CAZA Architects

SURBA

Project Location: Philippines

Hamilo Village

How can we create a flexible holiday community?

CAZA’s masterplan for Hamilo Village, located along the Hamilo Coast in the Philippines, draws from the site’s diverse topography to create a resilient and regenerative coastal community. Designed with principles of metabolic architecture, the plan organizes architectural responses to each topographical variation, embedding flows of energy, water, and ecology into the fabric of the village.

Aerial view of CAZA’s Hamilo Village at Hamilo Coast, Philippines; blue overlay highlights the shoreline development zone.
Hamilo Village

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

The project’s primary goals are to weave the village into its surrounding landscape, respond to the needs of varied living situations, take inspiration from traditional materials and textures, and include diverse residential units to serve a broad population. Through a strategy of distributive networks, the masterplan ensures that infrastructure, open space, and social amenities are distributed equitably across the site, fostering social cohesion and ecological balance.

To arrive at the design of the villas, the team analyzed each lot’s depth and slope, which became key factors influencing the housing prototypes. This analysis led to three broad categories of villas—situated on flat land, valley, and peak—each designed to adapt to its specific environmental conditions while enhancing the village’s overall resiliency.

Axonometric rendering of CAZA’s Hamilo Village villa prototypes at Hamilo Coast, Philippines—three houses stepping down a sloped site, with timber/concrete volumes and metal roofs.
Hamilo Village

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

In addition to providing adaptable and inclusive housing, the masterplan incorporates strategies for regenerative health, prioritizing clean water, natural ventilation, and green spaces that promote community well-being over time. By integrating housing, landscape, and ecology into a cohesive system, Hamilo Village exemplifies a forward-thinking model of eco-industrialization, where residential and natural systems coexist and support one another sustainably.

Three CAZA Hamilo Village lot layout options showing building, garden, and pool placements; parcel outlines below with red dashed setback/terracing bands.
Hamilo Village
Three CAZA Hamilo Village villa layout options—rectangular, tapered, and irregular lots—with red dashed cross-axes showing siting and view/ventilation guidelines.
Hamilo Village
Three CAZA Hamilo Village villa layout variations at Hamilo Coast, Philippines—irregular parcel plans with shaded setback zones and red dashed siting axes showing room, garden, and pool placements.
Hamilo Village

Hamilo Pavilion

How can a building enhance a public landscape?

Hamilo Pavilion combines a number of pre-existing structural features with a contemporary façade, creating a subtle space that seems embedded in its lush surroundings. Designed with principles of metabolic architecture, the building hosts a range of social events, with multiple points of access demonstrating the structure’s versatility and organic position within the landscape. A glass enclosure frames panoramic views of Pico de Loro Bay. The double-height roof, shaped using parametricdesign techniques, folds over an expansive wooden terrace with a black metal mesh surface, establishing a place to rest, socialize, or enjoy a moment of solitude.

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

Community Gathering Place
The modular design equips the building to host a range of events, including social gatherings and religious services, creating a resilient center for community in Hamilo.

Grand Station

How can a transit station orchestrate the flows of urban life?

Situated as an intermediary juncture between the suburbs and the city of northern Manila, Grand Station acts as a critical nexus within the city.

Program diagram of Grand Station Mall showing department stores, cinemas, cyberzone, and rentable units.
Grand Station

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

Through a series of methodical conceptual studies, CAZA reconceived the former railway and metro hub as a mixed-use retail space.

We centered our concept on the transitions around the actual architecture, rather than on the form itself. This allowed us to conceive of Grand Station as a “leftover” that enables the urban flows around it.

Alternative mall program diagram of Grand Station with atrium and circulation space.
Grand Station

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

We created a seamless pedestrian circulation system and maintained the building’s existing structural links with all major railways. A sunken open-air garden at the heart of the cubic structure unifies the outdoor public platforms that connect to pedestrian streets and the elevated railway station.

Our design unites animated public spaces with varied shopping amenities, and asserts the site’s importance in the urban fabric. It effectively balances the programmatic activation of lifestyle amenities with an attentive respect to the station’s history—drawing on energy-efficient, metabolic architecture, and eco-industrialization principles, and employing modular and parametric design strategies to future-proof the station with resiliency.

Program diagram of Grand Station highlighting department stores, cinemas, supermarket, cyberzone, food court, and rentable spaces.
Grand Station
Alternative program diagram of Grand Station displaying amenity zones in a stacked bar form.
Grand Station
Rendered perspectives of Grand Station in cubic configuration with central courtyard.
Grand Station
Rendered perspectives of Grand Station in linear configuration with multiple courtyards.
Grand Station
Rendered perspectives of Grand Station in tower-and-podium configuration.
Grand Station
Rendered perspectives of Grand Station showing aerial, railway, walkway, and plaza views.
Grand Station

FR House

Can we bring together whimsy and rationality in a living space?

Located in the beachside town of Punta Fuego, the FR House enriches the experience of the waterfront through architecture. This cast-in-place concrete home perches on a bluff overlooking the South China Sea in Punta Fuego, Philippines. The design was guided by two goals: to integrate with the steep topography and waterfront views, and to create natural ventilation that minimizes mechanical cooling and conserves energy.

The steep, narrow site determined the project’s character from the start. To fit within its context, the house is conceived as a modular cluster of equally-sized concrete cubes resting on the slope, each oriented through parametric design strategies to maximize views of the sky and ocean while minimizing the need for traditional façade windows. This thoughtful configuration reflects an approach rooted in metabolic architecture, where spatial and environmental flows interact to create a home attuned to its surroundings.

The home takes the form of a collection of volumes arranged around a ground-floor garden. Each modular volume defines a distinct room, with a single window or skylight framing a unique view of the ocean, landscape, or sky. This deliberate yet whimsical organization creates a series of intentional, interconnected spaces that celebrate both individuality and connection.

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

The home’s two staircases become outdoor experiences linked to nature: the private stair features horizontal planters that buffer the house from its neighbor, while the public stair acts as an open, tilted tunnel connecting terrain and sky — a dynamic expression of energy and movement within the architectural form.

By using cast-in-place concrete, the design minimizes structural footprint to maximize living space on the narrow lot. The material also supports passive temperature control: it absorbs heat during the day and releases it when temperatures drop, conserving energy and maintaining indoor comfort. Raw and unfinished, the concrete lends a sense of casual sophistication to the interiors, while light wood finishes at key points of human contact — door handles, handrails — add warmth to the tactile experience.

Raw and unfinished, the concrete lends a sense of casual sophistication to the interiors, while light wood finishes at key points of human contact — door handles, handrails — add warmth to the tactile experience.

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

Each room’s skylight is oriented differently, framing specific views of the ocean, sky, or garden. Initially-identical modular volumes are thus transformed into unique spaces, each with its own natural light and privacy. At the top of the house, an open box connects inhabitants directly with the outside environment, embodying the home’s integration of metabolic architecture, energy-conscious design, and poetic whimsy.

Event Tent By The Bay

How can design activate an urban waterfront?

The Event Tent by the Bay reimagines Manila’s underutilized riverfront as a lively, accessible public space. Inspired by the silhouette of paraws—traditional Philippine sailboats—the structure rises on the waterfront as a series of upturned half pyramids. These modular components are conceived as hexagonal roof units, each fabricated from folded steel plates and supported by an asymmetrical column.

Axonometric diagram of Event Tent by the Bay showing structural layers and components.
Event Tent by the Bay

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

The pavilion employs a parametric design process, enabling the tessellation of triangular forms into a versatile system that can scale and adapt to create both an open field and a sense of enclosure. This modular logic allows the structure to activate multiple centers of activity along the waterfront, accommodating a variety of public events and gatherings.

Colored plan of Event Tent by the Bay showing layout of canopies and circulation zones.
Event Tent by the Bay

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

By combining a modular, parametric approach with cultural references and urban strategy, the Event Tent by the Bay offers Manila residents a renewed connection to their coastal environment—a flexible public venue rooted in tradition yet expressive of contemporary design.

Aerial view of Event Tent by the Bay showing red steel canopy structures by the waterfront.
Event Tent by the Bay
Nighttime view of Event Tent by the Bay with illuminated canopy hosting a public concert.
Event Tent by the Bay

DG Apartment

How can we make the most of modest living spaces?

CAZA gut-renovated a compact 3-bedroom apartment in a tower in the heart of Makati, transforming it into a more open and adaptable space fit for contemporary urban living.

Daytime rendering of DG Apartment’s living room with sofa and large windows.
DG Apartment

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

The original apartment layout was cluttered with unnecessary walls and awkwardly proportioned rooms, restricting flow and usability. CAZA’s intervention created a sense of flexibility and clarity, introducing modular elements and a parametric logic to optimize the small footprint.

At the core of the design is a series of modular storage systems and sliding partitions, which can be reconfigured to adapt the apartment to changing needs. Pocket doors concealed within walls allow residents to seamlessly convert private rooms into extended social spaces. Built-in cabinets and closets, designed with a modular rhythm, fold in and extend out as required, creating an efficient yet elegant storage network.

Rendering of DG Apartment’s dine-in kitchen with island and pendant lights.
DG Apartment

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

Subtle parametric design principles guide the visual delineation of spaces. Two tones of wood flooring arranged in a herringbone pattern shift across the apartment, with lighter tones defining the public, social areas, and darker tones marking private quarters. This gradient effect echoes the flexible boundaries between communal and personal spaces, enhancing both functionality and atmosphere.

By integrating modular strategies and parametric cues, DG Apartment maximizes the potential of modest square footage and redefines what’s possible in high-density urban living.

Floor plan layout of DG Apartment with labeled rooms and furniture.
DG Apartment
Axonometric view of DG Apartment highlighting key design elements.
DG Apartment

Delgado Mausoleum

How might we design for remembrance and reflection?

Currently under construction, this mausoleum offers a place of refuge and contemplation through a pair of modular self-supporting brick parabolic cones, designed with parametric-driven software and inspired by principles of metabolic architecture. The cones are tilted at different angles, creating a ring-shaped passage that loops around the main space. This dynamic yet efficient form reflects an understanding of energy flows — both spatial and symbolic — guiding visitors through a measured journey of remembrance. The passageway culminates in a double-arched entryway that opens onto a sanctuary overlooking the crypt.

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

Creating a sacred space
The passageway invites mourners to circumambulate the crypt, offering a powerful ritual journey defined by the shifting spatial experience created by the tilted modular cones. Designed through parametric design, the elliptical skylights topping the cones bring in natural light and frame views of passing clouds through a weightless pair of curving brick planes. This interplay of light, air, and material speaks to the energy embedded in the architecture — an environment in constant dialogue with its surroundings.

Clark Bowling Center

How does a space's function inspire its form?

Our design for the bowling center in SM City Clark takes inspiration from the act of bowling itself—where success depends on tossing the ball with a precise, sloping motion.

Wide view of Clark Bowling Center’s modern bowling alleys with geometric ceiling panels.
Clark Bowling Center

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

The Clark Bowling Center is conceived as a geometric plane, where straight lines from the alleys intersect with oblique, indirect forms. This creates a spatial journey that draws visitors from the exterior, through the amenity spaces, and onto the lanes.

The ceiling integrates linear lighting and conceals the mechanical systems, creating an integrated servicing mesh that is both functional and visually engaging.

Bowlers in action at Clark Bowling Center under a dramatic patterned ceiling.
Clark Bowling Center

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

This innovative approach embodies modular and parametric design, making the Clark Bowling Center an architectural homage to the sport it celebrates.

Pool tables and recreational area inside Clark Bowling Center.
Clark Bowling Center
Exploded axonometric diagram of Clark Bowling Center’s ceiling and interior layout.
Clark Bowling Center

City Center Tower

Could a standard core-and-shell building enliven a city street?

Our design for City Center Tower pushes the geometric limits of the standard core-and-shell of a corporate office building. By introducing a series of concentric circles within the traditional rectangular structure, the design lends the building a dynamic street presence defined by a rhythm of bulging balconies. The result is a tower that blends structured and freeform shapes, eliciting both efficiency and playfulness while opening up views and daylight exposure for offices set deep into the site—reflecting principles of parametric design and modular adaptability.

Sunlight, views, and outdoor space
The undulating façade design is a spatially efficient way of bringing views, natural light, and outdoor access to the offices set deep in the plan—while also embodying aspects of metabolic architecture to enhance workplace well-being and energy efficiency.

Cebu Bus Rapid Transit Station

Can transit infrastructure be a monument for a city's culture?

As part of the Philippines’ first Bus Rapid Transit system, Cebu needed a system of modular stations that embraced local heritage while projecting a new future for the city. Our design creates a pragmatic bus station without sacrificing expressivity, using a limited set of architectural moves to create an evocative screen of louvers that echo Cebu’s long legacy of textile production. The roof and canopy structure is borne of a parametric design folding operation, whereby the horizontal and vertical surfaces are geometrically matched. The folds create an alternating spatial bias for loading passengers and draining rainwater toward retention tanks, keeping roads dry during the wet season.

Front view of the Cebu BRT terminal at night, with illuminated triangular canopy frames and a “MyBus SM City Cebu” sign.
Cebu Bus Rapid Transit Station

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

By integrating principles of resiliency, energy efficiency, and eco-industrialization, the station stands as a contemporary civic landmark rooted in Cebu’s identity.

Close-up of passengers boarding a bus through the Cebu BRT terminal’s diagonal-striped side panels at night.
Cebu Bus Rapid Transit Station

Caticlan Airport

Can a tropical airport reflect the beauty of its surroundings?

In 2011, CAZA won an international competition to design the new Caticlan International Airport on Boracay Island, one of Asia’s most celebrated tropical destinations. As the first international airport built in the Philippines since the 1970s, the project represents a bold reimagining of airport architecture through modular, parametric design principles that connect visitors seamlessly to the island’s natural splendor.

Interior view of Landslide Plaza at Caticlan Airport by CAZA.
Caticlan Airport

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

The scheme organizes six interconnected structures—passenger terminal, control tower, fire station, hangar, administration building, and marine terminal—into a coordinated, metabolic system that responds flexibly to the needs of the site. The modularity of the components ensures adaptability and efficiency, while their light, relaxed structural expression evokes the ease of island life.

Instead of a sealed, enclosed terminal typical of airports, Caticlan Airport embraces the outdoors, integrating tropical ferns, native forest, and even a waterfall into the landscape. These green interventions embody eco-industrialization, actively mitigating heat, improving air quality, and ensuring breathable, resilient public spaces.

Section drawing of Caticlan Airport terminal by CAZA.
Caticlan Airport

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

By combining energy-conscious strategies, a modular and parametric structural logic, and an architecture that foregrounds Boracay’s unique ecology, the design creates an airport that feels like an extension of the island itself—serene yet alive, modern yet deeply rooted in its tropical context.

Aerial dusk rendering of Caticlan Airport terminal by CAZA.
Caticlan Airport
Morning aerial rendering of Caticlan Airport terminal by CAZA.
Caticlan Airport
Exterior view of Caticlan Airport’s Admin Office Building designed by CAZA.
Caticlan Airport

Building 6

How can a building mediate the space between private and public?

Building 6 is a mixed-use building with offices and retail spaces that sits above a major bus station in Manila, Philippines.

Facade elevation drawing of Building 6 highlighting structural grid and window arrangement.
Building 6

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

Building 6 is a 24-hour multimodal hub. It connects the global city with the old central business district, and is an important point of connection for buses, jeepneys, and tricycles. Our design leverages this activity and adds a 7-story retail and office program to create a marketplace, as well as areas for business processing units and offices.

Because the project site straddles Manila’s busiest business district and a wealthy and quiet suburban area, we had to mediate between these two vastly different neighbors, while also serving the variety of needs of the building’s tenants. Our design differentiates public vs private space in the building. We designed a facade system that gradually transforms from an open, public grid in front to a private one towards the back. The public-facing retail spaces and entrances to the bus station turn towards the business district while the private offices above face the calmer suburb.

Physical architectural model of Building 6 in white material.
Building 6

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

The design applies modular elements, parametric design principles, and distributive networks to manage circulation, access, and program adjacencies efficiently. The building also incorporates regenerative health, resiliency, and eco-industrialization strategies, fostering a healthier and more adaptable urban environment that responds to both community and ecological needs.

Floor plan drawing of Building 6 with plazas, circulation, and kiosk layouts.
Building 6
Section drawing of Building 6 illustrating interior programs and facade depth.
Building 6

Bonifacio Theater Park

What could a more vibrant financial district look like?

Located in the heart of Fort Bonifacio’s dense financial district, Bonifacio Theater Park transforms a two-hectare plot into a lively, resilient public space. Designed with principles of metabolic architecture and modular planning, the park brings flexibility, efficiency, and ecological sensitivity to an urban environment dominated by glass towers and traffic.

Rendering of the amphitheater at Bonifacio Theater Park showing the stage, canopy roof, and audience seating.
Bonifacio Theater Park

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

At its center is a 250-seat amphitheater shaded by a striking white disk, tilted at a 30-degree angle and supported by four V-shaped legs. This minimalist, parametric structure not only shelters visitors from sun and rain but also integrates lighting and AV systems, enabling the park to host events seamlessly.

The site is divided into three distinct modular parcels housing a yoga studio, gallery, coffee shop, and library—programmed to enrich community life. Landscaping, conceived as part of the eco-industrialization strategy, establishes a dual-canopy system of palms and acacias, along with sturdy, low-maintenance hedges and mounds that create acoustic and visual buffers from the surrounding streets. These design moves reinforce the park as both a social gathering space and an urban sanctuary.

Vegetation plan for Bonifacio Theater Park showing tree and plant species mapped onto the site plan.
Bonifacio Theater Park

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

The park also addresses resilience in circulation: wide orange crosswalks and clearly defined paths ensure safe pedestrian movement while accommodating necessary vehicular flow. This careful balance of accessibility and safety reflects the project’s emphasis on energy efficiency, resiliency, and modular adaptability.

Bonifacio Theater Park stands as a model for how public spaces can revitalize business districts, fostering collective engagement and offering a verdant refuge through innovative architectural and ecological design.

Architectural plans and sections of program pavilions in Bonifacio Theater Park, including yoga studio, coffee shop, gallery, and library.
Bonifacio Theater Park
Architectural diagrams showing the amphitheater design of Bonifacio Theater Park, including exploded axon, plan, RCP, and section drawings.
Bonifacio Theater Park

Bench Tower

How can a plant in bloom transform a city skyline?

Bench Tower combines five programs—a 1,500-person event space, retail hall, parking garage, Grade-A offices, and corporate headquarters for the Bench Group—into an efficient tower with an iconic presence. Separate cores create different circulation loops for each of the programs, preventing bottlenecks. The building’s skin is made of soft-shaped metal latticework, designed with parametric design tools to create different levels of transparency across the tower, opening up views for the offices, maximizing natural ventilation in the parking zones, and reducing solar gain in line with energy and metabolic architecture principles.

Exterior rendering of Bench Tower’s golden façade.
Bench Tower

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

Optimizing the building skin
The density of the skin’s louvers and canopies are calibrated to the different conditions at the base and top of the tower. On the lower floors, more louvers and fewer canopies increase natural ventilation and frontal views. On higher floors—where there is greater wind exposure—fewer louvers and more canopies maximize parallax views while reducing solar gain.

Interior rendering of Bench Tower’s retail arcade with vaulted ceilings.
Bench Tower

Event space
A 1,500-person event space below grade can host performances and social gatherings, maximizing the value of the new building.

Street-level view of Bench Tower with golden façade and public green space.
Bench Tower

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

Retail hall
The ground-floor retail area opens the building to the surrounding city, integrating it into the neighborhood and creating an active base.

Interior rendering of Bench Tower’s sky lobby with stepped seating.
Bench Tower

Corporate lobby
A dedicated lobby and separate core for the office programs make for efficient circulation loops despite the building’s mix of uses.

Interior rendering of Bench Tower atrium with sculptural wooden staircase and lounge area.
Bench Tower

Vertical canyon
A winding staircase cuts through the headquarters office space, enhancing connectivity and visual interconnection between its levels.

Interior rendering of Bench Tower’s exhibition hall with circular stage.
Bench Tower
Ground floor plan of Bench Tower.
Bench Tower
Underground exhibition hall plan of Bench Tower.
Bench Tower
Architectural terrace plan of Bench Tower.
Bench Tower
Architectural section drawing of Bench Tower office levels.
Bench Tower
Diagram showing vertical louver and horizontal canopy distribution strategies for Bench Tower.
Bench Tower

Bel-Air Townhouse

Can an urban home rebuild our connection to nature?

The Bel-Air Townhouse confronts the steady loss of nature in Metro Manila, one of the most densely-populated and congested cities in the world.

Front elevation of Bel-Air Townhouse featuring vertical greenery and patterned concrete façade.
Bel-Air Townhouse

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

Our design for the Bel-Air Townhouse revisits the story of a house and its garden. Instead of the traditional courtyard house with a garden in the center, or a classical villa with a garden viewed from afar, the Bel-Air Townhouse transforms the garden into a series of horizontal strata for inhabitation. Wrapped by floating gardens, the building redefines the domestic interior as a collection of spaces nested within landscapes that have themselves been turned inside-out. It thus becomes an architectural experience inseparable from the gardens as 3-dimensional volume.

Exploded axonometric diagram of Bel-Air Townhouse showing layered structural components, material finishes, and landscape integration.
Bel-Air Townhouse

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

In response to the diminishing green spaces in Manila, our vision of urban townhouses reconnects people with the lush forests that once defined the city’s equatorial environment. The townhouse applies principles of metabolic architecture, modular systems, parametric design, and resiliency to create homes that are adaptable, efficient, and deeply attuned to their environment—offering a new idea of urban life with nature as both memory and future.

Isometric plan of the Bel-Air Townhouse first floor with interior layouts and landscaped courtyards.
Bel-Air Townhouse
Roof plan of Bel-Air Townhouse highlighting garden terraces and geometric roof patterns.
Bel-Air Townhouse