His house an architecture landmark, the architect-designer now applies his design philosophy to painting and sculpture
AT 82, ARCHITECT LORENZO ?Lor? Calma no longer builds homes and offices?so he claims. He has moved on to pursue his passion for painting and sculpture.

It was Calma?s home in Makati that put the Philippines on the map in 1970 when it was featured in Architectural Digest. This landmark residential project enabled him to explore his concepts that came to define his architecture and his art.

The architect says the house has been photographed to death, and it has recently been featured in ?The Tropical House: Cutting Edge Design in the Philippines,? even if his design is 40 years old. He says his house is being refurbished, and he hopes there would be takers.

Landmark design

Three stories, the 1,700-sq-m house stands on a 2,700-sq-m lot. The house is bare, except for essentials in the bedroom, a corner sitting area furnished with mid-century chairs, and a renovated kitchen.

Nonetheless it is a classic example of minimalism. Stripped of major furniture and accessories, the house is striking because of the choice of materials and how they are used, the restrained color palette and the aesthetics of the architecture.

?I?m not a rich man,? declares Calma. ?When we built this in 1970, I chose three materials?Romblon marble, glass and steel. They will last forever. The walls are in concrete. Just whitewash them and they look like new.?

One is impressed by the front door?a checkered pattern of fine black metal strips against a white shiny surface. The atrium is out of the voluminous three-story narra ceiling; elegant grids of long glass panels frame the garden view.

Calma gives a different twist to the capiz chandelier. He abstracted it into a giant orb hovering the space.

He jests about why the master?s bedroom is on the ground floor. ?When the kids were growing up, we wanted to know where they were going. They?d have to pass by us for security check.?

In its halcyon days, the atrium/living room also served as gallery for Calma?s collection of artwork. A sculptural winding staircase with finely chiseled ridges is the focal point.

The minimalist aesthetics is also reflected in the other doors, made of kamagong, adorned with capiz and punctuated by linear brass handle.

?They look Oriental,? he said. ?I combine modern and Filipino materials. I started the movement in minimalism using local materials but not in the bahay kubo style. I make very slick details with metal. In design you must know how to dovetail two or three materials, but how to treat the native materials with stainless steel is hard.?

The large dining room has only a cantilevered table and horizontal brass lighting fixture lined with mother of pearl shells?Calma?s designs, naturally.

?The architecture is very simple but they don?t do this anymore. Until now, the designs of modern homes are behind,? he remarks.

Aesthetics

Aside from the aesthetics, the house is impressive because of its cross ventilation. While many modern homes tend to be too humid that require lots of air-conditioning, Calma?s house is cool even without fans.

Vertical slats of vent openings are strategically located so that air flows in one vent over the divided space, and out the other.

The high ceiling in the atrium facilitates the natural transfer of heat energy by the air movement. This motion is an instantaneous circulation due to the synchronized actions of gravity and changes in air density.

?The hot air goes up and the cool air is downstairs,? he says. ?You see that slot wall is not attached to the ground. The wind goes through. There are also gaps on the floor; the wall is not attached to the ground for a tunnel type of ventilation. It?s open from under so that the wind comes from this gap and goes out.?

Even his landscape was a work of art. It had seven types of mahogany, eucalyptus, and ficus trees and lots of African tulips.

But more than 25 trees were felled by typhoons over the years. Still, the garden is still elegant with a row of rare palm trees bordered by huge slabs of piedra china.

Unknown to many, Calma collects beautiful objects, whether it?s iconic furniture, artworks or kitchen accessories.

He admires the architectural features of the Wassily Chair, the first tubular steel chair by Marcel Breuer.

?It?s made of only two materials, leather and steel. No more. Other designs are complicated?there?s wood, leather and steel.?

Calma also lauds Ludwig Mies Van De Rohe?s Barcelona chair, a wide recliner with a cross frame of gently sloping steel bars, wrapped in leather. ?It?s structural and cantilevered,? he explained. ?He?s a genius.?

In travels, Calma acquires geometric flatware, coffee and tea pots, coffee-making machines and complete dinner sets.

For a minimalist, it is unusual that he acquired a Versace set, replete with lions and 24-karat bold trim.

He explains that to impress his visitors, the infusion of a classic design could underscore the modernity of a setting. ?It?s like having a modern house with a Luna painting with a gold leaf frame,? he says.

Absolute art

Calma is occupied with creating outdoor sculptures for his next exhibit at the Ayala Museum. On his new works which will be presented in January, he is using cast iron, stainless-steel and cast bronze. One of the most expensive works will be a prism-like abstraction in cast bronze, which costs P1.7 million.

His current exhibit at the Ayala Museum has been very educational to those uninitiated about art. Students are given flyers explaining the definition of abstraction and non-representational art.

Calma?s works consist of metal reliefs and sculptures using steel, black iron and bronze in primary colors of black, white, red and yellow. His drawings feature deft strokes of indelible ink on white canvas. Though purist in form and color, the artworks are deceptively difficult to achieve.

Calma?s ?Scroll? sculpture series was inspired by the signatures of people. ?It?s all about softening metal tubes to make the loops,? he says.

His metal reliefs carve away the flat surface of metal to reveal his penchant for planar elements and subtle lines.

His favorite sculpture series is the ?Origami,? made of fabricated steel and automotive paint for shine and durability. Flat sheets of metal are folded to create crease lines that form valleys; metal is turned in other directions to make ridges. As a result, the sculptures look different from other angles because of the complexity of the folds.

?I am concerned about floating the sculpture. See that? It?s heavy metal embedded on metal.? He points to a dark piece of metal that holds up the ?Origami? from the base. ?You don?t see the black going to the piece, the white [sculpture] is cantilevered so it can float.?

His drawings are wonders in patient brush strokes.

?I pour indelible ink and spread it quickly because it dries right away. If not, you can?t create the fine lines. I use three brushes, big and fine ones. The strokes look like brooms. If you are not fast with your strokes, you can?t get the effect.?

Calma points to his paintings that are suggestive of the Twin Towers, an eclipse and cloud formations. He leaves it to the viewer to interpret his themes.

Before painting, Calma began making small studies. The 30 pieces of black and white renderings are then mounted them on paper blocks against the wall.

?See the shadows? That?s what you?re buying, the 3D effect. It?s all black and white and accents of red and yellow. The series can be something you can put at home. That?s why it?s decorative.?

Asked how Calma creates a strong impact on his work, he replies. ?If you can?t put your ideas in drawing, then it can?t be made,? he says with a chuckle. ?What we do starts in the mind.?