SURBA

Project Location: Philippines

La Salle Botanical Chapel

How can a botanical garden bring back hope for a calamity-stricken community?

Set within the lush, regenerative landscapes of Botolan, Zambales, the De La Salle Botanical Gardens looms over as a visionary fusion of ecological healing and innovative design. Rising from a site shaped by a 20th-century volcanic eruption, the 7,500 sqm multipurpose facility includes a dynamic cluster of event spaces, a chapel, meditation grottos, and support offices—all interwoven by shaded pergolas that invite communal gathering.

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

The architecture draws on organic forms, featuring dome vaults and catenary arches that echo the surrounding terrain. Materials like glass, concrete, and patented 3D-printed bricks—engineered to reduce the building’s carbon footprint by 70%—support both sustainability and structural elegance.

This interplay between technology and nature creates a space that encourages reflection, resilience, and connection. As a new civic anchor within a rewilding site, the Community Center sets a precedent for building in dialogue with both environmental recovery and cultural revitalization.

Tower One

Can a new office tower blur the divide between private and public?

The headquarters for one of Asia’s most dynamic real estate developers, Tower One stands a few blocks from Manila Bay as a striking example of metabolic architecture and parametric design that redefines the modern office tower.

Tower One front elevation at dusk with glowing interior floors visible.
Tower One

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

The building is conceived as both a private workplace and a public amenity, balancing these dualities through its material and spatial organization. Its modular structural system of concrete and steel is clad in a cascade of perforated glass panels at the base, inviting daylight into the retail and parking levels while maintaining shade and privacy. This energy-efficient façade is carefully calibrated to reduce heat gain, improving both ventilation and thermal comfort—an essential response to Manila’s tropical climate.

As the building rises, the parametric diagrid pattern of perforated metal panels gives way to a seamless, icy plane of ceramic fritted glass. At its most prominent corners, the crystalline structure culminates in an anamorphic projection of the company’s logo, which shifts depending on the viewer’s position—an innovative use of parametric modeling that unites identity and experience.

Tower One seen from a distance along a boulevard with traffic in the foreground.
Tower One

Our approach is strategically driven and informed. Click here to learn about our process.

By integrating energy-conscious shading strategies, metabolic systems of ventilation, and a modular, adaptable façade, Tower One stands as a beacon of Manila’s evolving skyline—blurring the line between public and private while showcasing the potential of contemporary architectural innovation.

Tesoro Pavilion

How might fashion inspire the design of physical structures?

The Tesoro Pavilion, designed for a visionary fashion tycoon, draws its conceptual and formal inspiration from the craft of garment pleating—a process where a flat surface is transformed into volume and structure. Here, CAZA applies this logic through a modular, parametric design that turns a single folded roof plane into a dynamic architectural experience.

Plan drawing of the Tesoro Pavilion showing angular roof geometry and seating layout.
Tesoro Pavilion

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

Each pleat in the pavilion’s roof is parametrically defined, creating structural stiffness while dictating the rhythmic placement of beams and columns. The resulting folds expose the ceiling’s sculptural underside and shape the circulation pathways around the poolside. These modular pleats also organize pocket gardens that sprout at their base, weaving nature into the expressive structure.

Children and families gather around the Tesoro Pavilion, a folded origami-like structure in a lush garden.
Tesoro Pavilion

Our approach is strategically driven and informed. Click here to learn about our process.

As an extension of the family’s ancestral home, the pavilion combines fashion’s energy and innovation with the modularity and flexibility of parametric architecture, offering a lively yet elegant setting for gatherings and leisure.

Tan Mausoleum

How can physical materials reflect the immateriality and ephemerality of life?

For this mausoleum, we treated materials in a way that makes the building appear insubstantial, testing the boundary between materiality and immateriality. Designed with parametric design principles, the form is optimized for lightness and proportion, while its modular elements emphasize repetition and rhythm.

The glass enclosure of the building is treated with a cloudy substrate that fades from opaque to transparent. The volume is lifted off the ground and accessed through a broken stone. Inside, a fragmented stone ceiling appears to float above the space, lending the mausoleum a sense of both weight and fragility—a reflection of life’s fleeting, yet grounded, nature.

Summit School

How can a school's expansion preserve its most iconic features?

The Summit School in Manila enlisted CAZA to quadruple the size of its space to accommodate expanded academic and extracurricular programs, transforming what was once only a kindergarten into a full elementary and middle school.

Interior learning space at Summit School with children and soft seating
summit school

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

The design, centered around the School’s iconic central garden, became an exercise in both architectural expansion and preservation. To fit the significantly larger program, CAZA conceived a vertical, stacked campus while maintaining the lush atmosphere of the garden throughout. Each level features vertically networked green spaces that visually and experientially extend the School’s signature garden into the new vertical form.

These green spaces double as pedagogical tools: each floor’s unique landscape fosters different modes of play, interaction, and learning. Within the School, nature and landscape enhance the student experience, opening new opportunities for education and well-being.

Vertical section of Summit School showing activity spaces and circulation
summit school

Our approach is strategically driven and informed. Click here to learn about our process.

The project incorporates modular architecture, parametric design, and a distributive network, promoting regenerative health, resiliency, and eco-industrialization principles in an urban educational context.

Summit School diagram of program spaces like classrooms, library, and gym
summit school
Summit School ground floor plan with playful circular zoning
summit school

Stronghouse

Can a kit-of-parts system provide critical infrastructure for healthy communities?

In partnership with Stronghouse Foundation—the first crowdsourced housing charity in Southeast Asia—CAZA developed single-family and multi-family prototypes to provide affordable houses to families in the rural communities of the Philippines. The design employs a modular kit-of-parts approach, generated through parametric design, to create highly economical and customizable units that can be easily adapted for families with varying needs. This system reflects a strategy of distributive networks, allowing infrastructure to scale across multiple households and foster interconnected, resilient communities.

Aerial view of CAZA’s Stronghouse multifamily housing in Camarines Sur Province, Philippines, with its surrounding context.
Stronghouse

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

The single-family prototype is currently being implemented in Camarines Sur Province, with plans to roll out across the Philippines. The multi-family prototype is designed for flexibility — it can serve as individual sleeping quarters or combine into larger public facilities, creating shared spaces and stronger community bonds.

The design specifically addresses two of the most pressing challenges facing rural communities in the Philippines: the lack of functioning ventilation and sewage systems. Each year, many fatalities in the region result from cooking fume inhalation and illness from poor sanitation. Both prototypes integrate water and ventilation equipment and enable distributive networks of water lines and sewage infrastructure across units — a step toward delivering regenerative health systems that improve well-being at the scale of the entire territory.

Our approach is strategically driven and informed. Click here to learn about our process.

Site studies
CAZA studied the relationship of the site to surrounding infrastructure and public resources, identifying needs that could best be served at the community level and designing prototypes that address them through modular and distributive strategies.

Single-family version
The single-family version is currently being deployed in Camarines Sur Province. The simple concrete structural system with metal roofing, based on modular built solutions, allows the prototype to be constructed quickly using local labor and materials.

Rendering of CAZA’s Stronghouse public basketball court in Camarines Sur Province, Philippines, with children playing beneath a metal roof on a rainy day.
Stronghouse

Multifamily version
The multi-family version can be flexibly partitioned or combined into larger public facilities. More than just providing basic living environments, this approach creates communities with shared water infrastructure, public spaces, and recreation areas — embodying principles of regenerative health by supporting the physical and social well-being of residents over time.

Graphic of CAZA’s site studies in Camarines Sur Province, identifying community needs and informing prototype designs.
Stronghouse
Stronghouse
Stronghouse

Sintala Pavilion

What could leisure pavilions intimately tied to the local habitat look like?

CAZA designed a network of public pavilions at Hamilo Coast, a beachside community two hours south of Manila, to serve as a social anchor for a newly-developed residential village.

Bamboo pavilions of Sintala Pavilion rise from lush tropical greenery with panoramic ocean views.
Sintala Pavilion

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

Sprinkled across the foothills of the Laguna mountains and the edge of Papaya Cove, the Sintala Pavilions respond to the contours of the natural landscape, activating it with spaces for both solitude and social connection. The beehive-shaped pavilions use a modular design strategy, allowing them to be constructed, adapted, and replicated efficiently while maintaining a strong relationship to their unique surroundings.

Constructed of bamboo rods over a steel and concrete framework, the structures reflect a metabolic architecture approach—adapting local, renewable materials and energy-conscious strategies to create buildings that are in dialogue with their environment. The modular components make the pavilions easy to maintain and flexible enough to host a variety of uses, ensuring their long-term resilience and ecological sensitivity.

Interior view of Sintala Pavilion opening toward the sea, framed by woven bamboo arches.
Sintala Pavilion

Our approach is strategically driven and informed. Click here to learn about our process.

The mountain pavilions are designed for solitary, regenerative activities like yoga and meditation, while the beachfront pavilions accommodate larger gatherings with amenities such as a bar, locker rooms, and communal seating. The interplay of organic form, parametric design techniques, and modular construction creates a leisure infrastructure that feels deeply rooted in place yet forward-looking in its performance and adaptability.

Meditation space within Sintala Pavilion under a woven bamboo canopy overlooking the ocean.
Sintala Pavilion
Conceptual model of Sintala Pavilion showing bamboo-inspired canopy and program zones.
Sintala Pavilion

Seaside Food Hall

Can a mall amplify a culture’s indigenous traditions?

CAZA designed and built a 465-seat Food Hall for one of the world’s largest malls in Cebu, Philippines, which opened in November 2015. Located along the Cebu Strait, the design celebrates the region’s rich cultural heritage by drawing from indigenous materials and techniques to create a unique, contemporary communal space.

Seaside Food Hall interior with woven ceiling design and dining stalls.
Seaside Food Hall

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

The seating areas are organized through a modular design strategy, breaking the expansive hall into smaller, human-scaled zones that can flexibly accommodate groups of various sizes while preserving a sense of intimacy within the bustling mall. This modular planning ensures that the Food Hall remains adaptable to changing needs over time, supporting a variety of dining and gathering configurations.

Overhead, vibrant networks of colorful PVC threads—arranged in circular patterns—pay homage to Cebu’s long tradition of basket weaving and rattan furniture, transforming the ceiling into a dynamic, tactile landscape that reflects the spirit of local craft. These woven canopies not only honor indigenous artistry but also define the modular dining zones beneath them, creating a layered, culturally resonant experience.

Our approach is strategically driven and informed. Click here to learn about our process.

By weaving together modular spatial planning with indigenous design motifs, CAZA’s Food Hall amplifies Cebuano identity and crafts a meaningful, adaptable space for community gathering.

Seaside City

Can a mall amplify a culture’s indigenous traditions?

For this project, we designed a new Supreme Court building for the Philippines that responds to the complex operational needs of the justice system while offering a public symbol of unity and pride that embodies local history, culture, and place. The building is a three-dimensional hyperbolic loop hanging over a botanical garden—its fluid form shaped through parametric design—representing the complex functional interconnections required by contemporary courthouses. The building’s modular rectangular volumes are combined into a single integrated work environment punctuated by gardens and terraces, fostering adaptability and efficient workflows.

Light-filled Seaside Food Court with a sweeping ceiling of red, orange, and yellow woven strings radiating to circular rings, above casual tables, kiosks, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Seaside City

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

Tribal futurism: contemporary approach, vernacular forms
The design reinterprets Filipino vernacular architecture using a contemporary design language, innovative building technologies, and new materials to offer a new vision of Filipino architecture rooted in heritage and tradition. Drawing from principles of metabolic architecture, the building functions as a living system, responsive to environmental and cultural contexts.

Our approach is strategically driven and informed. Click here to learn about our process.

Building community
The Supreme Court is envisioned as much a center of community and civic life as the justice system itself. Botanical gardens, arboretums, and an orchid walk offer distinguished public spaces, extending the idea of resiliency beyond the building and into the larger urban fabric. By integrating ecological and cultural layers, the project reflects the principles of eco-industrialization, blending civic infrastructure with environmental stewardship.

Seaside Bowling Center

How can a bowling alley evoke the character of its coastal surroundings?

CAZA designed an 18-lane bowling alley at one of the world’s largest malls in Cebu, Philippines, which opened in November 2015. Situated along the coast of the Cebu Strait, the design draws inspiration from the beachfront environment, bringing its warm, relaxed atmosphere indoors.

Seating area of Seaside Bowling Center with curved blue sofas and colorful ceiling installation.
Seaside Bowling Center

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

The plan adopts a modular design strategy, with clearly defined zones for competition, socializing, and entertainment that can accommodate a variety of group sizes and activities. The modularity allows the venue to flexibly adapt to different uses, hosting everything from competitive leagues to casual social gatherings.

The interiors feature a parametric design language that weaves local materials and crafts into contemporary forms. Bleached pine wood arranged in rhythmic patterns lines the lanes, while the adjacent social spaces are wrapped in colorful networks of PVC threads—referencing the parametric geometries and textures found in Cebu’s traditional rattan furniture. These threaded screens and partitions subtly define pockets of gathering space without enclosing them, creating a porous boundary that balances intimacy and openness.

Side view of Seaside Bowling Center lanes with bowlers in action and hanging monitors.
Seaside Bowling Center

Our approach is strategically driven and informed. Click here to learn about our process.

By pairing modular spatial planning with parametric interior elements, CAZA created a vibrant and versatile environment that celebrates Cebu’s cultural and natural context, offering an experience that’s as dynamic as the coastal city itself.

RBA House

What defines a private space?

The RBA House reimagines domestic life as an interplay between natural and built environments, using a modular, parametric design that dissolves the conventional boundary between inside and outside. Conceived as a home that fosters regenerative health, the design prioritizes the courtyard as the central organizing element, treating the garden not as an afterthought but as the primary living space.

Exploded axonometric diagram of RBA House showing structural vaults, skylights, and program zoning with color-coded areas for public, private, and service spaces.
RBA House

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

In contrast to the neighborhood’s typical scheme—where houses sit enclosed within a garden perimeter—RBA House flips this paradigm. Here, a distributive network of living, dining, and sleeping areas forms a ring of program that frames and opens onto the verdant courtyard. This arrangement maximizes access to daylight, air, and views of greenery from every corner of the home, creating a restorative living environment.

Interior render of RBA House with high vaulted ceilings and natural light filtering through skylights.
RBA House
RBA House living space with wood batten vaults filtering daylight into a warm, textured interior.
RBA House
Poolside view of RBA House showing garden terraces and concrete vaults opening to the outdoors.
RBA House

The material palette balances raw and manufactured elements—wood, steel, and glass—expressing the tension and harmony between nature and construction. Vaulted ceilings heighten the sense of openness and continuity, while operable walls and glass expanses extend communal areas directly into the garden.

Section diagrams of RBA House illustrating three vault types—concrete cores, concrete vaults, and wood batten vaults—with natural light studies.
RBA House

Our approach is strategically driven and informed. Click here to learn about our process.

With its focus on well-being, adaptability, and spatial efficiency, the RBA House exemplifies a regenerative, modular approach to private living that is deeply attuned to its ecological and cultural context.

Portico

Can a residential complex combine the best qualities of traditional villages and contemporary urban living?

Portico reimagines residential life in Manila by merging the intimacy of traditional villages with the dynamism of modern cities. Designed as a resilient, pedestrian-oriented district, Portico employs principles of metabolic architecture and distributive networks to support a vibrant and sustainable urban lifestyle.

Courtyard rendering of Portico with families gathering under trees. Low-rise housing sits in front of the taller towers.
Portico

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

This mixed-use neighbourhood features a carefully balanced energy flow between private and public spaces, creating a self-sustaining micro-community within the city. The area is car-free at street level, with vehicular access relegated to a system of underground ramps and parking structures connected to four surrounding roads. This minimizes surface traffic while maintaining accessibility and efficiency.

At ground level, a network of twelve interconnected courtyards anchors the site, each one uniquely planted and programmed to encourage a variety of outdoor activities and foster community engagement. This network not only distributes green space equitably but also enhances ecological resiliency and supports the microclimate of the district.

Plaza view of Portico with high-rise towers framing active public spaces. Walkways and retail areas activate the ground level.
Portico

Our approach is strategically driven and informed. Click here to learn about our process.

Portico’s architectural diversity includes high-rise towers offering panoramic views of the Ortigas skyline and intimate townhouses arranged around private courtyards. Together, they form a district that demonstrates how eco-industrialization and urban density can coexist to create a lively, energy-conscious community that feels both traditional and contemporary.

Rendering of Portico amenities with sports courts, gardens, and pathways. Towers and townhouses form the backdrop.
Portico
Diagram comparing traditional row houses with Portico’s reinterpretation. Elements like stoops and windows are modernized.
Portico

Pascudeco Center

How can a symbol of a region's industrial past also act as a beacon of its vibrant future?

The design for the Pasudeco Center transforms an iconic turn-of-the-century sugar mill into a vibrant multi-purpose community hub featuring public art installations, retail spaces, offices, and a theater.

Shaded pedestrian paseo beneath a broad wood soffit; double-height shopfronts line both sides with small white kiosks and crowds strolling on brick pavers.
Pascudeco Center

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

The project applies principles of modular planning and parametric design to adaptively reuse the original mill structure while creating flexible new spaces for evolving community needs. The design re-uses the original building’s A-frame structure, wrapping portions in new metal surfaces to create distinct zones that can shift over time. These interventions embrace a metabolic architecture approach, where past and future layers of the building interact as a living system.

Perforated metal canopy filters light over a mezzanine walkway and grand stair; people gather by planters and café tables in the open-air concourse.
Pascudeco Center

Our approach is strategically driven and informed. Click here to learn about our process.

A covered walkway connecting these spaces is supported by yellow steel columns, referencing the mill’s original colored columns while integrating updated structural and environmental strategies to improve energy performance and sustainability.

Palo Pavilion

How can design help rebuild a community?

The Palo Pavilion recreates a beloved public recreation facility that was destroyed by Hurricane Haiyan in 2013. The gymnasium is equipped with public seating, storage, bathrooms, lockers, and an elevated stage for public performances. Both a public gathering space and an athletic facility, the Pavilion incorporates physical activity into community members’ daily routines.

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

Whole Building Sustainability
The Pavilion’s roof, which resembles an animal shell, is made up of a network of modular steel and wood beams, strategically placed with parametric design techniques to direct drainage and capture storm-water. This approach demonstrates regenerative health, ensuring the building serves not only as shelter but also as part of a sustainable urban ecosystem. The alternating curvature of the supporting beams creates windows that allow natural light to enter and reduce energy demand. These windows open outward to the landscape, creating a dialogue between the pavilion, the environment, and the community.

Integrating the building into the community
The alternating curvature of the beams reinforces the connection between interior activities and the natural surroundings, fostering a sense of place and social cohesion. The Pavilion serves as a node in a broader distributive network of civic spaces, helping to heal and rebuild the community through shared infrastructure and culture.

Osmeña Avenue

How can a physical installation evoke the energy and movement of a city?

In 2012, CAZA was asked to propose a public art installation for Cebu’s Osmeña Avenue, a major thoroughfare in the city.

Street-level view of Osmeña Avenue installation with angular concrete volumes beside the road.
Osmeña Avenue

We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.

The project was meant to act as a gateway, a landmark that visitors and residents alike would see as a grand welcoming into the city. Our design is inspired by the movement of cars and individuals. The work is made up of several stone-like monoliths that have the words ‘CEBU CITY’ engraved into the ‘material’ using anamorphic perspective. As you get closer to the city and into the old part of town, the repeated text turns into abstracted lines of vibrant colors.

The physical structure of the project allows people to visually experience this work from different angles. This changing landmark thus becomes a marker of both welcome and farewell for people entering and leaving the city.

Public view of Osmeña Avenue installation with slanted canopy structure and crowds.
Osmeña Avenue

Our approach is strategically driven and informed. Click here to learn about our process.

The installation leverages modular components and parametric design techniques to create its dynamic form and shifting visual experience, reflecting Cebu’s vibrant urban energy.

Elevation drawing of Osmeña Avenue installation spelling “CEBU CITY.”
Osmeña Avenue
Site plan of Osmeña Avenue streetscape zone with green and geometric interventions.
Osmeña Avenue