26 OCTOBER 2007

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STILL, ONE need not have a Nuvali address to have a green house. As the Navals can attest, the likes of M. Viola Street in Area 3 at the U.P. Diliman campus will do just fine — so long as architects like Espinosa are allowed to ensure that the houses are “breathing” as well as they should.



ANOTHER of Clifford Espinosa's 'natural architecture' projects. [photo courtesy of cliffordespinosa.com]
At the Naval house, the cool ambiance is also tempered by the warmth of weathered and battered wood that Espinosa collects not only as material for the houses he builds — and rebuilds — but also for his sculptural and furniture pieces. The trusses of the cathedral ceiling came from the Our Lady of Grace Academy in Caloocan built in 1956. The balcony's balusters were taken from the Naval ancestral home in Nueva Ecija. Old wood sourced from pre-war houses in Binondo also came in handy.

These days, Espinosa is dreaming up a green warehouse, optimally designed for maximum sunlight and air utilization, along with a novel solution to a major commercial establishment's dilemma with its malls' skylights that generate excessive heat.

For the warehouse project, Espinosa proposes using strategically placed glass blocks on the walls, clerestory windows and bigger window systems varying in fixed and movable designs to give the two-story structure a lighter look and feel. He also recommends incorporating a passive cooling system similar to the Naval house, allowing cold air to come in to push the hot air out in order to create continuous air circulation. Certain corners where the roof and the walls meet also allow heat to escape from the warehouse. Generating cold air outside will require plants or a mini garden. All this, he says, will eventually lower energy cost in maintaining the structure when it is operational.

As for the malls, a thrilled Espinosa says the solution requires addressing the problem of the skylight serving as a heat trap. Because the project is still under negotiation, he says he cannot give details. But he guarantees that the solution, a simple, natural one at that, will allow for both maximum heat absorption and maximum sunlight illumination — plus an optimum view of the sky.

Still in his mid-40s, Espinosa has already successfully demonstrated his concept in one of the company’s Metro Manila malls. He hopes the company big bosses will finally give him the go-signal to build the prototype, arguing, “It will greatly minimize the financial electricity and maintenance costs they incur.”

Not to mention transforming downbeat customer mood and attitude in the same way that the Naval house has become a prime attraction in U.P. As Jimmuel Naval reveals, it has become a favorite party and hangout place for their colleagues and friends. And the neighborhood birds.

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