The Cascades: Masterpiece of residential excellence

Landscape architects are gaining well-deserved attention over the past years as more knowledgeable architects or building designers have included their presence even at the planning stage of projects.

Efren Aurelio, a landscape architect, revealed this as he explained that since he began 22 years ago, members of his profession "have had the bigger scope of work as this includes site planning, people circulation, environmental graphics, the engineering aspects of the landscape including drainage, lighting design, site grading and even participation in the formulation of policies involving environmental issues."

Aurelio said that in the first few years that he began his career, landscape architects were "taken late into a project to add on the "cosmetics" of the development which are the trees and planting."

"Architects are now beginning to realize what major land developers like Crown Asia have known — landscape architecture can add value to their property," Aurelio, the current president of the Philippine Association of Landscape Architects said.

Aurelio’s current project is the nine-hectare Cascades, the third phase of Cottonwood Heights — Crown Asia’s premier subdivision in Antipolo City — with its American countryside inspired ambience.

As the name implies, the design of the houses and the over-all landscaping of Cascades were intended to reflect the effect of the movement of water in a waterfall.

With the magnificent hills and terrain of Antipolo City, Crown Asia tasked its engineers and contracts to develop the third phase of Cottonwood Heights while retaining the existing topography.

Following the contour of the land during development translated into retaining as much of the elements of the natural landscape, such as the hills and the trees, and incorporating these into the final plans for development. The result was the American —countryside ambience of Cottonwood Heights and Cascades where the natural beauty of the area was virtually untouched.

The goal of retaining and preserving the terrain is also evident in the design of the houses that would be made available for Cascades. The seven house models available have been designed specifically to the terrain of Cascades, making each look as though it is a natural part of the surroundings.

The new house models — Abby, Beverly, Chelsea, Dorothy, Sigourney, Delaney and Undrey — with a minimum lot area of 180 square meters peggedat Php 3.5 M to 6M have been well-designed and carefully crafted to maximize the use of available living space.

Aurelio said that all design elements of Cascades, including the houses, are oriented towards reflecting and evoking and vision and motion of cascading waters.

"In fact we do get a cascading waterfall when it rains and the water through a small stream set in the middle of the property," Aurelio said.

Surrounding the stream are the clubhouse, a playground for kids, and what Aurelio describes as a "meandering footpath" that follows alongside the path of the stream. He added that the path is perfect not only for jogging but also for a casual stroll and a family picnic by the stream.

The playground provides an excellent view of the entire phase, as does the grass meadow and putting green just behind it.

Aurelio said that one key design element for the stream was the preservation of the natural formation of its embankments. "Instead of an unsightly rip-rap, which uses stones and cement, we decided to preserve and strengthen the banks, while adding small improvements to it so it will blend well with the over-all design concept," he said.

"That is the essence of what we do, ensuring that all elements harmonize well so we have the best possible product, which in this is the nine-hectare expanse of Cascades at Cottonwood Heights," Aurelio said.

He said he hopes to further the idea of involving the landscape architects at the beginning of projects and get involved in the conceptualization from the ground up.

"I hope that we can continue educating our people, specially the developers and land owners about the advantages of getting landscape architects for their projects," Aurelio said.

For more information about Cascades and the latest on Crown Asia’s subdivisions, and campaigns intended to give home buyers more value for their investment, please call 7260083-84.