Agapeya Towns

Calamba, Laguna, Philippines, 2024

As part of one of the budding communities of Calamba, Laguna, the Agapeya Towns Amenities became a thesis on shaping a community-driven environment within a neighborhood defined by a strong pre-existing brand and identity. Through a deliberate play of shape and color, the resulting amenities became landmarks that embody the goals and values of its community.

Client \ Raemulan Lands + Elanvital Enclaves

Location \ Calamba, Laguna, Philippines

Building Area \ 500 sq.m.

Program \ Clubhouse, Chapel, Entry Statement, Landscape Architecture

Status \ Construction

Branding and Identity

Project Identity

Evident from its name, Agapeya Towns is a project with an identity rooted in the concept of ‘unconditional love’. Filipino families express love and devotion in a multitude of different ways: from a love for family; a love for community; to the love for God – the concept of love is deeply ingrained in Filipino culture. Such is the visual identity of this community: through an angular and colorful design language, Agapeya Towns presents an identity of love that is easily understood by all.

Architecture as a Vehicle for Identity

The main challenge of the project was to translate a strong visual and graphical identity into an architectural design language that could communicate the same values and symbolisms. The pre-established angular shapes of purples, pinks, and teals were fashioned into an architecture of sharp angles and solid architectural geometry that were developed from the same goals and concepts of the project’s overall identity.

Concept

Gestures of Love

In learning of Agapeya Towns’ core values and goals, the project became rooted in the idea of ‘gestures of love and devotion’. Homeownership is one of the common gestures of love for the average working-class Filipino – many strive to give their families places to call their own. This became the core idea of the primary amenities – designing spaces that could become part of a home for its community. Creating places for different types of people to connect, thus fortifying the sense of unity.

The Heart

Agapeya Towns’ branding is trademarked with the symbol of the heart. Throughout most of human history, the heart has become the universally-accepted symbol for love. With this, the geometry of the heart is woven into the core geometry of the architecture itself. From the planning to the overall architectural gestures, the heart is evident through shape and spatial experience.

The resulting design becomes a direct architectural visualization of the community’s own beliefs – landmarks for people to experience the values of their community in a tangible form. But beyond this, through an understanding of community, and the day-to-day lives of the average Filipino – creating spaces that can accommodate community-building will not only display these values in a literal sense, it also ensures that these core beliefs are upheld by all of those that these structures serve.

Ultimately, the architecture becomes both a mirror and a vehicle for community values: alongside being a visual representation of the project’s identity, it also serves as a place that can provide avenues for the values to be practiced and ultimately sustained.

Architecture of Devotion

Rooted in Agapeya Towns’ core values, the project frames architecture as an act shaped by care and intention, reflecting the deeply held aspiration of homeownership and shared life among working-class Filipinos. Through heart-inspired geometry, spatial planning, and programs grounded in daily use, the amenities are conceived as shared homes rather than mere facilities. Emerging as landmarks formed by both symbolism and lived experience, the architecture gives physical form to the community’s beliefs — serving not only as a visual expression of identity, but as a setting where commitment, connection, and collective life are continually nurtured and sustained.