Living area, through furniture grouping, gives off inviting vibe.
Given today’s harried city life—its hustle and bustle slowly being carried over to the suburbs beyond Metro Manila—it should be a balm to live in a house that is literally above it all, where the living room is set before the natural scenery of sloping hills and lush trees.
Architect John Pangilinan at the construction site
That is the precise feeling one gets in the glass house designed by architect John Pangilinan in the suburban south. It lets the sunshine in, and the eyes take in the green panorama. Practically no walls separate you from nature.
Why a glass house?
“Essentially I wanted to maximize the location—it has a majestic view of the northern side and Laguna de Bay, hence the panoramic glass wall. I also wanted to capitalize on the natural daylight and the vast greens and vegetation that wrap around the lot, to bring the outside environment into the house,” Pangilinan explains his design to TheDiarist.ph.
The house has four levels—which is not readily evident from the street, its façade hidden behind wood slats and foliage. Even the garage out front is a well-thought-out design; it is a sleek walkway lined with wood slats.
The visitor walks into the street-level living area and is overwhelmed by the sight of its cathedral ceiling and the floor-to-ceiling panoramic glass wall that lets in the calming view of the great outdoors, a 180-degree visual span. In the living area, one can plop oneself on the sofa. Beyond the glass wall is the balcony that faces north of Manila, the sunset to its left, and to its right, Laguna de Bay. Instantly you enjoy the tranquil combination of the blue sky, the bay, and the green hills and trees—indeed, nature unfurled at one’s feet.
It is an open layout, with the dining area on one side, the powder room hidden in one section, the main kitchen and the working kitchen in another area.
Loft now serves as gym area.
From the living area one looks up at the loft, which serves as an exercise/gym area for the couple and their grown-up brood. The loft level is 235 m above sea level.
The living room and the loft above
A stairway leads to the lower level beneath the living area, where the four bedrooms are, the master bedroom facing the rear.
The third level is accessible through a spiral staircase. It houses the helpers’ room, and has access to the lowest portion of the house, which is planned to be the future social area for family and friends. This lowest level of the house (level four) will have a 6-m-high ceiling with surrounding greenery.
The entrance
The 450-sqm house on a 530-sqm lot is a structure of glass, concrete, and wood, and still has space for expansion.
Architect John Pangilinan’s open layout lets the outdoor panorama in. The stairway leads to the lower level.
A tree in the living room enhances the feeling of being one with nature.
There’s a small tree in the living room. “I wanted greenery inside the house to complete a home that breathes and resonates with nature. A complete symphony,” Pangilinan says.
Glass-concrete-wood structure set against the evening sky
View of the glass house from the back
What family is meant for this glass house? “A very relaxed, yet active and tight-knit family. A family with close ties, with friends to invite over and enjoy the captivating and chill experience,” he adds.
