New Hotel on the Rise in Cebu Designed by Büro Ole Scheeren
They built “The Interlace” in Singapore which was awarded as the World Building of the Year in 2015 and also was awarded the Best Architecture in the year 2010. In addition to this, the Mahanakhon in Bangkok which was awarded the Best Mixed-Use Development in 2015 and the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing which was deemed the Best Building site by Wallpaper* Magazine, the Best New Global Design by the International Architecture Awards, and the Most Ambitious Project by The Times in 2008, are just some of the works Büro Ole Scheeren is known for globally. With amazing projects like these under their belt, any project that they take or create is something to be anticipated and in this case, we are blessed to have their latest project situated in our country, particularly in Mactan, Cebu.
This paradise will be called the Abaca Resort Mactan and it will be developed by Cebu Landmasters. Managed by Abaca Hotels and Resorts in partnership with CLI Premier Hotels Inc and Aidea, it’s practically assured to be the next biggest 5-star hotel in the Philippines. The structure looks primarily composed of white concrete and stone. These are dashes of marble and gold which makes it seem like a sight taken out from a movie. The feel of the place highly resembles the majesty of the lost city of Atlantis because of how the high rising hotel faces and opens up to the ocean while the rest of the structure runs down in a smooth curved slope made of various terraces and water basins meant to create fresh and vibrant gathering areas that slowly inch towards the pier and the sound of the crashing waves of the ocean.
Hanging gardens will become a thing of the past with the Abaca Resort Mactan because of how it is equipped with a luscious hanging garden of its own while providing its customers with private hanging pools that also face the ocean. The whole place is filled with arches to honor the local structures which Büro Ole Scheeren took inspiration from in making the designs for this project. They wanted to give their customers “a journey through the rainforest” by aligning the architecture, interior design, and landscape to converge and create a multi-sensory experience. In the words of the designer himself, he wanted the building to grow into the sky life a long-lost tropical village
The Abaca Resorts Mactan by Büro Ole Scheeren doesn’t just look good but also capitalizes on passive energy-saving strategies like natural ventilation and even a water conservation system that creates biotopes through the waterscapes of the project. As world-class as the aesthetics of this hotel might be, it will be making use of the same local construction practices and materials. This is a great thing to remember as we watch the progression of this project because it proves that the resources we have in the Philippines should not keep us from creating such high-quality buildings and structures.
Photos courtesy of Büro Ole Scheeren
