concrete cubes overlooking the ocean and sky compose CAZA's house in the philippines

caZa designs FR House in the Philippines

Brooklyn-based design studio CAZA has designed the FR House situated in Punta Fuego, a beachside town in the Philippines. Nestled on a bluff overlooking the South China Sea, this cast-in-place concrete residence offers a unique architectural experience that harmonizes with its surroundings. Only a couple of hours away from Manila, the house was primarily shaped by the challenge of blending seamlessly with the steep terrain while maximizing natural ventilation to reduce mechanical cooling. The site’s steep incline and limited space influenced the project’s direction from its inception. To adapt to this setting, the house comprises a series of equally sized concrete cubes strategically positioned on the slope. These cubes, facing both the sky and the ocean, negate the necessity for conventional windows on the facade. The design fosters integration with the environment by forming a cluster of volumes centered around a garden on the ground floor. Each cube represents a distinct space within the house and features a single window that frames a specific vista of the ocean, landscape, or sky.

all images by CAZA

Bridging Indoors and Outdoors

The home’s design achieves a lively ambiance through a sequence of individual yet interconnected spaces.

Both staircases in the house serve as connections to the outdoors: the private stairway, incorporates horizontal planters, creating a separation from the neighboring lot, while the public staircase, resembles an open, tilted tunnel linking the ground to the sky. Utilizing cast-in-place concrete, the design by CAZA (see more here) optimizes the living area on the narrow site by reducing the structural space required for the building. This material also contributes to passive temperature regulation, absorbing heat during sunny days to keep the interior spaces cool and releasing it when temperatures drop. To contrast the raw and unpolished concrete finish, a touch of warmth and accentuation is added through light wood finishes in areas where one interacts with the space, such as door handles and handrails. Each room incorporates a skylight positioned in various orientations, framing specific views of the ocean, sky, or garden. While each bedroom offers different perspectives of the surrounding landscape, an open enclosure at the house’s pinnacle enables occupants to engage with the external environment.

the volumes are integrated with the steep topography

a series of concrete cubes resting on the slope look towards the ocean and the sky cast-in-place concrete helps to keep the house passively temperature-controlled