"You drive down the road, and you see the sun setting into the sea," he says. "It’s a winding road that works its way around trees that were left standing, saved from the chainsaw during the road construction. Following a straight line would have been more efficient, but it would not have been friendly to the environment. That would have gone against the grain of a keystone in Ayala’s land development policy, which embodies a great respect for what exists on the site, a natural respect for the environment."
Wood Park is the latest offering at Anvaya Cove, following the success of The Cliffside, the first neighborhood offering of the development, and The Mango Grove. "The names of the neighborhoods evoke the feeling inside the community," Beng Abella, senior division manager of Ayala Land Premier’s Leisure Group, explains. The Cliffside sits on a cliff overlooking the sea, 30 meters above sea level, while The Mango Grove is characterized by mature mango trees – with trunks averaging 1 to 1.5 meters in diameter – planted there by the original owners of the land. Wood Park naturally has lots of trees and greenery.
The Sunset Park in the rotunda along Sunset Drive was built around a clump of cupang trees, which have leaves shaped like those of the ipil-ipil or sampaloc tree.
"We had to re-work the site development plan since the trees stood right in the middle of the road," Manuel Illana, Anvaya Cove’s project architect, relates.
Darwin Salipsip, Anvaya Cove’s project engineer, and his team had already started the road tracing based on the original plan. "It’s a collaborative effort," he explains. "We take everything into account. We want to protect the character of the land as well as preserve the trees."
The rotunda was the best solution.
You enter the Wood Park neighborhood by crossing a bridge over a brook lined with trees. The natural waterway is fed by a mountain spring and collected in a series of ponds, the largest one being practically a lake or lagoon, before it goes out to the sea. There is opportunity here to develop a wetland area where the resident mallards can nest.
With a total land area of approximately seven hectares, Wood Park is located towards the southeastern portion of Anvaya Cove, at elevations of 50 to 95 meters above sea level.
"It is farther away from the water, but you get a horizon view of the sea, as well as a good view of the lower areas," Abella points out. Ninety-four lots are available with sizes ranging from 400 to 561 square meters.
"We noticed that most resort communities abroad are quaint," says
Abella, who visited communities in Martha’s Vineyard, Hawaii, Phuket, and Bali. "While the lots are not big, they are spacious; only 35 percent of the lot is allotted for the house. You don’t need a big house for your second home. What is important is that you are there, able to commune with nature. You share the open spaces with your neighbors, as well as all the amenities – the parks, the nature trails, the beach, and the beach club."
Research into the leisure habits of Filipinos showed that family bonding is a key consideration and mealtime is a big event not only for immediate family but also for extended families. Many busy families in Manila are unable to enjoy this as often as they’d want to, but with a house at Anvaya Cove, they can spend weekends where their activities can revolve around meals throughout the day – from breakfast to lunch, dinner, and meriendas in between – interjecting beach activities, water sports, bird watching, nature trail trekking, or simply lazing on a hammock in the lanai. "This kind of lifestyle is built into the design of the houses, which blend with the environment," Abella points out.
To set the tone and serve as template for the vision of a low-density environment, work has started on the Seaside Villas.
"The Seaside Villas are the first fully built structures we are offering in Anvaya Cove," Abella remarked.
"A very exclusive, gated community, only 17 units will be available. It is located beside the Beach and Nature Club and just a stone’s throw away from the beach, but it is elevated. There will be a footpath leading to the beach as well as to the Beach and Nature Club, which is the main amenity area."
"The design of the clubhouse is the centerpiece," says Leandro "Andy" Locsin Jr., design consultant of the project. "It features a large sloping roof – not a straight roof like you see in other villas – almost like a Thai roof but not quite. There were elements and proportions we had to consider. The geometric basis for forming that roof set the core style or feel for the whole development."
Locsin continues, "The question was whether everything should share that roof shape or not. Should there be uniform treatment? The conclusion of both client and architect was – because of the scale of the project and the kind of project that it is – there is a lot of room for other kinds of architectural treatments, like a variation of the same theme. The reason why a lot of other developments feel too produced, too predictable, is because of the relentless repetition of the theme, rather than just giving subtle suggestions."
"Asian Tropical" best describes the architectural design of Anvaya Cove with its variety of Asian roof shapes and pitches. Locsin points out, "So the direction we chose to go was essentially the uniformity of materials. The project, we felt, could withstand different kinds of shapes, but it was the materials that would be the unifying factor. There is variety, but in the treatment of texture, color, material type, these are all within one family. You won’t find a pink building, for example, or a Moorish castle. There is a certain palate close to nature with different hues of brown and green."
"Local stones are used, which were actually unearthed there when leveling the road. Whatever came out of the ground was used in many stone treatments around the house. Again you have the feeling of architecture that is of the place. There is authenticity in effect between material and the place in which these materials are found."
Joel Munoz, project architect of the Leandro V. Locsin Partners architectural firm, says "For the roofing material, we used asphalt shingles, giving a really nice texture to the roof. It is also lightweight so you don’t have to build a heavy structure to support it. It does not rust, and is easy to repair. Asphalt seals itself and does not get brittle. The asphalt shingles that we use are also algae-resistant."
"The eaves are long and low to protect the house from the elements" Munoz adds. "It is a standard tropical design. The whole perimeter of the roof has air vents. There are no downspouts and no gutters that could become a maintenance issue, what with leaves falling from the trees and clogging the gutters. All these things were taken into consideration."
"The columns are clad in wood that are resistant to rotting and treated against termites and warping from the sea water," Munoz explains. "For the flooring, porcelain tiles were used, which are like ceramic tiles, but the texture is very natural looking. Unlike natural stone, it is not porous. It has the warmth, feel and look of natural stone, and yet it is easy to maintain. You get the best of both worlds."
The driveway is covered with pea gravel. Locsin remarks, "The informality of the setting gives us an excellent opportunity to use sensual materials; things that contribute to the variations of how you experience a place – the sound, smell, texture."
Designed to blend with the natural environment, the Seaside Villas, set on generous lots ranging from 900 to 1,700 sq. ms, are single-story structures, each with two main pavilions – the social pavilion which houses the living and dining room, the kitchen, and a den which can be converted into a guest room, and the private pavilion which houses three bedrooms. The master’s bedroom has an adjoining toilet and bath as well as a dressing room.
Splitting up the building into two spaces adds to the informality of a beach house concept and lends itself to flexibility, so you can adapt to the site, not just to follow the slope, but also preserve the trees and create interesting spaces in between the structures. "One villa actually has one huge mango tree right in the middle where the pool is," Munoz says, "so things are oriented to it, like a courtyard."
The two pavilions are connected by a deck measuring about 50 square meters. The deck, which spills out from the social pavilion, is meant to be used frequently.
Every unit also has a plunge pool. "If homes in cold countries in the west have a fireplace, here where it is warm, we have the pool," Locsin observes. "From a practical standpoint, the pool has a cooling effect. The pool is on the same level as the deck or a partial level down, depending on the terrain. The pool is the link or hinge of the structure. It is the first thing you see when you come in."
"This is ideal for those who don’t want the hassle that comes with building a house," Abella explains. "We handle the design and construction of the villas. Included are the built-in cabinets, split-type air-conditioning, glass-shower enclosure and rain-shower head for the bathroom. The lavatory is an oven-fired clay vessel crafted by a local artisan, and you even get to choose your own double leaf, antique wooden door for the main entrance. Optional upgrades include built-in refrigerator, range and microwave oven. When we make the turnover, the place is ready for moving in. All you need to get are the furniture pieces."
"We can even provide the additional service for landscaping maintenance," Abella adds. "You can hire our personnel to do house cleaning, and since the villas are near the club, you can have your parties catered by them. You can even have your groceries delivered and your dirty laundry picked up since we have laundry service at the beach club. You get to enjoy resort living, in a place that you don’t just book for a night or a few days, but a place that you actually own."
But what if you are a workaholic? Anvaya Cove is a wireless community – even in the beach area. But who’d be thinking of work in a place like this? This has to be one place where you can’t help but shift automatically to vacation mode.