La Salle Brothers宿舍式住宅设计丨Eugene T. Mangubat

Functional Beauty

It’s not everyday you get to work for an old friend, much less an institution that you’ve known nearly all your life.

The program was to design a dormitory style residence for the La Salle Brothers, the plan is modular so that all the rooms are similar, with provisions to make more when they are required, and when budget allowed.  In terms of the client’s requirements, the residence should be simple almost spartan, maximize natural ventilation and lighting while minimizing heat gain.  Finishes are to be minimal and easy to maintain to help reduce the cost, and to make the building as robust as possible. All this while still trying to stay within budget.

Varying requirements for solar orientation and the fitting on the site were reconciled with the siting of the building along a north east to south west alignment, this also led to the shape of the roof that was made to slant way from the afternoon sun.  Windows along the public areas were protected with ledges and fins to protect from the low angle of the sun in the morning, without sacrificing the provisions for natural ventilation.

White was the chosen color for the roof as it absorbed the least solar radiation, with shades of grey and off white for the ledges and accent walls initially, but was eventually given over to a uniform off white during construction.

Upon construction, floor finish was polished concrete and white walls following a simple industrial minimalist aesthetic for the public areas.  Windows were jalousie windows which allowed for maximum openings for air and light.  The individual rooms were in the same white color scheme with the floors in locally sourced bamboo flooring, while the bathrooms were in a light grey non-slip tile.  This scheme allowed for simple accessories with splashes of color to create character in the rooms while maintaining the simple aesthetic throughout the residence.

In conclusion the residence was finished to within acceptable specification, functional yet beautiful.

“When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.” – R. Buckminster Fuller