University of the Philippines Diliman

College of Architecture

A CASE STUDY OF A RESIDENTIAL HOUSE IN STA. ROSA LAGUNA

MIDTERM PAPER

AR 176: Health & Safety in Buildings

Resuello, Darlene Jessa M.

2014-2424
Site Location

The location of this residential house is at the subdivision of Villa Esmeralda in

Barangay Dita, Sta. Rosa Laguna. The City of Santa Rosa is located along the south corridor
of Luzon or about 40 kilometers south of Manila in the first district of the Province of
Laguna. It is primarily flat and its lands are subject to none to slight erosion. Though the
municipality is located in a region subject to typhoons, Santa Rosa is hardly affected due to
protection from the outlying mountain areas1. According to the Land Use Plan of the City of
Sta. Rosa, Slight seasonal run-off flooding is characterized by accumulated shallow run-off
flood, which subsides within a short period ranging from a few hours to three (3) days. As
shown in figure 1, The main receiving bodies of water for stormwater run-off in the city are
the Santa Rosa River at the western boundary, the Diezmo and Cabuyao Rivers at the eastern
side, and the Laguna de Bay. A system of storm drainage systems in the urban areas,
residential areas and industrial estates convey runoff to these natural water bodies. These
consist of reinforced-concrete pipes, open canals (either lined or unlined), and reinforced-
concrete rectangular culverts. Flooding is limited to tidal flooding in the lakeshore areas and
river overflows2. The site is located at a non-susceptible area of flash floods but is surrounded
by submerged barangays. According to US Geological Survey (USGS), "liquefaction takes
place when loosely packed, waterlogged sediments at or near the ground surface lose their
strength in response to strong ground shaking." As shown in figure 2, a liquefaction map
shows that the site is also near areas where low susceptibility of liquefaction can be observed.

SITE SITE

Figure 1. Flash Flood Areas and Figure 2. Liquefaction Hazard Map

Submerged Barangays

1
Land Use Plan of the City of Sta. Rosa, retrieved form: https://santarosacity.gov.ph/about-
sta-rosa
2
Land Use Plan of the City of Sta. Rosa, retrieved form: https://santarosacity.gov.ph/about-
sta-rosa/geologic-hazards/
Residential House

Figure 3. House Perspective

The house has a lot area of 600 square meters. It is a three-story mediterranean house
woth a floor area of arounf 600 square meters. It is composed of a 4-car garage, an office,
entertainment room, living area, a kitchen and a dining area, a dirty kitchen with a maid’s
quarters and a pool area with a pump room on the ground floor. On the second floor are five
bedrooms with its own bathrooms. The third floor has three bedrooms and one bathroom. The
house is generally designed to withstand typhoons as well as earthquakes. Its structural
foundation is composed of a tie beam footing of 2 meters by 2 meters in size and a depth of 2
meters as well. Its column size is .30 m by .30 m. Beams have a average size of .25 m by .40
m and an average span of 4.5 meters. The roof framing of the house uses wide flanges.
 Figure 4. Roof Gutter Figure 5. Roof Skylights

The roof of the house is composed of clay roof tiles and uses an inside gutter. The
roof tiles are used for several advantages including its durability. It is known to withstand
hail, high winds, and even fire. It is an environment-friendly material that can last for over a
hundred years. It is also impervious to rot and insect damage, low maintenance, and energy
efficient3. As shown in figure 4, The storm drainage system of the roof is an inside gutter.
And its downspouts are embedded to the beams. This conceals the box gutters behind the
edge of the roof. These hidden gutters are wide enough to handle high volumes of water that
the roof can be subjected to. They are also line with durable metal which gives then longer
life span of up to fifty years or more4. The house also has two roof skylights as shown in
figure 5, which provides additional natural light to the third floor of the house. During
typhoons with strong winds, wind noises can be heard from these roof skylights.

3
Pros and cons of a tile roofing. Retrieved from: https://www.thespruce.com/pros-and-cons-of-tile-roofing-
1824684
4
Advantages of Hidden Gutters. Retrieved from: https://mhcgutters.com/advantages-of-hidden-gutters/
 Figure 6. Sliding Window Figure 7. Fixed
Staircase Window

The windows of the house are made up of 6mm Polymerized Vinyl Chloride (PVC)
glass with tempered glass. PVC glass is a durable interior fabric consisting of a glass fiber
weave with a PVC coating. PVC windows are remarkably durable as opposed to other
window materials. They have also better insulation values and are able to reduce energy and
heating costs5. Majority of the windows are the sliding type. It has been observed that during
typhoons with strong winds, these windows produces an unceasing sound coming from the
strong winds. Perhaps an awning or casement type of windows are better options. For the
large fixed windows placed at the staircase area as shown In figure 7, a 12 mm PVC window
glass is placed for extra durability.

Experienced Hazards

Figure 8. Typhoon Ulysses aftermath

5
Advantages of PVC Windows. Retrieved from: https://www.deceuninck.de/en-gb/advantages-of-pvc-
windows/#
 Figure 9. Taal Volcano Ashfall aftermath

The typhoon Ulysses has brought a maximum sustained winds speed of 155 km/hour
near the center and gustiness of up to 255 km/hour on its landfall6. The house has
experienced relatively very mild to none damages except for the tumbled-down plant pots in
the lanai area. During typhoons, it has been observed that wind noises can be heard from the
windows but so far has not been susceptible to breakage. The Taal Volcano ashfall aftermath
on the other hand has covered he entire house during its mild eruption. The location of the
residential house is around 83 kilometers from the Taal Volcano therefore ashfall coming
from the said volcano is inevitable to be experienced by the house.

Conclusion and Recommendation

The house is relatively durable and can withstand strong typhoons. It is also not
susceptible to flooding therefore it is a great location for a residential house. Cautious
cleaning is required when dusting off experienced ashfall from the house in order to prevent
drainage clogging. To further strengthen the house, sliding windows must be replaced with
awning or casement type. This is because sliding type windows has a tendency to break if
stronger winds make a landfall in the area.

6
Typhoon Ulysses makes third landfall. Retrieved from: https://mb.com.ph/2020/11/12/typhoon-ulysses-
makes-third-landfall/