone cam. I wish I had one. It's going to be one of my projects--to buy a good camera and video for taking pictures while I'm on travel, and upload them into my blogs, like HOUSEpinoy, among my favorite blogs. I'm really crazy about indigenous dwellings.

Since I was a kid I've always been fascinated by old and archaic houses. They stir up my imagination. I'm transported back to the days when such houses were the "modern" houses. At Sta. Mesa Heights in Quezon City, along Mayon street, you'd see houses that look like the ones you'd see in old movies back in the 1960s. They're old style American mansions with simple facades, mostly white in color. I hope to take pictures of some of them someday. That is, if they don't get renovated or taken down and replaced with a townhouse or condo.

When I went to Guimba, Nueva Ecija there were several very old houses which seemed to date back to the Spanish era. I really regretted not having a cam around. And also, when I and my wife went to Alaminos, Laguna last December 2011 for a meeting with a scientist, we saw this old and mysterious house which the caretaker said dated back to the Japanese times and which had some mysteries happening in it from time to time. 

Oh, the photos I posted on this article are Ifugao houses and others I saw on the net. The modern Ifugao house is amusing. Though I'm crazy about indigenous dwellings, I appreciate something like this--a derivative of a native architecture. That's what HOUSEpinoy is all about. And I hope to be able to post more articles here from now on. My job keeps getting in the way. And I hope to get a new cam soon...God please...plus a video, hopefully.

Because I'm crazy about indigenous dwellings! Really!