EU|TERRA (BMA SHORTLIST)
Inspired by the term, “Euterra”, which means the positive and healing relationship between man and nature, this proposed mixed-use development in conceptual stage is composed of various spaces and structures that allow persons to disconnect from the fast-paced realities of city living to find a deep sense of peace and clarity while in commune with nature.
Coming from a provincial background and having experienced the simplicities of that life, the intention of the client to build this humbling project is to provide a convenient and unpretentious avenue for city dwellers to breathe, relax, and recharge in leisure.
In this project, architecture takes the backstage and simply serves as the medium to create more intimate experiences with nature. Every element is thoughtfully considered to showcase the earth, the wind, and the waters through all the human senses—sight, smell, hearing, feeling, and taste; all in all, carving unforgettable memories and inciting feelings of nostalgia.
THE ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE
For the structures in this project to speak “nature” at its core, we decided to go with a simplistic, contemporary, yet impactful design.
From the outside — the buildings blur among their surroundings.
From the inside — the buildings frame and focus on elements of nature so that they can be experienced in very specific ways.
The initial and primary design of the main structures resembles hills that are lifted from the ground.
Because we had 40,000m² to work with, we anticipate that visitors might find the whole space too overwhelming. With that in mind, our design includes specific openings in the structures that put certain views, vistas, and elements into focus. This is our unique way to drive guests to have more intimate experiences with nature in these structures.
And from there, we created different variations of the same language to create a subtle architectural landscape.
For the main lobby, intentionally carved holes on the roofs allow you to observe the changing sky, count the stars, and even feel the fall of rain.
For the restaurant and cafe, a narrow strip created from the raised structure frame a beautiful panorama of the entire development.
On the event space, you will find a triangular puncture framing a beautiful lake and a sunset.
For the museum complex, a large reflective rectangular opening lures people toward the body of water.
For the playground, we remembered what it felt like to be children and everything around us seemed a little bit bigger. We played around with scale to bring back that child-like wonder
The whole project is a play of relationships and perspectives. What makes its architecture special is neither in form nor aesthetic, but in the connection it creates between the users and the nature that surrounds it.
CHAPEL (Blue Mango Award - High Commendation)
A client having a steadfast devotion to their spirituality commissioned us to design a small chapel in the middle of their hillside property.
The small chapel is nestled so subtly just a few meters below the surface of the topmost hill. Placed unassumingly, you can barely see any structure but a glimpse of the arched altar peeking above the landscape.
Since it requires traversing quite a distance from the entry point of the development to arrive at the chapel, it was opportune for architecture to be an enhancing part of the journey towards this place of reflection.
The journey towards the chapel starts with a long and winding path amidst a field of flowers—a delight for the senses.
Scent, sight, touch, taste, and sound are engaged. Walking through this pathway allows you to breathe fresh air along with the different sweet aromas of the flowers, witness the beauty of creation through the selection of unique and colorful foliage, feel the gentle strokes of mountain breeze, savor the morning dew, and listen to the calming rustling of leaves and trees.
The path eventually sinks and the landscape converges to reveal a space below the ground, lit from above. Following the same cohesive architectural language, the chapel allows you to witness the changing light as the sun rises or sets on the horizon and the beauty of falling rain on the open altar.
Unlike most places of prayer that are known to stand toweringly among us, this chapel is sunken on the ground, highlighting a different form of grandeur. The grandeur we talk about is life around us, the sky above us, and the earth beneath us. Such grandeur is not proud but is significant in the sense that its presence is often missed in daily city life, making its chances for observation majestic.
The chapel hides but also reveals. The architecture acts only at the bare minimum for people to experience the beauty of nature that has always existed among us.
EU|TERRA (BMA SHORTLIST)
Inspired by the term, “Euterra”, which means the positive and healing relationship between man and nature, this proposed mixed-use development in conceptual stage is composed of various spaces and structures that allow persons to disconnect from the fast-paced realities of city living to find a deep sense of peace and clarity while in commune with nature.
Coming from a provincial background and having experienced the simplicities of that life, the intention of the client to build this humbling project is to provide a convenient and unpretentious avenue for city dwellers to breathe, relax, and recharge in leisure.
In this project, architecture takes the backstage and simply serves as the medium to create more intimate experiences with nature. Every element is thoughtfully considered to showcase the earth, the wind, and the waters through all the human senses—sight, smell, hearing, feeling, and taste; all in all, carving unforgettable memories and inciting feelings of nostalgia.
THE ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE
For the structures in this project to speak “nature” at its core, we decided to go with a simplistic, contemporary, yet impactful design.
From the outside — the buildings blur among their surroundings.
From the inside — the buildings frame and focus on elements of nature so that they can be experienced in very specific ways.
The initial and primary design of the main structures resembles hills that are lifted from the ground.
Because we had 40,000m² to work with, we anticipate that visitors might find the whole space too overwhelming. With that in mind, our design includes specific openings in the structures that put certain views, vistas, and elements into focus. This is our unique way to drive guests to have more intimate experiences with nature in these structures.
And from there, we created different variations of the same language to create a subtle architectural landscape.
For the main lobby, intentionally carved holes on the roofs allow you to observe the changing sky, count the stars, and even feel the fall of rain.
For the restaurant and cafe, a narrow strip created from the raised structure frame a beautiful panorama of the entire development.
On the event space, you will find a triangular puncture framing a beautiful lake and a sunset.
For the museum complex, a large reflective rectangular opening lures people toward the body of water.
For the playground, we remembered what it felt like to be children and everything around us seemed a little bit bigger. We played around with scale to bring back that child-like wonder
The whole project is a play of relationships and perspectives. What makes its architecture special is neither in form nor aesthetic, but in the connection it creates between the users and the nature that surrounds it.
CHAPEL (Blue Mango Award - High Commendation)
A client having a steadfast devotion to their spirituality commissioned us to design a small chapel in the middle of their hillside property.
The small chapel is nestled so subtly just a few meters below the surface of the topmost hill. Placed unassumingly, you can barely see any structure but a glimpse of the arched altar peeking above the landscape.
Since it requires traversing quite a distance from the entry point of the development to arrive at the chapel, it was opportune for architecture to be an enhancing part of the journey towards this place of reflection.
The journey towards the chapel starts with a long and winding path amidst a field of flowers—a delight for the senses.
Scent, sight, touch, taste, and sound are engaged. Walking through this pathway allows you to breathe fresh air along with the different sweet aromas of the flowers, witness the beauty of creation through the selection of unique and colorful foliage, feel the gentle strokes of mountain breeze, savor the morning dew, and listen to the calming rustling of leaves and trees.
The path eventually sinks and the landscape converges to reveal a space below the ground, lit from above. Following the same cohesive architectural language, the chapel allows you to witness the changing light as the sun rises or sets on the horizon and the beauty of falling rain on the open altar.
Unlike most places of prayer that are known to stand toweringly among us, this chapel is sunken on the ground, highlighting a different form of grandeur. The grandeur we talk about is life around us, the sky above us, and the earth beneath us. Such grandeur is not proud but is significant in the sense that its presence is often missed in daily city life, making its chances for observation majestic.
The chapel hides but also reveals. The architecture acts only at the bare minimum for people to experience the beauty of nature that has always existed among us.
EU|TERRA (BMA SHORTLIST)
Inspired by the term, “Euterra”, which means the positive and healing relationship between man and nature, this proposed mixed-use development in conceptual stage is composed of various spaces and structures that allow persons to disconnect from the fast-paced realities of city living to find a deep sense of peace and clarity while in commune with nature.
Coming from a provincial background and having experienced the simplicities of that life, the intention of the client to build this humbling project is to provide a convenient and unpretentious avenue for city dwellers to breathe, relax, and recharge in leisure.
In this project, architecture takes the backstage and simply serves as the medium to create more intimate experiences with nature. Every element is thoughtfully considered to showcase the earth, the wind, and the waters through all the human senses—sight, smell, hearing, feeling, and taste; all in all, carving unforgettable memories and inciting feelings of nostalgia.
THE ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE
For the structures in this project to speak “nature” at its core, we decided to go with a simplistic, contemporary, yet impactful design.
From the outside — the buildings blur among their surroundings.
From the inside — the buildings frame and focus on elements of nature so that they can be experienced in very specific ways.
The initial and primary design of the main structures resembles hills that are lifted from the ground.
Because we had 40,000m² to work with, we anticipate that visitors might find the whole space too overwhelming. With that in mind, our design includes specific openings in the structures that put certain views, vistas, and elements into focus. This is our unique way to drive guests to have more intimate experiences with nature in these structures.
And from there, we created different variations of the same language to create a subtle architectural landscape.
For the main lobby, intentionally carved holes on the roofs allow you to observe the changing sky, count the stars, and even feel the fall of rain.
For the restaurant and cafe, a narrow strip created from the raised structure frame a beautiful panorama of the entire development.
On the event space, you will find a triangular puncture framing a beautiful lake and a sunset.
For the museum complex, a large reflective rectangular opening lures people toward the body of water.
For the playground, we remembered what it felt like to be children and everything around us seemed a little bit bigger. We played around with scale to bring back that child-like wonder
The whole project is a play of relationships and perspectives. What makes its architecture special is neither in form nor aesthetic, but in the connection it creates between the users and the nature that surrounds it.
CHAPEL (Blue Mango Award - High Commendation)
A client having a steadfast devotion to their spirituality commissioned us to design a small chapel in the middle of their hillside property.
The small chapel is nestled so subtly just a few meters below the surface of the topmost hill. Placed unassumingly, you can barely see any structure but a glimpse of the arched altar peeking above the landscape.
Since it requires traversing quite a distance from the entry point of the development to arrive at the chapel, it was opportune for architecture to be an enhancing part of the journey towards this place of reflection.
The journey towards the chapel starts with a long and winding path amidst a field of flowers—a delight for the senses.
Scent, sight, touch, taste, and sound are engaged. Walking through this pathway allows you to breathe fresh air along with the different sweet aromas of the flowers, witness the beauty of creation through the selection of unique and colorful foliage, feel the gentle strokes of mountain breeze, savor the morning dew, and listen to the calming rustling of leaves and trees.
The path eventually sinks and the landscape converges to reveal a space below the ground, lit from above. Following the same cohesive architectural language, the chapel allows you to witness the changing light as the sun rises or sets on the horizon and the beauty of falling rain on the open altar.
Unlike most places of prayer that are known to stand toweringly among us, this chapel is sunken on the ground, highlighting a different form of grandeur. The grandeur we talk about is life around us, the sky above us, and the earth beneath us. Such grandeur is not proud but is significant in the sense that its presence is often missed in daily city life, making its chances for observation majestic.
The chapel hides but also reveals. The architecture acts only at the bare minimum for people to experience the beauty of nature that has always existed among us.
PROJECT INFORMATION
Project Name: Euterra — A Proposed Mountain Resort
Project Status: Conceptual
Project Location: Sudlon II, Busay
PUBLICATIONS