To match the sprawl of a nearly one-hectare property on a scenic hillside in Cebu, and to meet the homeowner's wish for something unique and distinctive , the designers came up with an original solution. Rather than build a typical luxury home, they designed a modular one, consisting of a serie of octagonal pavilions connected by covered bridgeways. The result was completely contemporary, while evoking an airy, tropical feel and a distinct sense of place.
A long, dramatic canopy of translucent glass etched in a palm-leaf pattern provides entrance to the main pavilion, which houses the central living aarea. Each pavilion is basically an octagonal tiled roof supported by pillars of brown sandstone. Coupled with the natural slope of the terrain, the space below the main floor forms a silong while above it opes into a lanai that accentuates the airy, open feel.
The dining room and smaller living room extend from the rear of the main pavilion, and two trellised bridgeways on either side lead to two separate clusters of smaller pavilions The first consists of the "private" spaces: a master bedroom, a daughter's bedroom, a guest bedroom and the kitchen. The second cluster is the "public" or entertainment area, which is dominated by a large ballroom with a adjoining den for large social gatherings.
Through the judicious use of local materials, in particular the local sandstone for the exteriors and bamboo and rattan for the interiors, the designers were able to build a house that is at once contemporary, tropical and distinctly Filipino, with strong flavor of the Visayas.