Though part of a complex with a pre-existing wing built a few years ago, this expansion shall have an identity of its own. Its identity shall be related to its predecessor yet shall be distinctly differentiated in terms of character, branding, and even target customers. The design was thus hinged on the idea of understanding the real meaning of place, past, and future. It attempts to extract the micro-culture and the sense of place of the province and specific site, the architectural language of what came before us, and the essence of what it means to merge all of this into a structure that will remain relevant for decades to come.
Client \ The Bellevue Hotel & Resorts
Location \ Panglao, Bohol, Philippines
Building Area \ 15,000 sq.m.
Program \ 158 room expansion
Status \ Design
Modularity was embraced in designing a new extension for the tropical resort fronting Doljo Beach overlooking the Cebu strait in the Visayas region of the country. This new phase included the design of 158 rooms, a spa, a restaurant, function spaces, a gym, a dive shop, and other amenities to complement the existing five-star tropical hotel.
Revolving around the idea of “tapestry of truth,” the hotel embodied the idea of connecting with nature, views, culture, and place. The modular approach of the project involved the use of repeating units of the rooms as the starting point. The geometry of the module was defined from the views strategically oriented towards the sea and the pool area in the middle. From the individual room module, these were later multiplied, aggregated, and stacked.
The stacked rooms were then terraced to allow even more access to the views, beginning with the highest floor in the middle core cascading to the lower floors at the edge. The terracing provided roof decks for the end villas with their own private infinity pools. Dramatic views of the ocean serve as backdrop and point of interest from these private decks. To further maximize the views and shade from the sun, the walls of the room modules were slanted and angled.
The parallelogram-shaped module of the rooms was also inspired from the weaving found in the Visayas region. The woven tapestries, often made with dried pandan leaves, palm leaves, or rattan, create interlocking diamond shapes. To reinforce the module further, the building was wrapped in local coral stone cut in parallelogram shape. The modularity of the building definitely echoed the modularity of the woven mats.
Architecture \ Jason Buensalido, Jerome Bautista, Nikko Bumanglag, Jaime Recto, Larry Espino
Landscape Architecture \ PGAA
Interior Design \ Randall Lao