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The “Equilateral House” Is A Vessel For Unexpected Surprises

The Architect of this house admits to getting lost in his own plans making this intricate home where jutting concrete volumes meet each other but don’t touch

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Jar Concengco

<div><br/></div><p>“I wanted to go a little bit off grid to liberate circulation of the 90 degree grid,” explains Jorge Yulo in an episode of the new <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIMfowcxVhE" target="_blank">Youtube channel Uncommon</a> focusing on architecture and design, “So that the movement would be anthropomorphic - less calculated. I thought that was something that made you appreciate the house long term.”</p><div><br/></div><p>As most homes are built on a square or rectangular footprint, the Equilateral House designed by <a href="http://www.jorgeyulo.com/" target="_blank">Jorge Yulo Architects and Associates</a> allowed the land’s shape and orientation dictate its plan. This is precisely how Yulo works. “I don’t usually have a design process. I usually come up with my ideas serendipitously. It’s never the same source. After I get a project, I tend to absorb and incubate all the information. Somewhere along the way, there will be an intellectual reaction to it and I try to document that.”</p><div><br/></div><p>The house’s name is actually a pun on two things. According to Yulo, “One, it’s based on an equilateral triangle grid. And it’s also in an area that’s close to the equator so cooling would be one of my challenges.” </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/4d434a7f-183a-4e43-b31d-0bc2c0bc5972_jorge yulo_equilateral house 19.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/living/home-tours/mork-ulnes-sonoma-hills-fire-resistant-home/33978" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> A Contemporary Farmhouse In The Sonoma Hills Rises To Resist The Threat Of Wildfires</a></div><div><br/></div><p>Using an equilateral triangle grid as the home’s plan has allowed for unexpected surprises within the house. Jutting concrete volumes meet each other but don’t touch. Hallways made with large slabs of dao and wood from an old bowling alley run diagonally. “I wanted a continuous sense of discovery. With the way the world is put together, you can pretty much walk around a house blindfolded. So I wanted to liberate the users from that. So when they walk around this house, it’s like walking around a forest or a field rather than a built structure. It just makes for an interesting set of experiences even if you’re walking around the same space over and over,” Yulo adds. “I guess that points back to the materials used here. I have a lot of respect for nature - like wood and stone. I feel like there’s history there.”</p><div><br/></div><p>Yulo likens the home to a “museum of wood” as it uses about 10 types of different wood. The dining room table is made from African Bubinga - known to be one of the hardest woods in the world. “I was lucky enough to work with a stockpile of wood that were collected over twenty years,” Yulo reveals. “It’s like living with a lot of history.”</p><div><br/></div><div class="article-content" itemProp="articleBody"><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/28d3b429-4549-4240-a4ca-4f5189f16893_equilateral house jorge yulo_landscape.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/51521aeb-adec-4dc6-bbea-93e8a9b991e8_jorge yulo_equilateral house 2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/f135217c-f7c0-4bf1-b508-8fa6b2fee1c9_jorge yulo_equilateral house 1.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/2b5c7859-099d-4bf2-95c4-28fb6d94c1c4_jorge yulo_equilateral house 3.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/3a872c3c-7726-4e5c-9d6b-ae9e36a9ace5_jorge yulo_equilateral house 4.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/e7be3275-9e1a-4b02-8d27-ee63d2d85150_jorge yulo_equilateral house 5.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/46c2ad80-3d8a-47fe-9ad7-3eaec3b4ad0a_jorge yulo_equilateral house 6.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/14b5d1cb-bc5f-4ac2-8d44-273705393306_jorge yulo_equilateral house 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src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/d94c46e8-db06-47d9-a754-00ae3c17d830_jorge yulo_equilateral house 12.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/1edb216d-7468-45f0-832e-955c07ca3321_jorge yulo_equilateral house 13.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/54f2805a-316c-4f00-afe3-2bcc4cbd2419_jorge yulo_equilateral house 14.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/3351e88b-5542-41fe-9f85-2a14428c92aa_jorge yulo_equilateral house 15.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/344a8ecd-14eb-44a9-9fb2-39f46af9db6c_jorge yulo_equilateral house 16.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/005ba3d7-0fa6-44d4-9ce9-0383f9aaf6e5_jorge yulo_equilateral house 17.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/11fe8d5b-cfc2-49cf-8961-188581e4b190_jorge yulo_equilateral house 18.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/7cdd6d0f-3f5c-433f-91a3-d4ea1746ec47_jorge yulo_equilateral house 19.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/4a5b6dc7-cf21-4dc2-9f38-3da00b37eb96_jorge yulo_equilateral house 20.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/ac5e423e-398e-4fc3-b7af-e5bc05232fc1_jorge yulo_equilateral house 21.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/8c30e2af-e65c-4cb5-a793-61f023b4080e_jorge yulo_equilateral house 22.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The &#x27;Equilateral House&#x27; By Jorge Yulo<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div></div></div></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/living/home-tours/carlson-chan-brutalist-minimalist-budget-home/33797" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">This Minimalist 6-Unit Concrete Multi-Family Home Costs Only PHP 1.1M</a></div><div><br/></div><p>The ceilings also received the Yulo treatment with elaborate geometric patterns made of wood. “The ceilings were made to be ornate and aesthetically pleasing. They also help with the acoustics. They also save you from buying a chandelier!” Yulo laughs.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/27e912f4-07c4-497c-88a8-56a7e27fc5a7_jorge yulo_equilateral house 11.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Yulo has a penchant for natural materials. The stairs are made from steel from railroad rails from 1880. “I try to use materials that have its own color - devoid of paint - so the colors would be the way the material honestly appears. And it’s usually a little more subdued.”</p><div><br/></div><p>The lanai area is tiled with a mesmerizing pattern of black and white cubes mirroring the light installation of cubes on the ceiling. An oculus opens up to the sky. “I always marveled at the Pantheon in Rome. It has the original oculus. I love the way light penetrated the oculus and the projection of the sun throughout the building. And when it rained it rained straight down and left a circular wet spot. I thought that the Philippines would be the proper climate for such a building because it would be a good way for heat to escape. It was a good way to passively cool the building,” Yulo explains.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/9e1db237-8ab6-451b-8bc1-1a3436510e95_jorge yulo_equilateral house 5.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/living/home-tours/kang-ki-young-s-home-is-like-an-art-gallery/33562" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">This “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” Star Lives In A House That Looks Like An Art Gallery</a></div><div><br/></div><p>The lanai sat by the swimming pool and the garden. Ceiling fans helped circulate the cool temperature of the water throughout the house, helping to maintain a pleasant climate. The home’s massive volumes slanted towards each other have also contribute to the cooling of the house. “The juxtaposition of volumes in an angle creates wedges and that creates a Venturi Effect that helps distribute air around the house,” Yulo mentions.</p><div><br/></div><p>Merging indoors and outdoors has become popular during the pandemic. “For the owners of this house, I wanted to provide a lot of outdoor spaces but within the comfort of their urban environment,” according to Yulo. Apart from the lanai, the roof deck also provides opportunities for its residents to bask in the outdoors. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/61f0887f-42cd-4eaa-8816-69f45b8a77c9_jorge yulo_equilateral house 15.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>“Designing off the 90-degree grid has its repercussions. I get lost in my own plans. I don’t suggest all houses be designed off the 90-degree grid. That would make this house a lot less significant, but it is definitely a bountiful source of experiences,” Yulo concludes.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Hear the architect talk about this masterpiece in this video:</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div class="youtube-iframe"><iframe width="400" height="345" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oIMfowcxVhE" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><br/><div><br/></div>