MANILA, Philippines – Ayala land Inc.’s first eco-friendly leisure development in Morong town, Bataan province has been recognized by United States-based Hospitality Design Magazine.

The Anvaya Cove, a high-end beach-cum-nature club with an Asian tropical architecture as the theme, was a finalist in the Green/Sustainable Project category of the magazine’s fifth annual HD Awards.

Developed by Ayala Land Premier, with Edaw Inc. of San Francisco, California as its landscape architecture firm, Leandro V. Locsin and partners as architects of record, and Arlen P. De Guzman Design Associates as interior design firm, Anvaya almost beat eventual winner Cavallo Point, the Lodge at the Golden Gate in Sausalito, California.

Cavallo Point is owned by Equity Community Builders, The Ajax Group, and Passport Resorts. Its interior design firm is Brayton Hughes Design Studios, San Francisco. Its architecture firms are Leddy Maytum Stacy (new buildings) and Architectural Resources Group (historic buildings).

Anvaya Cove, according to an ALI statement, was the only Asian entry that made it as finalist under the green and sustainable category. The New York-based publication, however, did not indicate in its website how many entries competed in the category.

Forested foothills

Inquirer Property’s previous Anvaya Cove feature describes ALI utilizing the template of a 320-hectare land of forested foothills of mango and narra trees, the peak elevation of 130 meters then rolling down from a backdrop of mountains meeting the sea.

During development of the resort, the natural groves of mango trees were untouched, even if the area offered tempting lease opportunities. Around the mango grove alone, a 10,000-sq-m Mango Grove Park was built to protect over 50-year-old mango trees.

Its water exploration area was moved farther out, since the area originally chosen was found out to have nesting eagle owls. There’s also the nesting grounds of sea turtles (pawikan) which also had to be “shorelined” (delineated) for protection from potential beachcombers.

Furthermore, on the other side of the cove, which forms a second cove, an elevated pond had also been declared a sanctuary of Philippine mallards (ducks).

The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines helped identify which species were present, and what trees served as their habitat.

Security guards, who were the first to be assigned on site, were given additional training by the World Wildlife Fund and the Bantay Pawikan Inc., a community-based conservation center in Morong, on how to take care of the eggs left behind by the parent sea turtles.

Structures utilizing locally available materials and passive solar energy features were designed to respond to climatic conditions such as heat, humidity and heavy rains. More than 60 percent of the site was also preserved as open space.

Sustainable principles

In a statement, Anvaya Cove’s senior architect Manny Illana said: “The design and planning of Anvaya Cove followed sustainable principles in order to create an eco-resort-like residential development that was within easy reach of Manila.”

He added: “From the onset of this project, the development team agreed that emphasis was needed to be placed on protecting and enhancing the physical attributes and habitats of the site. This meant designing roadways that curved around to avoid mature trees, choosing lighting fixtures that would not disorient pawikans as they come home to Anvaya Cove to nest, and creating amenities like the Nature Camp that would be a venue for interacting with nature as well as promoting conservation.”

The HD Awards program, one of the most coveted recognitions in real estate development, received 398 submissions in categories ranging from luxury hotels to resorts to spas.