Small and Beautiful House Plan in Manila

I recently worked on a house plan for my aunt Flora in Manila. The lot area is about 50 square meters or 540 square foot and is elongated. In Philippines, it is fairly common for extended families to live in one roof. Typical approach to increase living space in this case is to go vertical. Currently, the floor plans are showing 3 floors with a finished deck. I initially designed for 4 bedrooms, and one washroom per floor. Given the  limitations on the actual physical space, I truly believe that projects such as this  is an opportunity to be creative. It's a challenging, for sure. As designers, we are made to reflect and revisit our assumptions on treating  space. Then again, people across the world inhabit in such myriad of ways. Square footage is always a factor, but it is not everything. As what the  Swedish furniture retailer Ikea campaigns on-  Any space can be beautiful. Big or small, if I may say so.  

Zulueta Architecture is a dynamic professional practice currently based in Calgary, Alberta and in Manila, Philippines.

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