‘The best life can only be lived in a balanced environment’
Landscape architect and urban planner Paulo Alcazaren is the mastermind behind the Arden Botanical Estate in Cavite, the 1st botanical-themed township in PH
One of the biggest challenges we’ve found in a lot of revisited projects is that we had been called in too late,” said landscape architect and environmental planner Paulo Alcazaren. “So it’s unusual that the developer calls in a landscape architect, which I am, and it helps that I am also a planner, so I was able to tick two boxes for them.”
The “them” Alcazaren is referring to are property juggernaut Megaworld and subsidiary Global-Estate Resorts Inc. (Geri), which are jointly developing Arden Botanical Estate, the first botanical-themed township in the Philippines.
Alcazaren came in early as the Arden mastermind, and is in it for the long haul. “So, we design not just for year one, but year 10, 20 and 30. This development is going to just improve and improve as the vegetation comes back as people build their houses, as the communities establish themselves.”
The developers have pumped in a total of P18 billion for the next five years into the 251-hectare project, which lies between Trece Martires City and Tanza, Cavite, just over an hour away from Metro Manila via Cavitex.
What also makes Arden different from any other such development is how it integrates nature, and both residential and mixed-used spaces.
This is where Alcazaren’s 42 years of experience as an architect comes into play, as he explained at the recent media launch at Manila House. “My advocacy is proper urban planning, getting that balance environmentally. The balanced life and the best life stem from this reality,” he said.
That reality: Metro Manila has 2.8 million people packed into just over 600 kilometers. “It’s obvious that there’s not a balance between the built environment and the open green spaces which you need.”
Garden City
Something that Alcarazen talked about was the Garden City movement, an early 20th-century urban planning philosophy which espoused communities built around a city center but divided by greenery.
This fits Arden to a T. Alcazaren said they began work on Arden right before the COVID-19 pandemic, which slowed down work considerably, but also offered valuable, practical insights. “It’s an irregular perimeter, but the first thing that was done was to create a commercial hub at the opening from the national highway to make it more future-ready.” He noted it was important to give residents access to basic requirements like groceries and other essentials.
There is a spine road that leads to the different villages. “So, the commercial hub is the buffer between the residential estate and the national highway.”
But past the commercial hub, you cross a bridge into a field of lavender, and the town center next to it. The town center, perched on the highest elevation in Arden, boasts a breathing chapel: “It’s like an outdoors chapel without the roof,” with a roof formed by trellises. Next to that is Lombard Walk, inspired by the iconic zigzag Lombard Street in San Francisco, except in Arden, the zigzags are bordered by blooms and instead of cars, it’ll be people who’ll move through it.
“All the walkways are going to be green,” Alcazaren said. Add to that a butterfly aviary and playgrounds for the children, highlighted by the Little Botanist playground. There will be bike trails, a café and the township will not be some big-box store, but instead be broken up into smaller structures.
The developers will also be bringing more flora and fauna to a place that already has some. “So, we are going to dam some of the creeks so we can have ponds. People like to see water, and water is also a functional requirement for irrigation and, of course, for the aesthetic of it. Properties that overlook water are, of course, more premium than those that do not, so in all of the villages, there is intent to introduce, not just green but also blue.”
Alcazaren also emphasized that Arden will be engaging in all possible sustainable practices. Even the township’s many flowers were planned, ensuring they will thrive even in the Philippine heat, according to Alcazaren: “Flowers actually happen with a lot of sun. Since we’re still planting our trees, there’s a lot of sun, you won’t have any contest. We have a lot of areas that will be fully exposed to the sun, and that is the first thing that will come out. The trees will take a while but it’s a succession of layers. Flowering plant species gumamela and ilang-ilang will give a feeling of vibrancy and life.”
Amazing idea
Surprise guest speaker, TV personality Korina Sanchez-Roxas, agreed about the flowers: “It’s a bit of paradise. I think you can design your own space. So, we can have our personal paradise, or as close as it is possible. Live plants are eternally better than plastic ones, right? So, of course, they emit carbon dioxide, right? I love cut flowers. I love planting. Mar (Roxas), my husband, told me that if I put in another plant in the house, I’d have to move out.”
Sanchez-Roxas spoke about the value of cultivating an environment of wellness and living longer—and Arden sounded like a good idea. “I’m really just amazed at the idea that finally we have something like this in the Philippines. And I was saying that there should be legislation to require such a place at least in every province, every city. But having all the flowers, the trees, the space for the animals and people, fresh air and not so far from the metro.” And it’s already happening. Eugene Em Lozano, head of sales and marketing for Megaworld, said, “We are due to turn over the first batches of residential lots by next month ... You should see more developments coming in the next five years.”
He added, “The nice dynamic landscape continues to attract diverse groups of people looking for a more holistic and balanced approach in living, as the world is easily cluttered with all kinds of pollution and toxicity. We all seek a life of wellness.”
Rowena Espiritu-Lim, Geri head of sales and marketing, said that they have launched three phases of the Scandinavian-inspired Lindgen, which are houses and lots. The first two are basically sold out. “Phase one is going to be turned over next year, so they’ve started constructing housing lots, you can check it out when you visit. Phase two is in two years, and phase three is going to be in under three years.” Geri is also selling commercial lots, if buyers want to put up their own businesses on the first two floors and live on the third.
Arden Botanical Estate has made a believer of the man who planned all of this out, and who will continue to watch it bloom.
“It is already in the DNA of Megaworld to break out of the box and to create a more humanely scaled place that melds the architecture with a landscape,” said Alcazaren.