FORM AND ( MULTI ) FUNCTION
The capital city of Eritrea, a country in the Horn of Africa, Asmara has some of the greatest modernist architectures in the world, earning it the moniker “Africa’s Secret Modernist City” and the recognition of being a Unesco World Heritage Site last year. It also happens to be Italian financial analyst-turned-furniture-designer Carlo Cordaro’s birthplace and now, the name of his newest passion project.
“Asmara Urban Resort and Lifestyle Village came to mind last year because I love Cebu. I love the Cebuanos, and I think this city is losing a little bit of its identity. We are going for highrise buildings, skyscrapers—like a Hong Kong model and I don’t think this is the identity of Cebu. So I designed a building that’s below the coconut trees’ height. I wanted to reestablish some benchmark,” said Carlo, who has called this city home for 22 years.
“The design is a bit Cebuano, a bit vintage, and with Italian influences. I was in a non-negotiable mood during the design phase. I even drove my engineer crazy. But we were happy with how it turned out and we opened just last June,” he explained.
Stepping into Asmara is like discovering Carlo and his furniture factory. Every piece was designed by him and is reflective of the “form follows function” principle. An urban oasis where you can beat the bustle, the sustainable structure is surrounded by vast swaths of green. “There are more coconut trees in this 5,000-hectare property than there are from this area to Fuente,” Carlo quipped, motioning to the Banilad area where Asmara is located.
Open to everyone, the place has a restaurant and lounge, a cocktail bar, a squash court, tennis and badminton courts, a swimming pool, a yoga area and a function room that can accommodate up to 80 people. In its six months of operation, Asmara has hosted weddings, debuts, press conferences and even art exhibits.
“We really try to offer the most we can in terms of sports and lifestyle activities. When I designed the place, I would always say I want to promote yoga but in an open space. So the upstairs area is available for yoga classes throughout the week,” Carlo explained. There are also swimming classes and tennis coaches for kids, and soon, PADI courses.
“In a way, this is to convince children to get out there and not just stick to gadgets.”
But the pièce de résistance would have to be the inverted pyramid at the center. You’d think it adds drama when it rains—and yes, it does—but it’s more than that. The structure is meant to channel rainwater into underground cisterns so it can be recycled and reused in the bathrooms and the resort’s own organic garden. Asmara also employs reverse osmosis so it can have the optimal type of water for the food it serves. “I have to give back what Cebu gave to me. This is my little contribution. I hope this will serve as an example of how any individual, any developer, can create something sustainable,” he said.
Authentic Italian food is on the menu—everything is produced from scratch, even the sauces, and some of the ingredients are grown in its garden—as are healthy drinks and premium cocktails. “Our mixologists have a very unique way of doing things,” said Carlo, talking us into experiencing one of Italy’s cultural expressions, the aperitivo. It’s the Italian happy hour when a drink or light meal is taken at the end of the work day, to whet one’s appetite in time for dinner. “This is the place where you can make friends or see old ones, and where you can meet for the first time without downloading any mobile application,” he pointed out.
Drop by Asmara at Paseo Saturnino, Ma. Luisa Road, Banilad, Cebu City, anytime between 7 a.m. and midnight, or until 1 a.m. on weekends. Happy hour is 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. daily.